Testo Broke

Intro (Keith Allen)
Were you ever without, money to pay bills
or ever have problems putting food on the table
did you ever doubt or feel you had no hope of changing your lifestyle cuz you were so broke

[YKC]
I ain't no joke, but I sure am broke
No dollars no change, nada, nope In my pockets, (damn) nothing but lint
Any money I had, already spent
When ya got nothing, ya got nothing to lose
No house, no school, no spouse, no rules
It makes no sense, since I don't have cents
I'm pulled to poverty like it's a magnet

[The 23rd Stallion]
Can't take this anymore/ there was piss on the floor/ no heat at times/ can't sleep open eyes/ like beat with no rhymes/ can't eat with no knives/ no pops in my life so I guess I gotta fight/ hate to see winta/ trouble with the kerosene heata/ don't mean to seem bitta/ locus in the house I've never seen bigga/ through the scraps and the bumps by grace I was chased never jumped.

[Tur-Bo]
Growing up wasn't easy believe me, we was poor,
everytime the rain dropped we had pots on the floor,
heard shots around the block, we put locks on the door,
only shopped at certain spots not a lot we could afford, 'fraid to have people over cuz we had so many roaches,
that's why we made excuses everytime our peers approached us, you couldn't even probably, properly have a clue unless poverty was possibly something that you've been through,

Chorus (Keith Allen)
I'm out here always on the grind, wish I could say I'm doing fine,
seems I'm wasting my time, trying to scrap up a dime,
havin' more than pocket change is strange to me,
still I make it through everyday amazingly
my life is a dead-end street, gotta do more than make ends meet

[The 23rd Stallion]
Had a father/ whose a doctor/ who didn't wanna botha to pay child support/it took awhile of course/ to get some money from him/ must have been funny to him/ well not for us/ got tough/Daily/ weekly/ yearly/failing/ to pick up slack/ I got sick of that/now picture that/ pretty sad but true/ bouncing checks like basketballs/ oh the bastard called

[Tur-Bo]
How shameful a position, to ask for some assistance,
from other family members who only showed resistance
they didn't quite approve of conditions that we lived in,
sometimes I just assumed they didn't care for our existence
and they were so religious which is why I used to wonder
how they donated to charities but chose to let us suffer
was it cuz of grudges that they had against my mother,
or maybe cuz my father had a different skin color

[YKC]
What you know about sleepin through nights in train terminals
Lookin over your shoulder, no telling who might murder ya
Livin your life just tryin to find your way
Lucky to even mange one meal a day
I made it to college cause of financial aid
Snuck in the dorms cause I couldn't make the grade
At 18 my friends and I, sneakin in bars
They go home but me, I be sleepin in cars

Chorus (Keith Allen)
I'm out here always on the grind, wish I could say I'm doing fine,
seems I'm wasting my time, trying to scrap up a dime,
havin' more than pocket change is strange to me,
still I make it through everyday amazingly
my life is a dead-end street, gotta do more than make ends meet

[Tur-Bo]
I got no problems or regrets about the way I was raised,
but a ghetto's not a place that I'ma let my kids stay,
unless it was of course the only place that I could afford
I'd like to thank my family members who showed lack of support,
they'll read the writing on the wall that tables will turn
they got some neighbors who can't wait to see the favors return
and if you ever get the nerve to ask Turb for anything,
best remember not to call erase the thought from memory.

[YKC]
Back then, never felt nearly alive
Went through every day wit a glass tear in my eye
It's like we'd steal to survive, I was runnin wit thieves
Next morning on line for that government cheese
That the only cheddar I seen, No better it seemed
Made it through hard times I found it better to dream
Thinkin back kid, if I didn't have this
I probably would have gone and got my ass kicked, a lot more

[The 23rd Stallion]
Strugglin/ husstlin/ pissed/ angry at the world for this/
friggin mess I'm in/ but like the wind the direction will change/ and we'll reflect on the days when we had no dough/ but I'm glad ya know/ cause the strength of my mom/ help strengthen the bond/makes me think of this song/ so I'm thankful that I'm able to put the past aside/ I was destined to shine/ no more wastin my time

Chorus (Keith Allen)
I'm out here always on the grind, wish I could say I'm doing fine,
seems I'm wasting my time, trying to scrap up a dime,
havin' more than pocket change is strange to me,
still I make it through everyday amazingly
my life is a dead-end street, gotta do more than make ends meet

Outro (Keith Allen)