Survive

[Intro: Kendrick Lamar]

Life in the city, life in the city

Oakland, California, Compton, California

But we survive

Only the strongest survive

Life, life in the city

In the city and nigga's tryna survive

Only the strongest survive

[Verse 1: Kendrick Lamar]

You ever been a victim of being a prisoner inside your own mind?

The bright lights of the street lights will make you go blind

Handicap your senses, you was just an apprentice of watching niggas jump fences

Now you in the Olympics and your hurdle was high enough to clear the tallest of clothes lines

Talented when they closing in on your behind

Life of a young delinquent, even stole him a Lincoln

At fifteen, middle fingers walked out the precinct

I mean the cycle just continue

The vital information and fine print on the menu

So you'll never read it even if  a nigga lend you

Money out my own pocket, to make it right

You'll still attend to

Be on them corners with stop signs and a nine

Cause nine times out of ten, MAC 11's cry

And twelve died yesterday and if anyone divides

The six that carried you eventually lose they lives

True story

[Chorus: Kobe]

When the night falls anything can happen

We just pray we make it out alive

We all wanna make it to the top one day

Success is a street only going one way

But we all won't make it

Just try your best to survive

[Verse 2: Mistah F.A.B]

(You all wanna see a dead body?)

Well, follow me across the train tracks

Where angry and insane Blacks

They slang crack

Candles burn where they were slain at

And bottles get poured where they would hang at

Close, I give you truth in this essence

Dead homies added to swears when truth is in question

Like "Man I think he lying or he put that on someone"

If I known you ten years, got the right to say we cousins

I'm from the city of broken homes, and often I was home alone

And momma started smoking cause daddy was scared to smoke alone

Section 8 policies, Top Ramen and sunflower seeds

June got kill't cause he ain't wanna lose his Wallaby's

Constant atrocities, no one is safe

There's no religion that can save you, say goodbye to your faith

Whether you Muslim or a Christian, Baptist, Jewish or Adventist, Atheist or non-religious

Put survival on your wishlist

Cuz

[Chorus: Kobe]

When the night falls anything can happen

We just pray we make it out alive

We all wanna make it to the top one day

Success is a street only going one way

But we all won't make it

Just try your best to survive

[Verse 3: Crooked I]

You walked in the apartment and saw your father on the carpet

With a belt wrapped around his arm and a scarf under his armpit

And a needle shoved in his bicep

Earlier this morning you warned him

His addict habits are something you couldn't digest

You cry saying "I just don't wanna see you die"

Now you tryna dissect the fact that he hasn't opened his eyes yet

You collapsed on his body and you started thinking

I could perform CPR, jump start his heart if it's beating

But his pulse started to weaken

His cardio region depleting as you given him part of your breathing

He dead and gone and you had a bad feeling when you was heading home

Now it's etched in stone, you've been left alone

So you grabbed his chrome gun, handle all pearl, aw nah girl

Put it to your head, thinking, fuck everybody like a call girl in a small world

Then pulled back but it didn't clap

Damn

[Chorus: Kobe]

When the night falls anything can happen

We just pray we make it out alive

We all wanna make it to the top one day

Success is a street only going one way

But we all won't make it

Just try your best to survive