Artist: Ice-T f/ San Man Album: Return of the Real Promotional CD Song: I Must Stand (Video Clean Edit) Typed by: dy_face@yahoo.com [Verse One: Ice-T] Just a kid, moms died when I was seven Pops died eleven, what's up with heaven? It's hell; when you're an orphan at an early age It's an impressionable stage, no love breeds rage In the heart of a child, who never knew his roots Looked up to pimps and the hustlers in the Eel-skin boots Parking Caddies on the sidewalk, gangster talk Trucking diamonds and gold, Rubberbands around the bankrolls Fly girls to make your head spin Seemed they partied all day long, I was like 'Put me on!' But they said: "Little fellow, run and go play Take your butt to school or else you'll have to be like us one day" I didn't understand, but I tried to get a job While all the players got the girls cause they'd hustle and rob I was like making about 1-50 a week And after taxes, you know what that is; lunch meat [Chorus: San Man] Lot of my peeps didn't have very much opportunities Is that the way it suppose to be? But I must stand, I was born this way I am a blackman Lot of my peeps didn't have very much opportunities Is that the way it suppose to be? But I must stand, I was born this way A proud blackman [Ice-T Overlapping the above Chorus] And I know I can be better than this I can get me a car man, I can get a girl I know I can do it out there, man I'm finna go for it man, I gotta get some money, Word! [Verse Two: Ice-T] Streets is anger, trouble and crime I had it hard, had to sleep in my car sometime But I never let another player see me down I kept my front up, my gear clean Even when checking minor green Brothers knew my game was true So I hooked up with the real crew That knew exactly what to do Bank jobs and jewels, quick to flex with tools Pimping whores on the block, checking cash non-stop Crack spots, armor with interior bars No lie, I used to own about fifteen cars Every piece Fila® made, drape my women in suede Pavet Piaget®, Cesar's Palace holidays It was on, crazy out of control We made up the word 'Balling', that was how we roll But the FBI had a-whole-another idea It's called multiple indictments for hundreds of years [Chorus: San Man] [Ice-T Overlapping the above Chorus] What? Daff is dead? Carter got 25 years? Nah, Spike 35 to life? Nah, don't tell me B.O.'s dead, man I don't wanna hear that, man I was just with him [Verse Three: Ice-T] The game is vicious, no retirements, you die young Listen to a fake, he might tell you to grab a gun I get phone calls from condemned row Brothers I ran with, brothers I really know They tell me: "Ice you got much love in the pen' You're the one that got away, don't wanna see you in" They tell me: "Tell the little homies the deal Don't have them come up in this hellish habitat of shanks and steels" I marched two million strong in D.C. Looking eye to eye with brothers that I used to think below me Damn, my mind was twisted in my hustling days But God spared me, I got a baby son to raise And being black ain't easy, prejudice as real But health and liberty is all we need for us to build We gotta come together, unseparated Check yourself like I did, blackman because we're all related [Chorus: San Man] [Outro: Ice-T overlapping the chorus] Yeah, this song is going out to all my brothers Black, Latino, Asian, Iranian, anybody out there that feels the way I feel about the situation that's going on out there A lot of little homies out there might think I'm coming at you soft This record will make a lot of sense fear When you're on that great coast on up to the penitentiary route So I'ma say it now, hopefully these words will echo in your mind Peace! Ice-T, Ninety Six, Return of the Real! We must stand, Damn! Damn! Damn!