I was in need I was in need I remember a long time ago I remember a long time ago They say Chi don't dance no more And the little kids don't got a chance no more They ain't even tryna free the old man no more One day there won't be no old man no more Mister, Darden used to take the bus over from Halsted Mister, Harper used to be so exhausted The barbershop bustling, bootleg Lacoste fits Forget the DVDs, they tryna get that golf drip Freckles, bifocals and Kangol hats Spinning stories 'bout blocks that they can't go back Singing songs about the women that they can't hold back They used to rub 'em on their hair that they can't grow back Clippers buzzing, crying grandbaby boy cousin The first cut: Lil' man, quit all that fussing God the Father may love you, the world doesn't That's how I learned to put my dukes up and play the dozens Lessons and the strategies of love and war Chessboards and King magazines galore It's a lot less love than it was before It's a lot less old men than it was before I say we gon' live till our hair turn white No law can find our names And when we run, no one's chasing us Streetlights on, the kids all come back home (kids always come home, y'all) On and on and on and on, I know it go (on and on and on and on, I know it go) On and on and on and on, I know it go (on and on and on and on, I know it go) On and on and on and on, I know it go (on and on and on and on, I know it go) On and on and on and on, I know it go (on and on and on and on, I know it go) They say Chi don't dance no more And the kids don't even got a chance no more They ain't even tryna free the old man no more Pretty soon there won't be no old man no more I dance with my father Luther Vandross We played catch so much, I turned to Randy Moss I had uncles all up and down 79th With his boys betting on Floyd every fight Cold beers and cigar smoke Pelle coats, card decks and some harsh jokes Jacks when they cars broke Sleep in separate rooms for years when they hearts broke So at least somebody there if they start stroke I used to play Street Fighter with my play cousin Now the streets'll have you playing with your real cousin They said the world didn't love me and it still doesn't I guess that real old love wasn't real, was it? The present is past, the future is sick The culture gave us cutout life-sized funeral pics Where's your instincts, nigga? Act like you forgot It's the Four Black Commandments, man, you know how we rock It goes one, watch your health, that's your wealth Two, watch yo' brother, that's yo'self Three, watch your home, that's your door Four, if they want it, we go to war In the distant future, the twilight of our lives Contains all the laughs and highlights of our lives The knowledge that could help a young man go forth 'Fore the day you don't see these old men no more I say we gon' live till our hair turn white (till our hair turn white) No law can find our names (law can't find our names) And when we run, no one's chasing us Streetlights on, the kids all come back home (kids always come home, y'all) On and on and on and on, I know it go On and on and on and on, I know it go On and on and on and on, I know it go (on and on and on and on, I know it go) On and on and on and on, I know it go (on and on and on and on, I know it go) On and on and on and on, I know it go (on and on and on and on, I know it go) Till our hair turn white (on and on and on and on, I know it go) Law can't find our names On and on and on and on, I know it go (on and on and on and on, I know it go) Kids always come home, y'all I say we gon' live till our hair turn white No law can find our names And when we run, no one's chasing us Streetlights on, the kids all come back home On and on and on and on, I know it go (on and on and on and on, I know it go) On and on and on and on, I know it go (on and on and on and on, I know it go) On and on and on and on, I know it go (on and on and on and on, I know it go)