Summertime

Its not a crime unless you get caught I thought I got one shot
Lifted the lid slowly to steal meat from the Dutch pot
Heard foot steps and made a choice to run
Outside past the elders playing dominos
Making yardie noise with rum
Being poured like it's the fountain of youth
A halo of gunja smoke
Puff puff passing round in a loop
Your mum is my mum they're all home from both jobs
To indulge in the fruits of their labour
Slush puppy straws between the lips of girls
With mating seasons usual behaviour in the air
Belly tops
Batty riders
Flip flops
When its this hot
Sun melts the cold shoulders
Now every glance is entertained from youts
In three quarter lengths bench pressing to impress
Those play-hard-to-gets
Happiness is solar powered
We all wanna enjoy the sun
We run around shooting each other
But survive coz water pistols fill a void for guns

We've been loyal to the soil since stuck in the mud
Outsiders pass through on edge like curbie
But round here its nothing but love
Rounders and kids from the diaspora tryna
Enquire if we want to play British bulldog
That's the only time we identify with the empire
There's nothing like the entire neighbourhood being
Resourceful in where we happen to live
Up until all hours of the night
Playing run outs until the stamina did
We'd knock down ginger at friends' houses
Who weren't allowed out and worse
Temper tantrums were loud it hurts
Watching us have fun from the window
Running around but perks
Of being grounded kept them down to earth
It was all laughter and hype when we were reunited
Five of us on bikes three guys
Being chauffeured on handle bars
We'd ride towards the sounds of hopscotch and excitement
That lingered in the air the only sat nav we needed
Popping wheelies towards girls
Seated in hairdressers converted
From doorsteps waiting for them to finish their plaits
So we could insist in a game of cat's cradle
Hoping it lead to something with no strings attached

A few years from now some of us will be dead
In prison with an addiction
Just existing or even moved out the ends
These casual moments will be memories
We'll cherish every ounce of them
Theres a reason those last four letters are found in friends
And why most inner city youths are bound to them
Its not about where you're from its who you're with
How much trouble we can cause as stupid kids
Amongst the family God let us choose
We say fam
Blood
Bruv
Cuz
This bond is beyond DNA
You see the way we met
Sheer luck of counsel house paperwork
If there's four wings amongst five of us
Somehow we'll make it work
We learned to walk in each-others shoes
So we share a change of shirt
Problems and more
You knocked on my door
Your mum washed her hands of you
Face still drenched
I felt helpless but you made your bed
Still I gave you the quilt from mine
We can get turned up everyday
But its dark times which reveal the kind
Of love at the heart of friendship

When it kicks off we defend our side and stand divided
We come together with ball over there you'll find Man United
Under the 'no ball games' sign between the coats
If you paid attention you would've seen the growth
We trained the talent who help keep the premiership afloat

We're not footballers
We're magicians
Hat trick after hat trick

What's a piece of round leather
It takes balls to survive here testicles or not
Unless you have stripes you won't get to call the shots
I aspired to be a striker when my friend was shooting
He chose the wrong Arsenal it was his mistake
We both ended up in a box for chasing goals
But he had the worst twist of fate