[Verse 1]
Now fast life cut him like a knife
And this sad story is not so nice
About a fast young kid who was full of tricks
Growin' up too slick and much too quick
A real smart kid, but never went to cla**
He was too busy out there jettin' fast
Told all the kids that school was square
He did the things that they wouldn't dare
No Pacman, Donkey Kong or game of tag
Cos he was too busy scramblin' nickel bags
Didn't have no morals and showed no shame
And he didn't grow up playing childhood games
Cos what he sees is all he knows
And his heart's in the street, where anything goes
I'm talkin' d** and dope, crime and corruption
The kid is headed for self-destruction
[Chorus]
(Fast Life) He likes to wheel and deal
(Fast Life) He likes to rob and steal
(Fast Life) How long can a good thing last?
(Fast Life) Hey boy! Don't you jet so fast!
[Verse 2]
Now by the age of twelve he was pullin' strings
And he had his hand on everything
Doin' crazy things to impress his friends
He stole the keys to a brand new Benz
Got behind the wheel, it was just for fun
And then he saw the cops and then he started to run
And like a chase scene from a movie script
He hit the gas and then he started to dip
And like the Knight Rider on TV
Huh, the kid came speedin' down the street
Didn't see that lady with her child
He tried to turn but the car went wild
She saw that car and then she started to shout
But it slammed into her and it took 'em out
He's too young to be in a life of crime
Any other kid, it's their bedtime
[Repeat Chorus]
[Verse 3]
By the age of thirteen he'd set the scene
He was trying to make some heavy green
Started selling c**aine and bundles of dope
Money became his only love
To make cold cash was his vow
He was the man with the plan, the big guy now
He said, "I'm not down where Reagan's planned
So I might as well take all I can"
But that savage ghetto mentality
Is the kind that keeps you in the street
I said, "Hey fast kid, why don't you use your head?
Cos if you don't you'll soon be dead"
[Repeat Chorus]
Uh!
[Break]
1,2,3,4, hit it!
[Verse 4]
Well fast kid, you could use your brains
Or get 'em knocked out with bats and chains
You knew it all but you never learned
You played with fire, and you got burned
Cos if you deal, then you must play
And if you borrow, then you got to pay
And you gotta pay back with no delay
Or six feet under you will lay
One day while standin' on the rooftop
The kid got cornered by the cops
Homeboys were sayin', "I told you so
What a lowdown shame, what a way to go"
Now it is told, and it is said
That at his grave his tombstone read
"He lived too fast and lost his stride
He should of grew up before he died"
(Fast Life) How long can a good thing last?
(Fast Life) Hey boy, don't you jet so fast
(Fast Life) At the end of a shotgun blast
(Fast Life) Your future could be your past
(Fast Life) [Repeat to fade]