Back in the day 1986
Me and Mad Mike puttin' records in the mix
Doin' party after party, high schools and jam
Back before the glock was king and brothas spoke like men
Makin' demo after demo tryin' to come up quick
It's funny how niggas treat you when you ain't got shit
But now I kept on cause pops told me
Never to let anybody in the way where I try to get
It was me and D.R. freakin' with the funk
Jerry in the jail, I had a system in the trunk
And it was on, Friday night the party's jumpin'
Summertime hits had the speakers straight bumpin'
And believe me even though we had no loot
Everybody knew that we was finst' to come up soon
I still remember them days
They was crazy but now they gone
It ain't nothin' like it used to be before
Back in the days...

1990 fresh out of college
Public and the media settin' niggas up with knowledge
And I love it cause without them there would be no me
Took a trip down to Oakland
Heard the minister speak, felt deep
And shortly I was in
On while forever down for my people 'til the day that I die
That's when "Devil Made Me Do It," it was made
I still remember the days, still remember the rage
And I was into everyday building, trying to be much more
Took a trip down to Cuba, met Assata Shakur
Had dinner with Fidel, talked about old times
And now America's steady tryin' to destroy minds
And when I got back it seemed much clearer to me
And when my cousin went to war he was only 19
I still remember them days
They was crazy but now they gone
It ain't nothin' like it used to be before
Back in the days...

1992 when I'm sour inside
Cause a couple homies passed away before their time
And even though I'm movin' unity
Schoolin' better than most and it ain't the same
Cause I still feel pain and I'm tryin' to coup
And everyday's gettin' clearer to me
Cause if it ain't guns and drugs, it's the pigs and HIV
And now I'm lookin' for a way to try to fight it back
But you see it's votin' time and now you want to ban rap
Thought I was fucked playin' by your rules
"Sleeping With the Enemy" was album number two
Let's take a look around
And see which one of you all
Gotta balls to put me out
Here's a middle finger off for all you
Tripped for a minute but before too long
A young brotha said: "Fuck it!" and a label was born
I still remember them days
They was crazy but now they gone
It ain't nothin' like it used to be but yo
Now it's 94 and I'm servin' album number three
How many fake want to-be Gees do I see?
Now we're back to days of the nigga and the bitch
No deposit, no return, it's a trip, I check my grip
And realize that it's all in your mind
Mothafuck you and that fake gangsta shit
I stays righterous and serv'em with the dope
Should a truth get a clue?
Monkey see, monkey do
Back in the days...

Writer : NDEGEOCELLO, MESHELL / JACKSON, OSCAR (PARIS)
Copyright : Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.