Verse

            
As I walk thro

              
ugh the valley

        
 of the shadow

 of death
         
I take a look 

at my life
       
And realize th

ere's nothing 

left.
            
'Cause I've be

              
en blasting an

  
d laughing so 

long
            
That even my m

              
omma thinks th

       
at my mind has

 gone.
            
But I ain't ne

              
ver crossed a 

         
man that didn'

t deserve it.
            
Me be treated 

              
like a punk, y

    
ou know that's

 unheard of.
            
You betta watc

              
h how ya talki

  
ng, and where 

ya walking
            
Or you and you

              
r homies might

     
 be lined in c

halk.
            
I really hate 

              
to trip but I 


gotta tho,
            
As they croak,

              
 I see myself 

        
in the pistol 

smoke.
            
Fool, I'm the 

              
kinda g that l

      
ittle homie's 

wanna be like,
            
On my knees in

              
 the night, sa

    
ying prayers i

n the street l

ight.


Chorus

            
  We've been s

        
pending most o

ur lives
            
Living in a ga

         
ngsta's paradi

se. (x2)

            
  We keep spen

     
ding most our 

lives
            
Living in a ga

         
ngsta's paradi

se. (x2)


Look at the situation, they got me facing,
I can't live a normal life, I was raised by the state.
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 ten in my hand and a gleam in my eye.
I'm a locked out gangsta, set tripping banger
And my homies are down so don't arouse my anger.
Fool, death ain't nothing but a heart beat away,
I'm living life do or die, what can I say?
I'm twenty-three now, will I ever live to see twenty-four,
The way things is going I don't know.

Tell me why are we
So blind to see.
That the ones we hurt
Are you and me?
We've been spending most our lives
Living in a gangsta's paradise.
We've been spending most our lives
Living in a gangsta's paradise.
We keep spending most our lives
Living in a gangsta's paradise.
We keep spending most our lives
Living in a gangsta's paradise.

Power in the money, money in the power,
Minute after minute, hour after hour,
Everybody's running, but half of them ain't looking
It's going on in the kitchen
But I don't know what's cooking.
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, foo!

We've been spending most our lives
Living in a gangsta's paradise.
We've been spending most our lives
Living in a gangsta's paradise.
We keep spending most our lives
Living in a gangsta's paradise.
We keep spending most our lives
Living in a 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?