@migu music@

Slipping Away - Brother Ali

I arrived in Minnesota with handcuff bruises

Summer ninety deuce prepared to cut loose shit

Mom wasn't having that f**k being cool

With no discussion stuck me in a suburb school

Now day and night I'm on a bus full of fools

Who parents didn't want us ended up in the news

You must be crazy you think any of us appreciate it

How our parents wanna upgrade us

All day long we're in a fantasy land

Moms and dads college plans and minivans

But when the sun set you fled the success

To the slum where you rest nothing more nothing less

School they fantasize about gangsta rap records

But these are our lives our families are connected

The Ice Cube summer vacation is taking place

Right around the way from where I stay

The mold from the gold and the 'rips from L A

Brought snow to the cold for a new place to play

There's a war going on outside you ain't safe from

See if this education might save 'em

I've known you your whole life

You drawn to that street life

Slipping away slipping away

Slipping away slipping away

I've known you your whole life

You drawn to that street life

Slipping away slipping away

Slipping away slipping away

And so our little city bus crew used to run together

Eat lunch together girls Double Dutch together

Fellas humbugging next day be friends

The only thing we never did was date from withing

Fellas dated white girls sisters stayed lonely

Used to kiss me on my cheek and say we were homies

Alphonso basement we ran the party

One day on the bus Pumpking stabs Akey

Shit my main man was Ethan

Used to sell sneakers at a store called Friedman's

He had two older cousins that were hustlers

Filas wasn't all he pumping to the customers

He got a check but he got connects

So he got some chicks and he got respect

His boy Ali got hooked up with clothes

One day slap boxing he broke my nose

He almost cried man he had a good heart

The brother's only problem was he wasn't book smart

He dropped out of school but he kept slanging shoes

To keep the kids fed he had to sell base too

I've known you your whole life

You drawn to that street life

Slipping away slipping away

Slipping away slipping away

I've known you your whole life

You drawn to that street life

Slipping away slipping away

Slipping away slipping away

Time to time I used to stop in and check on my dude

Even when we lost touch with the rest of our crew

We both had babies drama with our old ladies

But as time went on our connection only grew

He said "I just can't seem to leave these streets alone man

Feels like I fell asleep one evening

And woke up the next day suddenly a grown man

In a rut with no idea how to leave it

My parents got too many kids to help me through

I really don't know what the hell else to do

I know you gonna really get it cracking with that rap thing

And when you blow up I'm a come and work for you"

Ha that's my man I see you when I see you brother

Keep your head up 'til the next time we see each other

Rolled out on my first national tour

Back on the block went back to the store

Put my hand on the door Ethan wasn't in though

They said somebody shot 'em through his front window

Hit 'em in the head and that he hadn't survived

Matter fact he died 'fore the ambulance arrived

A man in that life it wasn't no mistake

The cops called it a stray bullet closed the case

So there's no justice and there's no closure

You can't touch this not you no sir

They buried my brother I was on the road

By the time I got home the ground was cold

Got nothing left but a hole in my soul

Shit dude was 23 years old

I've known you your whole life

You drawn to that street life

Slipping away slipping away

Slipping away slipping away

I've known you your whole life

You drawn to that street life

Slipping away slipping away

Slipping away slipping away

Slipping away slipping away

Slipping away slipping away

Slipping away slipping away