O.C. - “Born 2 Live”
[Emcee(s): O.C.]
[Producer(s): Buckwild]
[Sample 1 (Melody): Keni Burke - “Risin’ to the Top”]
[Sample 2 (Drums): Brethren - “Outside Love”]
[Intro: Sample from Isaac Hayes - “Never Gonna Give You Up”]
[Verse 1: O.C.]
Like the dead-end
Kids, we used to play in the streets, never worrying
About grief. Football spelled relief. Ronnie
Ritney was the coach for us. See, he taught us
To play almost every single day, OK. Now on
Evergreen was Larry and Mike and Lon. My cousin
Boo lived there too, just to name a few, and Cha-
-rone, he’s bad to the bone, Boo’s little side-
-kick, had a badass mouth—he sufficed it on
Harmon Street with Zach, Leo and Ed. Meet
Jody and Boop by June, Rocky, and then comes
Tommy and Cedric, Lamont and Greg. Unique in our
Own right. At times we’d fight, but that’s aight
Still, not realizing we had love. It showed
When we played the phony charades against
One another. Now, while I’ll write this song, it’s like
Some are still alive and a couple are gone
[Hook] (x4)
We’re born to live a life and die. Life’s
So damn short, man, I wonder why
[Verse 2: O.C.]
As kids, you’re overlooking death. It didn’t seem
Important or serious. It just seems curious
It was about waking to a bowl of cereal
Cartoons on Saturdays, karate flicks in life
Riding your skateboard or bicycle. It went as
Deep as Killer Joe on the corner drinking Ripple, plus
Puerto Rican kids on the block were cool. We got
Along. We all knew right from wrong. By
Far, we got a dose that life was hard. A Spanish
Kid we were close with was killed by a car
Shocking. Alberto was hit on the block, and
Death was spontaneous. His moms was clocking him
‘Cross the street. He just received an award for
Little League Baseball, like, a hour before, plus
He didn’t even get to see the summer set in
Dying all young at the age of seven. It opened
Up my eyes, small, that the flesh was weak. As
A kid, thinking shit like that was mad deep
Peep it
[Hook] (x4)
We’re born to live a life and die. Life’s
So damn short, man, I wonder why
[Verse 3 O.C.]
Now, when somebody is
Gone, that’s when you realize how close you was, how
Close you are. Like a scar real
Deep, it takes time to heal, and, still, from
Time to time, you wish you could find the way to forgive
And let ‘em know you forgave, but they can’t
Feel six feet deep inside the grave
What’s left but attend his wake? Believing if it was
You, he’d do it for old time’s sake. Damn
I’m disturbed by the news. When I was told, I was
Sitting, knowing damn well Boo ain’t bullshitting
My life flashed like big bills of cash and
Good times we had. Now it’s all so sad
One of my childhood pals hit the road. When you
Take to the streets, then you die by the code
But, in this case, who knows what went down?
Bottom line is wishing that he still was around
Now, he found a spot in my heart, or should I say
Lobotomy. Mike, yo, you’re trapped inside of me
And every other brother in Bushwick who rushed to your
Side thick, all down with the clique. Yeah
God bless, he laid to rest. Called him Mike
Boogie—that’s what describes the nigga best
[Hook] (x4)
We’re born to live a life and die. Life’s
So damn short, man, I wonder why
[Bridge] (x4)
We’re born to live
[Outro: O.C.]
Like that, y’all, like that, y’all
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