Verse I Hey young the world is yours But keep your work legal, please avoid these laws Them people want us workin' free like it's 16th century (and) Kids w/ Black skin destined for the penitentiaries Chorus: I know you feel like you're on your own (and) All your luck is gone Verse II We in the streets k**in' ourselves as if we were savages Murder rate triple what the national average is We don't love ourselves, wreckless chasing benjamins Angola bound or up in University hemorrhaging It's just so much to put in a verse Bottom line is you're ORIGINAL, you were here first Black is the maker, owner, cream of the planet earth No way you should be 16 carried away in a hearse You like, this old dude don't even make sense And parents don't understand like Jeff and the Fresh Prince But the funny thing is, we actually do And 20 years ago, we was exactly like you Chorus Verse III Sometimes school is boring and teachers be aggravating Stick with it, 4 years you could be graduating 4 years of college could boost your finances Ain't nothing guaranteed, but you have better chances The thing you love most, it's worth pursuing it Figure out a way for you to get paid doing it I offer these words to help you stay on the right course Don't advocate military or the police force That's just my advice, still it ain't no joke They don't work in the interest of the poor and the Black folks I never sold dope, a day in my life But found ways to help my mama keep on the lights I thought of creative legal ways that I could get loot Kept kicks, Polo, Izod and Adidas sweatsuits Entrepreneur, sales I had a knack for 13, Slingin Mama noodles right out the back door Making paper, doing homework, watchin' Looney Tunes Then, sold subscriptions to the Times Picayune I love my Mama, kept me offa the corner Bussed tables, dropped fries till I got my diploma Then I left home to get professional knowledge Pell grants and bakin' bean pies got me through college On the real, I still owe for them Stafford loans But now I program, and see the world rockin microphones Bridge Verse IV Your dreams and pa**ions you should chase behind You'll face struggles, I was faced with mine I really hope you embrace this rhyme I love you, if I didn't wouldn't waste my time Chorus