[Intro: Zo-Zer]
Ay, this is life man, niggaz out here talkin
Rappin about shit you ain't never seen or had no parts in, youknowhatI'msayin?
Shit ain't cool man, ay Lo, take 'em where you from
[Chorus: OneBeLo]
Let me take you to a place where the sun don't shine
Killers don't talk, little kids don't mind
Men don't work, don't take care of babies
You bought my album but bootleggers don't pay me
City runnin wild, cats don't give a fuck
Junior High students don't say no to drugs
Liquor stores don't ask shorties for their I'd
This is a place where don't nothin surprise me
The ghetto
[OneBeLo]
The ghetto, yo...
Now you can get shot, everyday it's a struggle to be alive
Mentally, physically, only the strong survive
Can't hide from the fact ghettos is filled with blacks (blacks)
Crack (crack) smack (smack) roaches and rats
Thugs totin they gats, this ain't a nice place to visit
The people that you live with, hearts cold and frigid
That girl over there, don't even bother with her (why?)
She's a hoodrat, gold-digger, never had a father figure
Her older brother was a big time drug dealer
When he was young his role model was a drug dealer
Now that he's older, everybody wants to cop a boulder
He took a bullet in his head, now he's in a coma (bloaw!)
You callin 9-1-1, this ain't a joke
You rollin like a blunt cause you might get smoked
The sad part about it ain't the money or the dope
The trigger man wasn't even old enough to vote
[Chorus]
[Interlude: Zo-Zer]
Shit ain't all good in the hood
Touch mine, wish a nigga would
You knowhatI'msayin? (In the ghetto)
[OneBeLo]
Landlords don't do nothin but collect rent
Police don't patrol, serve or protect it
Brothers don't allow others to hustle on they block
Always carry heat cause the beef don't stop
And it don't quit, everyday the same shit
Hustlin to get you what your job can't get
And I ain't even talkin 'bout a Benz or Mercedes (what you talkin about?)
I'm talkin about toothpaste, diapers for your babies
The basic necessities of life
The homeless sleepin in a cardboard box every night
The only playgrounds is vacant lots and burned buildings
You gotta feel sorry for the children
How they gon' do they homework when they homes don't work?
They can't read books cause the lights don't work (nope)
They can't take a bath cause the water don't work (nope)
The stove in the kitchen, plus the heat don't work (nope)
It's cold at night, they mommas can't afford jackets
She too busy tryin to support the crack habit
The State took her kids, now they all doin bids (man that sound crazy)
I know it sound crazy but that's how it is, in the ghetto
The ghetto
[Interlude: Zo-Zer]
All I see are hearts that's hollow, from Detroit to Chicago
Just hopin you can follow
Shit's real, I know it sounds crazy
Shit, it's how it is, how it is...
[Chorus: w/ minor variations]
(This is a place where) Nothin surprise me
(This is a place where) Nothin surprise me...