Been spending most their lives, living in the gangsta's paradise Been spending most their lives, living in the gangsta's paradise Keep spending most our lives, living in the gangsta's paradise Keep spending most our lives, living in the gangsta's paradise Look at the situation they got me facin' I can't live a normal life, I was raised by the streets So I gotta be down with the hood team Too much television watching got me chasing dreams I'm an educated fool with money on my mind Got my 10 in my hand and a gleam in my eye I'm a loc'd out gangsta set trippin' banger And my homies is down so don't arouse my anger, fool Death ain't nothing but a heartbeat away, I'm living life, do or die, what can I say I'm 23 now, but will I live to see 24 The way things are going I don't know Tell me why are we so blind to see That the ones we hurt are you and me Been spending most their lives, living in the gangsta's paradise Been spending most their lives, living in the gangsta's paradise Keep spending most our lives, living in the gangsta's paradise Keep spending most our lives, living in the gangsta's paradise Power and the money, money and the power Minute after minute, hour after hour Everybody's running, but half of them ain't looking What's going on in the kitchen, but I don't know what's cookin' They say I gotta learn, but nobody's here to teach me If they can't understand it, how can they reach me I guess they can't, I guess they won't I guess they front, that's why I know my life is out of luck, fool Been spending most their lives, living in the gangsta's paradise Been spending most their lives, living in the gangsta's paradise Keep spending most our lives, living in the gangsta's paradise Keep spending most our lives, living in the gangsta's paradise Tell me why are we so blind to see That the ones we hurt are you and me Tell me why are we so blind to see That the ones we hurt are you and me [Fade out]