That's How I'm Livin Lyrics - Greatest Hits: The Evidence - Ice T

I was born in new jersey, I said it before 

But I guess nobody heard me 

My mother died young 

No sistas or brothas, I was the only son 

When I was twelve my pops died too 

What a brotha was supposed to do? 

They sent me out West 

To live with my aunt 

I guess they though it was the best 

But there was no love there 

Growin' with no moms 

I guess I was prepared to live in a vacuum 

The bedroom the kitchen, the hall and the bathroom 

I didn't leave home much, didn't like L.A. 

Didn't have no friends to trust 

Got busted to a school 

Blacks and whites, I guess the shit was cool 

But in highschool I changed 

Didn't want to bust, didn't want to play the game 

I walked to Crenshaw high, shit was fly 

I hooked up with new cru 

Some brothas that knew what the fuck to do 

You might call it gang but we called it a set 

And it was our own thang 

The whole school was down 

And one way or another everybody fucked around 

When the hardcore or not 

you wore the right color or your ass got shot 

That's how i'm livin'... 

I did three years in and made close friends 

Havin' no love my homies came my only 

I was glad: a family I never had 

But I grew up fast got a girl on 10th grade pregnant 

Needin' cash, I had to change my style 

Switched from bangin' to hustlin' 

No more goin' buckwild 

Had to get a cashflow 

But my hustle was weak, it was a no go 

I join the army, four years in that shit 

Be all fucked you can be 

Came back to the hood 

My homies had done good 

Had elevated their game 

About 100 gees a lick, no mothafuckin' shame 

Passed for the jewels 

Baby sledgehammers with the tools 

I speak on this with a hesitation 

Even though it passed the statue of limitation... 

I checked the bank 

Bought a porsche and gear, earn high streetrank 

But as I grew my whole crew fell through 

Cops had us on the books as innerstate crooks 

Murder robbery rape escape, the whole damn nine 

You robbed a nigga blind 

I had too much juice, I cut my boosters loose 

I was intread with the pimpgame 

Took on the ice-name 

But the pimpgame moved too slow 

Especially for a nigga who was hooked on quick dough 

In one night late I was in a carwreck 

And I was lucky to escape 

Hospital for teen weeks, in bed almost dead 

And when I got well, I got gaught in a cross 

And got locked in a jailcell 

That's how I'm livin'... 

They cutted me loose 

And I had to change troops 

This time they didn't catch me 

Next time they'll strecth me 

Cause my time was gettin' short 

All my homies was in court 

Or locked in a hole, this shit was gettin' old 

So I changed my life 

Putted down the gun and picked up the mic 

It took ten years to get from there to here 

But I still keep a gun, cops got me on the run 

And they hate me more now 

Than they ever did before 

My homies came back from pen 

And we all worked together 

True friends but every once and while 

Some punk mistakes me as a junk 

And he gets in my face 

Wrong mothafuckin' place 

And I ain't lyin', that's how you dyin'...