The Ghetto Ain't A Place

East coast, west coast, down south, up north

Midwest, southwest, rep that, what for?

The ghetto ain't a place, the ghetto ain't a place

It's a state of mind, it's a state of mind

East coast, west coast, down south, up north

Midwest, southwest, rep that, what for?

The ghetto ain't a place, the ghetto ain't a place

It's a state of mind, it's a state of mind

I could go on and on for like days

Talkin' 'bout the maze in which I was raised

I could go on and on for like weeks

Talkin' 'bout the beefs I had in these streets

I could go on and on for like months

Talkin' 'bout the punks, the ones who jumped up

And I could go on and on for like years

Talkin' 'bout the crime careers of my peers

Yeah, yeah, but what's really good now?

What's really good is what's really hood now

What's really hood?

Would you really break out if you really could?

I don't think so, but you like to think so

Well if you think so, baby you can do so

It's not a physical move, no, but you'll grow

Now give me five, up high, down low, too slow

East coast, west coast, down south, up north

Midwest, southwest, rep that, what for?

The ghetto ain't a place, the ghetto ain't a place

It's a state of mind, it's a state of mind

And there's a place and time, you know, for everything

So stop wastin' time, you could do better things

Instead of racin' time, which you will never win

Just start breakin' time into them increments

It's called the moment, you gotta own it

You gotta give it how you want it, it's hard, don't it?

But ain't nothin' good sweet 'cause the sweets is good

You might've been misled, misunderstood

Might've been mixed up, up to no good

Might've been caught up in that "I'm so hood"

'Cause you got a lot of raps in your memory banks

And the rapper actin' like he got Kennedy bank

And you thinkin' like the rapper really all on his thing

But like Big said, baby, it was all a dream