Slippin' Away

[Verse 1 - Brother Ali]

I arrived in Minnesota with handcuff bruises

Summer ninety deuce, prepared to cut loose shit

Mom wasn't havin that, fuck bein cool

With no discussion, stuck me in a suburb school

Now day and night I'm on a bus full of fools

Who parents didn't want us ended up in the news

You must be crazy, you think any of us appreciate it

How our parents wanna upgrade us

All day long we're in a fantasy land

Moms and dads, college plans and minivans

But when the sun set, you fled the success

To the slum where you rest, nothin more, nothin less

School they fantasize about gangsta rap records

But these are our lives, our families are connected

The Ice Cube summer vacation is takin place

Right around the way from where I stay

The mold from the gold and the 'rips from L.A

Brought, snow to the cold for a new place to play

There's a war goin on outside, you ain't safe from

See if this education might save 'em

[Hook - Brother Ali] - 2X

I've known you your whole life

You drawn to that street life

Slippin away, slippin away

Slippin away, slippin away

[Verse 2 - Brother Ali]

And so our little city bus crew used to run together

Eat lunch together, girls Double Dutch together

Fellas humbuggin, next day be friends

The only thing we never did was date from within

Fellas dated white girls, sisters stayed lonely

Used to kiss me on my cheek and say we were homies

Alphonso basement, we ran the party

One day on the bus, Pumpkin stabs Akey

Shit, my main man was Ethan

Used to sell sneakers at a store called Friedman's

He had two older cousins that were hustlers

Filas wasn't all he pumpin to the customers

He got a check but he got connects

So he got some chicks and he got respect

His boy Ali got hooked up with clothes

One day slap boxin, he broke my nose

He almost cried man, he had a good heart

The brother's only problem was he wasn't book smart

He dropped out of school but he kept slangin shoes

To keep the kids fed, he had to sell base too

[Hook]

[Verse 3 - Brother Ali]

Time to time I used to stop in and check on my dude

Even when we lost touch with the rest of our crew

We both had babies, drama with our old ladies

But as time went on, our connection only grew

He said "I just can't seem to leave these streets alone man

Feels like I fell asleep one evening

And woke up the next day suddenly a grown man

In a rut with no idea how to leave it

My parents got too many kids to help me through

I really don't know what the hell else to do

I know you gonna really get it crackin with that rap thing

And when you blow up, I'm a come and work for you"

Ha, that's my man, I see you when I see you brother

Keep your head up 'til the next time we see each other

Rolled out on my first national tour

Back on the block, went back to the store

Put my hand on the door, Ethan wasn't in though

They said somebody shot 'em through his front window

Hit 'em in the head and that he hadn't survived

Matter fact he died 'fore the ambulance arrived

A man in that life, it wasn't no mistake

The cops called it a stray bullet, closed the case

So there's no justice and there's no closure

You can't touch this, not you, no sir

They buried my brother, I was on the road

By the time I got home, the ground was cold

Got nothin left but a hole in my soul

Shit, dude was 23 years old

[Hook]

Slippin away, slippin away - 3X