Coolio - Gangsta's Paradise

As I walk through the valley

of the shadow of death

I take a look at my life

and realize there's none left

'Cause I've been brassin'1

and laughin' so long that

even my momma thinks

that my mind is gone

But I ain't never crossed a man

that didn't deserve it

Me be treated like a punk,

you know that's unheard of

You better watch how you talkin',

and where you walkin'

or you and your homies

might be lined in chalk

I really hate to trip

but I gotta lope2

As they croak I see myself

in the pistol smoke, fool

I'm the kinda G that

little homies want to be like

On my knees in the night,

saying prayers in the street light

[Chorus:]

They been spending most their lives

living in the gangsta's paradise

They been spending most their lives

living in the gangsta's paradise

We keep spending most our lives

living in the gangsta's paradise

We keep spending most our lives

living in the gangsta's paradise

Look at the situation,

they got me facing

I can't live a normal life,

I was raised by the strip3

So I gotta be down

with the hood team

Too much television watchin'

got me chasing dreams

I'm a educated fool

with money on my mind

Got my ten in my hand

and a gleam in my eye

I'm a loc'd out gangsta,

set trippin' banger

And my homies is down

so don't arouse my anger, fool

Death ain't nothing

but a heart beat away

I'm living life do or die,

what can I say

I'm twenty-three now, but

will I live to see twenty-four?

The way things is going I don't know

Tell me why are we

so blind to see

That the ones we hurt

are you and me.

[Chorus]

Power and the money,

money and the power

Minute after minute,

hour after hour

Everybody's runnin',

but half of them ain't lookin'

what's going on in the kitchen,

but I don't know what's cookin'

They say I've got to learn

but nobody's here to teach me

If they can't understand it,

how can they reach me

I guess they can't

I guess they won't

I guess they front

That's why I know my life is out of luck, fool

[Chorus]

Tell me why are we

so blind to see

That the ones we hurt

are you and me

Tell me why are we

so blind to see

That the ones we hurt

are you and me

1. slang for laughing, according to this source: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=brassin%272. to keep a low profile, source: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=lope3. I believe the idea is that "I was raised by the street."

• Artist:Coolio
• Album:gsta's Paradise / I Am L.V. / Dangerous Minds (Music from the Motion Picture)