Released: February 11, 2004

Featuring: Cha Cha Ingrid Smalls

Songwriter: Royce da 5'9"

Producer: Carlos “6 July” Broady

[Verse 1]
Yeah, my nigga we greater than friends
All we know is the beginnin', nobody controls the way that it ends
I got the weight of the world on my shoulders
And one phone call can change it, make it fall 'til I'm all caved in
My homie got shot and it's not looking good for him
No, this is not happening, knock on wood for him
Speeding to the hospital crying, asking God, "Why?"
Imagine, my car moving as fast as my mind
This is not happenin' to me
My homie will not, and I repeat will not flatline on me
How can I explain this vividly to your moms
That this is behind entertainment? She won't get it
All she understands is the boy that she raised just might
Die in a hospital bed fightin' for his life
I'm prayin', standin' over you
Lookin' at you hooked up to a machine, holdin' your hand, sayin'

[Pre-Hook: Ingrid Smalls]
Don't you go nowhere
Stay here with me
'Cause if you leave me
It hurts so bad

[Hook]
Death is certainly gon' catch you
Whoever special to you will be left hurt
This is the cold, harshness of life
Just when it unfolds, you lucky to grow old, life

[Collision: Ingrid Smalls]
They can take me
I'll take your place
'Cause it hurts so bad

[Verse 2]
You tearin' our team apart
Though time heals all of our wounds, it's still leavin' a mark
I took it too far; the feelin' that's hidden deep in my heart
Comes out when I look at the scar
And I can't kill nobody to get you back
Nigga that's somethin' that time can't heal
While I'm sayin' my grace, I'll be lookin' up at the sky
And tellin' God that he's makin' a mistake
You can't take away one brother and leave the rest of the clique
Lord please, double check your list
And if you get to his name and it's a check beside it
Death comes in threes, take me next
But don't make me sweat, please, I won't make it
I get restless speculatin'
Sons should bury mothers
Every mother don't wanna bury her son, they sayin'

[Pre-Hook: Ingrid Smalls]
Don't you go nowhere
Stay here with me
'Cause if you leave me
It hurts so bad

[Hook]
Death is certainly gon' catch you
Whoever special to you will be left hurt
This is the cold, harshness of life
Just when it unfolds, you lucky to grow old, life
Death is certainly gon' catch you
Whoever special to you will be left hurt
This is the cold, harshness of life
Just when it unfolds, you lucky to grow old, life

[Collision: Ingrid Smalls]
They can take me
I'll take your place
'Cause it hurts so bad

[Verse 3]
Death is not no option
I'm pullin' money outta my pocket, tryna con the doctor
Please, treat this thug the way you would treat your baby
The way that you would treat yo' blood, I'll pay!
As heavyweight as we are, I know how you medics are
'Cause I be checkin' ER everyday
I know we are a hairful, but doc
This ain't one of them that came through shot
That shoulda been careful
'Cause no dude could bleed; the way his heart pumps
More than any patient that rode through that you seen
The reason that he's my man
'Cause I tell him if he can hear me to squeeze my hand
And he squeezes, so I tell him some things
Don't let them machines help you breathe
Don't leave from receivin'
'Round quarter to eight, his moms is sleepin'
His grip weakens, his squiggly lines go straight
Call the doctor, "Give him all you got! Shock him!"
He gon' tell you it's too late
Call the doctor, "Give him all you got! Shock him!"
It's too late

[Pre-Hook: Ingrid Smalls]
Don't you go nowhere
Stay here with me
'Cause if you leave me
It hurts so bad

[Hook]
Death is certainly gon' catch you
Whoever special to you will be left hurt
This is the cold, harshness of life
Just when it unfolds, you lucky to grow old, life
Death is certainly gon' catch you
Whoever special to you will be left hurt
This is the cold, harshness of life
Just when it unfolds, you lucky to grow old, life
And death

[Collision: Ingrid Smalls]
They can take me
I'll take your place
'Cause it hurts so bad

Royce da 5'9"

Royce da 5'9", real name Ryan Daniel Montgomery, is undoubtedly one of the underground rap kings of Detroit. The Michigan MC is a long-time collaborator of Eminem’s, meeting him in December 1997, and is noted as one of the greatest lyricists in hip-hop’s history (in 2012, The Source ranked him as the 48th greatest lyricist of all time in their top 50, this questionable ranking unsurprisingly being scrutinized by many as a gross misjudgment).

Although critics have previously cast shade on his ability to create a well-rounded body of work, many, critics included, considered his sophomore effort, Death is Certain (2004), to be a strong album. To learn more in-depth about his solo discography, read this page (the page listed is old, so it is not updated).

Royce is the Bad half of Bad Meets Evil (with Eminem), ¼ of Slaughterhouse (alongside Crooked I KXNG CROOKED, Joe Budden and Joell Ortiz), and ½ of PRhyme (with DJ Premier). Royce currently operates a independent record label, Bad Half Entertainment.