I Seen a Man Die

(So what you gonna do when you get outta here cat daddy?)
I don't know dawg, I'm just trying to live it one day at a time, ya know?
(I hear you talkin' man, live it one day at a time...)
(It ain't nothing but a thang though, bro)
Yeah, I hear you fool
Well, let me get up outta here, my ride out here waitin' for me
(Alright cat daddy, take it easy, baby)
You stay up fool (peace)

He greets his father with his hands out
Rehabilitated slightly, but glad to be the man's child
The world is different since he's seen it last
Out of jail, been seven years and he's happy that he's free at last
All he had was his mother's letters
Now he's mobile and he's gotta make a change and make it for the better
But he's black so he's got one strike against him
And he's young, plus he came up in the system

But he's smart and he's finally making 18
And his goal's to get on top and try to stay clean
So he's calling up his homie who done came up
Livin' lavish, now they dealin' with the same stuff
And had that attitude that who he was was worth land
And with that fucked up attitude, he killed his first man
Now it's different, he done did dirt
And realized killin' men meant comin' up but it still hurt

And can't nobody change this
It's 1994, and we up against the same shit
I never understood why
I could never see a man cry 'til I seen a man die

Man cry

Imagine life at its full peak
Then imagine lying dead in the arms of your enemy
Imagine peace on this Earth when there's no grief
Imagine grief on this Earth when there's no peace
Everybody's got a different way of endin' it
And when your number comes for souls, then they send it in
Now your time has arrived for your final test
I see the fear in your eyes and hear your final breath

How much longer will it be 'til it's all done?
Total darkness at ease be at all one
I watch him die and when he dies let us celebrate
You took his life, but your memory you'll never take
You'll be headed to another place
And the life you used to live will reflect in your mother's face
I still gotta wonder why
I never seen a man cry 'til I seen a man die

I hear you breathin' but your heart no longer sounds strong
But you kinda scared of dying so you hold on
And you keep on blacking out and your pulse is low
Stop trying to fight the reaper, just relax and let it go
Because there's no way you can fight it though you'll still try
And you can try it 'til you fight it but you'll still die
Your spirits leave your body and your mind clears
The rigor mortis starts to set, now you outta here

You start your journey into outer space
You see yourself in the light but you're still feeling outta place
So you standing in the tunnel of eternal life
And you see the ones you never learn to love in life
Make the choice, let it go if you can back it up
If you ain't at peace with God, you need to patch it up
But if you ready, close your eyes and we can set it free
Here lies a man not scared to die, may he rest in peace
I still got to wonder why
I never seen a man cry 'til I seen that man die