Jersey City Streets

Bringin a gun to a knife fight will get you killed
 Walkin out the back door
 Morals and rules only exist in the street
 And the bids to buy them are going fast and large
 Survival, Jackson, is a full time job
 You have to keep in step with the city's heartbeat
 The guys that hung out at Tippy's back in the day
 Have all split up and gone their separate ways
 But once in a while you can still catch some of the crew
 At a shot and beer joint up in the Heights
 Longin for the days of running numbers and starting street fights
 With those who didn't play by the rules
 In the shadow of the Apple and a swamp away from Newark
 People's hearts beat straight but their souls always ring truer
 You gotta back it with some muscle and think fast on your feet
 On the Jersey City streets
 Part of the city's been ruined by gentrification
 Other parts are off limits cause it's a gangland's nation
 But mostly it's just workin class folks tryin to get by
 They'll help you if you're in a jam
 What you do with your private life they don't give a damn
 But if someone's trouble, news spreads like wildfire
 Patchwork congregation goes down to White Mana nightly
 The cops go down there to relax, cause they're wound so tightly
 From keepin the hookers and hitters in line but out of sight
 The guys there can mix it up in the ring, or throw down in the street
 But they're all real friendly and make you something to eat
 Sometimes it's just an oasis in the middle of the night
 In the shadow of the Apple and a swamp away from Newark
 People's hearts beat straight but their souls always ring truer
 As tough as Hell's Kitchen if you can't take the heat
 On the Jersey City streets
 A 40 ounce, a vial, a dime bag or two
 Anything to get you make you feel better or at least get you through
 I may be hurtin, but I'm feeling no pain
 And to those who left us before their time
 We raise our bottles to you when we're drinkin our wine
 Cause a little bit of you comes down from the heavens or up from the gutters when it rains
 In the shadow of the Apple and a swamp away from Newark
 People's hearts beat straight but their souls always ring truer
 The girls down there are real tough, but they taste awfully sweet On the Jersey City streets