Released: April 20, 2004

Songwriter: Smokey Robinson

Producer: Michael Stokes

[Verse 1]
Wasting your time
Drinking that wine
Smoking that smoke
Doing that coke
Dealing that dope
Giving up hope
Gang bangin', gang bangin', gang bangin'

[Verse 2]
Staying out late
Preaching that hate
Defying your mother
Killing your brother
Killing in waves
Filling up graves
Gang bangin', gang bangin', gang bangin' (Oh yeah)

[Verse 3]
(You know that)
Bullets are flying
Babies are dying
A child at play
Got in the way
Innocent children
Somebody killed them
Gang bangin', gang bangin', gang bangin', gang bangin', gang bangin', gang bangin', gang bangin'

[Bridge]
Whatcha thinking now, whatcha doing?
Just how many lives do you have to ruin?
Gang bangin', ow
Break it down (break it down)

[Break]
I betcha you don't even know how it started
How you came to be in this position
Hate was handed down by somebody
It's just the neighbourhood no-good, hand-me-down, been-around tradition
A neighbourhood no-good, hand-me-down, been-around tradition
You're killing each other for tradition, tradition

[Verse 3]
Sometimes I think that you'd quit if you could (Uh-huh)
And that would be good (Uh-huh)
But homie won't let you (Uh-huh)
For he's gonna get you (Uh-huh)
But maybe if you stop (Uh-huh)
It might make a few stop
Gang bangin', gang bangin', gang bangin'

[Verse 4]
I heard that somebody said (Uh-huh)
"God is dead" (Uh-huh)
Leaving you free to (Uh-huh)
Continue to be you (Uh-huh)
But I guarantee you (Uh-huh)
God can see you (Uh-huh)
I guarantee you (Uh-huh)
God can see you
This gang bangin', gang bangin', gang bangin'
Gang bangin' now, gang bangin', gang bangin'
Gang bangin' (Yeah), gang bangin' now

[Verse 5]
Love thy neighbour as thy self
Put those weapons on the shelf
Use your life for something else positive
You know that gang bangin' ain't no way to live, oh oh

[Outro]
(Gang bangin') Gang bangin', now
(Gang bangin') Gang bangin'
(Gang bangin') Gang bangin', now
(Gang bangin') Yeah, alright
(Gang bangin') Baby
(Gang bangin') Yeah yeah yeah
(Gang bangin') Gang bangin', now

Smokey Robinson

Arguably the greatest songwriter of the latter half of the 20th century, Robinson’s timeless creations for Motown, both for his own group and for other artists, provided the ultimate example of what a pop song can be. From The Beatles to Bob Dylan, the rest of the 60s followed in his wake

As if that wasn’t enough, he created a whole new genre in the mid-70s with “quiet storm”, a radio format named after one of his songs. He continues writing and performing today.