Death Row

That's where motherf***ers is endin up
Dear mama, I'm caught up in this sickness
I rob my adversaries, but Slick done left a witness
Wonder if they'll catch me, or will this n**** snitch

Should I shoot his b****, or make the n**** rich?
Don't want to commit murder, but damn they got me trapped
Hawkin' while I'm walkin', and talkin' behind my back
I'm kind of schizophrenic, I'm in this s*** to win it

'Cause life's a Wheel of, Fortune here's my chance to spin it
Got no time for cops, who trip and try to catch me
Too f***in trigger happy, to let them suckers snatch me
N****z gettin' jealous (jealous) tryin' to find my stash

Whip out the nine, now I'm a dive and pump your a**
Peter picked a pepper, but I can pick a punk
Snatched him like a b****, and threw him in the trunk
The punk thought I was bluffin', but swear I'm nothin nice

Before I take your life, first wrestle with these, mics
I listen to him scream, Tray Deee went insane
I guess the little, mites had finally found his brain
New Rovers pull me over, I'm sentenced to the pen

Remember that little, bird, he snitched and told a, friend
It's trouble on my mind, I'm with the old timers
And f*** five-oh, blaow blaow.. turn em into forty-niners

[Tupac sings]
Bye bye, I was never meant to live
Can't be positive, when the ghetto's where you live
Bye bye, I was never meant to be
Livin' like a thief, runnin' through the streets

Bye bye, and I got no place to go...
Where they find me? 16 on Death Row
Dear mama, these cops don't understand me
I turned to a life of crime, cause I came from a broken family

My uncle used to touch me, I never told you that
Scared what you might do, I couldn't hold you back
I kept it deep inside, I done let it fuel my anger
I'm down for all my homies, no mercy for a stranger

The brother in my set, is 16 is wet
It's hard to adapt, when you're black and you're trapped in a livin
Hell
I shouldn't a let him catch me

Instead of livin' sad in jail I could a died free and happy
And my cellmate's raped on the norm
And passed around the dorm, you can hear his a**hole gettin' torn
They made me an animal

Can't sleep, instead of countin' sheep, n****z countin' cannibals
And that's how it is in the pen
Turn old and cold, and your soul is your best friend
My mama prayed for me

Tell the Lord to make way for me, prepare any day for me (why?)
'Cause when they come for me they find a struggler
To the death I take the breath from your jugular
The trick is to never lose hope
I found my buddy hangin' dead from a rope, 16 on Death Row

[Tupac sings]
Bye bye, I was never meant to live
Can't be positive, when the ghetto's where you live
Bye bye, I was never meant to be
Livin' like a thief, runnin' through the streets

Bye bye, and I got no place to go...
Where you find me? 16 on Death Row
Dear mama, they sentenced me to death
Today's my final day, I'm countin' every breath

I'm bitter cause I'm dyin', so much I haven't seen
I know you never dreamed, your baby would be dead at 16
I got beef with a sick society that doesn't give a s***
And they too quick to say goodbye to me

They tell me the preacher's there for me
He's a crook with a book, that motherf***er never cared for me
He's only here to be sure
I don't drop a dime to God bout the crimes he's commitin'

On the poor, and how can these people judge me?
They ain't my peers and in all these years, they ain't never love me
I never got to be a man, must be part of some big plan
To keep a n**** in the state pen

And to my homies out buryin motherf***ers
Steer clear of these Aryan motherf***ers
'Cause once they got you locked up
They got you trapped, you're better off gettin' shot

I'm convinced self-defense is the way
Please, stay strapped, pack a gat every day
I wish I woulda known while I was out there
Now I'm straight headin for the chair

[Tupac sings]
Bye bye, I was never meant to live
Can't be positive, when the ghetto's where we live
Bye bye, I was never meant to be
Livin' like a thief, runnin' through the streets

Bye bye, and I got no place to go...
Where you find me? 16 on Death Row
16 on Death Row
It's to all my partners in the penitentiaries
16 on Death Row

Writer : TUPAC AMARU SHAKUR
Copyright : Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group