I was the third brother of five
Doing whatever I had to do to survive
I'm not saying what I did was alright
Trying to break out of the ghetto was a day to day fight

Been down so long, getting up didn't cross my mind
I knew there was a better way of life that I was just trying to find
You don't know what you'll do until you're put under pressure
Across 110th Street is a hell of a tester

Across 110th Street
Pimps trying to catch a woman that's weak
Across 110th Street
Pushers won't let the junkie go free
Across 110th Street
Woman trying to catch a trick on the street
Across 110th Street
You can find it all in the street

I got one more thing I'd like to y'all about right now

Hey brother, there's a better way out
Snorting that coke, shooting that dope man you're copping out
Take my advice, it's either live or die
You've got to be strong, if you want to survive

The family on the other side of town
Would catch hell without a ghetto around
In every city you find the same thing going down
Harlem is the capital of every ghetto town