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

But 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

'Cross 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 talk 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

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

A woman trying to catch a trick on the street, ooo baby

Across 110th Street

You can find it all in the street

Yes you can, oh

Look around you, just look around you

Look around you, look around you, uh, yeah