| As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death | 
| I take a look at my life and realize there's nothin' left | 
| 'Cause I've been blastin' and laughin' so long that | 
| Even my momma thinks that my mind is gone | 
 | 
| But I ain't never crossed a man that didn't deserve it | 
| Me be treated like a punk, you know that's unheard of | 
| You better watch how you talkin' and where you walkin' | 
| Or you and your homies might be lined in chalk | 
 | 
| I really hate to trip, but I gotta loc | 
| As they croak, I see myself in the pistol smoke | 
| Fool, I'm the kinda G the little homies wanna be like | 
| On my knees in the night, sayin' prayers in the streetlight | 
 | 
| Been spendin' most their lives | 
| Livin' in a gangsta's paradise | 
| Been spendin' most their lives | 
| Livin' in a gangsta's paradise | 
| Keep spendin' most our lives | 
| Livin' in a gangsta's paradise | 
| Keep spendin' most our lives | 
| Livin' in a gangsta's paradise | 
 | 
| Look at the situation they got me facing | 
| I can't live a normal life, I was raised by the street | 
| So I gotta be down with the hood team | 
| Too much television watchin', got me chasing dreams | 
 | 
| I'm a educated fool with money on my mind | 
| Got my ten 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 nothin' but a heart beat away | 
| I'm livin' life do or die, what can I say? | 
| I'm 23 now but will I live to see 24? | 
| 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? | 
 | 
| Been spendin' most their lives | 
| Livin' in a gangsta's paradise | 
| Been spendin' most their lives | 
| Livin' in a gangsta's paradise | 
| Keep spendin' most our lives | 
| Livin' in a gangsta's paradise | 
| Keep spendin' most our lives | 
| Livin' in a gangsta's paradise | 
 | 
| Power and the money, money and the power | 
| Minute after minute, hour after hour | 
| Everybody's runnin', but half of them ain't lookin' | 
| It'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 spendin' most their lives | 
| Livin' in a gangsta's paradise | 
| Been spendin' most their lives | 
| Livin' in a gangsta's paradise | 
| Keep spendin' most our lives | 
| Livin' in a gangsta's paradise | 
| Keep spendin' most our lives | 
| Livin' 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? |