Released: October 29, 1991
Songwriter: Ice Cube Donnie Sterling DJ Pooh Del The Funky Homosapien George Clinton Ronald Dunbar
Producer: Boogiemen Ice Cube
[Verse 1]
Down at the best spot
Its me and J-Dee and they sellin' more birds than a pet shop
The spot's hot, and everybody nervous
That's when the blue car surfaced
Oh why did fools have to let loose?
Heard six pops from a deuce-deuce
Big Tom had to push us
Thirteen niggas runnin' straight to the bushes
For they gats so they can draw down
But why a motherfucker like me have to fall down?
Not knowin' why I dropped out
Fuck it, still can't afford to get popped out
So now I gotta jet
Only ran one block, but my shirt is soakin' wet
Tryna see if we got 'em
Looked down and my sweatshirt's red at the bottom
Didn't panic but I still looked cracked out
Yelled to the homies then I blacked out
[Interlude 1: Homies]
Get up, man! Get up, man! (C'mon keep that nigga awake, man!)
C'mon, man! Get up man, c'mon man!
[Verse 2]
Woke up in the back of a trey
On my way to MLK
That's the county hospital, jack, ha
Where niggas die over a little scratch
Sittin' in the trauma center
In my back is where the bullet entered
"Yo, nurse, I'm gettin' kinda warm!"
Bitch still made me fill out the fuckin' form
Coughin' up blood on my hands and knees
Then I heard, "Freeze, nigga! Don't move!"
Yo, I didn't do a thing
Don't wanna go out like my man Rodney King
Still got gaffled
Internal bleeding as the bullet starts to travel
Now I'm handcuffed
Being asked information on my gang affiliation
"I don't bang, I rock the good rhymes
And I'm a victim of neighborhood crime."
[Interlude 2: Police Officers]
Are you the only one who got shot? What kinda gun was he carrying? Do you know who it was? (No, man, don't know who it was, man) Are you in a gang? (Man, what does it matter, man? I'm shot)
[Verse 3]
I need to see a MD
And y'all motherfuckers giving me the third degree?
Look at the waiting room
It's filled to the rim like the county jail day room
Nobody gettin' help
Since we poor, the hospital it moves slow
Now I'm laid out
People steppin' over me to get closer to the TV
Just like a piece of dog shit
Now will I die on this nappy ass carpet?
One hour done passed
Done watched two episodes of M*A*S*H
And when I'm almost through
They call my name and put me in ICU
Halfway dead
No respect, and handcuffed to the bed
Now the drama starts
'Cause the bullet must be just a hair from my heart
Then I begin the ass kissin'
Just to get looked at, by a overworked physician
Had the chills, but my temperature's a hundred and three
Only got a band-aid and a IV
That's when I start cussin'
Police steady askin' me who did the bustin'
[Interlude 3: Police Officers]
What did you get shot with? (Twenty-two!)
Who shot you? (I dunno who shot me)
Was it gang-bangers? (Had to be)
[Verse 4]
Why, oh why, can't I get help?
'Cause I'm black, I gots to go for self
Too many black bodies the hospital housin'
So at 10 p.m, I was Audi 5000
Down at the best spot
Its me and J-Dee and they sellin' more birds than a pet shop
The spot's hot, and everybody nervous
That's when the blue car surfaced
Oh why did fools have to let loose?
Heard six pops from a deuce-deuce
Big Tom had to push us
Thirteen niggas runnin' straight to the bushes
For they gats so they can draw down
But why a motherfucker like me have to fall down?
Not knowin' why I dropped out
Fuck it, still can't afford to get popped out
So now I gotta jet
Only ran one block, but my shirt is soakin' wet
Tryna see if we got 'em
Looked down and my sweatshirt's red at the bottom
Didn't panic but I still looked cracked out
Yelled to the homies then I blacked out
[Interlude 1: Homies]
Get up, man! Get up, man! (C'mon keep that nigga awake, man!)
C'mon, man! Get up man, c'mon man!
[Verse 2]
Woke up in the back of a trey
On my way to MLK
That's the county hospital, jack, ha
Where niggas die over a little scratch
Sittin' in the trauma center
In my back is where the bullet entered
"Yo, nurse, I'm gettin' kinda warm!"
Bitch still made me fill out the fuckin' form
Coughin' up blood on my hands and knees
Then I heard, "Freeze, nigga! Don't move!"
Yo, I didn't do a thing
Don't wanna go out like my man Rodney King
Still got gaffled
Internal bleeding as the bullet starts to travel
Now I'm handcuffed
Being asked information on my gang affiliation
"I don't bang, I rock the good rhymes
And I'm a victim of neighborhood crime."
[Interlude 2: Police Officers]
Are you the only one who got shot? What kinda gun was he carrying? Do you know who it was? (No, man, don't know who it was, man) Are you in a gang? (Man, what does it matter, man? I'm shot)
[Verse 3]
I need to see a MD
And y'all motherfuckers giving me the third degree?
Look at the waiting room
It's filled to the rim like the county jail day room
Nobody gettin' help
Since we poor, the hospital it moves slow
Now I'm laid out
People steppin' over me to get closer to the TV
Just like a piece of dog shit
Now will I die on this nappy ass carpet?
One hour done passed
Done watched two episodes of M*A*S*H
And when I'm almost through
They call my name and put me in ICU
Halfway dead
No respect, and handcuffed to the bed
Now the drama starts
'Cause the bullet must be just a hair from my heart
Then I begin the ass kissin'
Just to get looked at, by a overworked physician
Had the chills, but my temperature's a hundred and three
Only got a band-aid and a IV
That's when I start cussin'
Police steady askin' me who did the bustin'
[Interlude 3: Police Officers]
What did you get shot with? (Twenty-two!)
Who shot you? (I dunno who shot me)
Was it gang-bangers? (Had to be)
[Verse 4]
Why, oh why, can't I get help?
'Cause I'm black, I gots to go for self
Too many black bodies the hospital housin'
So at 10 p.m, I was Audi 5000
more tracks from the album
Death Certificate 25th Anniversary
- Steady Mobbin’
- Color Blind
- Man’s Best Friend
- How to Survive in South Central
- The Funeral
- Robin Lench
- Death
- The Birth
- Only One Me
- Death Certificate 25th Anniversary [Tracklist + Album Art]
- Good Cop Bad Cop
- The Wrong Nigga to Fuck Wit
- True to the Game
- Us
- No Vaseline
- Givin’ Up the Nappy Dug Out
- A Bird in the Hand
- Alive On Arrival
- Look Who’s Burnin’
- Horny Lil’ Devil
- Black Korea
- Doing Dumb Shit
- I Wanna Kill Sam
- My Summer Vacation
- Dominate The Weak
From the albums
- Death Certificate (1991)
- Death Certificate 25th Anniversary (2017)
Ice Cube popular songs
- No Vaseline
- It Was a Good Day
- Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It
- Check Yo Self
- You Know How We Do It
- Hello
- Check Yo Self (Remix)
- The Nigga Ya Love to Hate
- Why We Thugs
- Good Cop Bad Cop
- Arrest The President
- You Can Do It
- Nobody Wants to Die
- Go to Church
- Hood Mentality
- Smoke Some Weed
- Ghetto Vet
- AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted
- Friday
- Steady Mobbin’
- Black Korea
- Everythang’s Corrupt
- A Bird in the Hand
- Ghetto Bird