Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Ghettos of the Mind (A Capella) lyrics

[Intro: Pete Rock] Uh-huh Once again Back to attack C.L. Smooth Talkin’ ’bout the ghetto Yeah Ghettos of the mind Let me hear what ya got, come on [Verse 1: C.L. Smooth, Pete Rock] I catch a body at a party, sort of herbal with the verbal (Uh) Look above and see the vultures fly around in a circle (Woo, yeah) Baggin’ while you’re lollygaggin’, raggin’, toe-taggin’ (What?) Assassin with the millimeter roars of a dragon (Yeah) Here stood the black hood, thirsty for the ends (Uh-huh) And for the love of money, kind of funny, new friends (Pss) Public housing, a thousand in a tent (Ah) So I’m forced to sell hell just to pay the rent (Uh-huh) Killin’ my own people (What?), I put ’em out of order (Uh-huh) Just like the liquor store scene on every corner (Ah) I’m tryin’ but the kids keep cryin’ and the bullets keep flyin’ (Pow pow) Look, a boy, he’s on the curb just dyin’ Finally the cops come, dumb to the slum (Uh) Pull out a gun and arrest the wrong one Wax all the Puerto Ricans and Blacks So they can never relax (Woo) I dwell, might as well learn the facts Pete Rock and C.L. can radio a shack up (Uh-huh) Sparkin’ off and have ’em all callin’ for backup (Say what?) “Watch another crime and you’re gonna do time” (Yeah) All this you’ll find in the ghettos of the mind [Bridge: Pete Rock] Ain’t that somethin’? Come on La la, ah yeah, la la, come on It’s like that, uh, la la, yeah Come on, la la [Verse 2: C.L. Smooth, Pete Rock] Listen to cats and rough rats war under the window When the ghetto forts flurry (Ah), never was a Tom and Jerry (Uh-huh) Livin’ ain’t cheap, my survival is deep In this part of town where the city never sleep A Barney Miller rollin’, you can bet the car’s stolen Or static with your BM, only when you see them (What?) Speakin’ on your baby’s mom, a best for the drama Always tryna make a movie, little stark-ravin’ looney (Ha ha) Stressin’ it, but you know the ghetto keep ya busy (Yeah) A place that when I die it would never even miss me (Miss you) Crack vials in the aisles as one pimp smiles Dope piles workin’ hookers by the miles (That’s right) But still my pop’s got three jobs to stable (Yeah) The family household and food on the table (Woo) So as we pray for all our souls to keep (Yeah) Somebody’s on the project roof, ready to leap (Woo) I wanna stop the pain, Lord, a bad situation (Uh-huh) But backwards wisdom I can’t afford to give ’em (Yeah) Self savior is much braver with the conscious behavior Designed in the ghettos of the mind [Bridge: Pete Rock] Ain’t that somethin’? Come on, la la Yeah, come on, la la Come on, come on, come on, la la Yeah, uh, la la The funky break Uh, yeah, the funky break Kick the flow Come on [Verse 3: C.L. Smooth, Pete Rock] I could never look forward to an early retirement (Uh) But still I maintain in a hostile environment (Yeah) Hustle in the concrete jungle for loot My parents hated blood money so they gave me the boot (Pss) Take a risk ’cause the peer pressure has the edge (Word?) It was a blessin’ when I saw my life dangle on the ledge (Uh) The streets coulda swallowed me whole But coma’s all gone when I got to see my healthy son born (Uh) And now I bring him home to the ghetto Only to make a stronger fellow (Woo) Maybe do some good for the neighborhood (Yeah) It’s hard playing hero livin’ less than a zero (Uh-huh) Raging Bull like DeNiro, the modern day pharoah (Yeah) A concentration camp with the Section 8 Welfare checks given at a monthly rate (Pss, ah) Apply for the get high or just plain lazy (Uh) Many steady collect right around the fifth baby (Uh-huh) The hawk is out but the ni**as never pack it (Whoa) A hundred-dollar sneakers with the skimpy-ass jacket (Pss) When people are deaf, dumb, and blind they get left behind (Left behind) Imagine in the ghettos of the mind [Outro: Pete Rock] Ghettos of the mind, la la Come on, la la Yeah, uh, la la That’s right, come on, la la With the ghetto, la la Talkin’ from the ghetto, la la, yeah With the ghetto, la la Come on, yeah, la la