Released: December 4, 2007

Songwriter: 2Pac Big D The Impossible Suzanne Vega

Producer: Carvin Haggins Ivan Barias

[Verse 1: 2Pac]
Late night coolin' with my homies
Drinkin' Hennessey and cold brew
After smokin', stopped in Oakland
Got the munchies for some soul food
So we stopped to get a bite to eat
At the local barbecue
It's just another boring Monday
And there's nothing else to do
Now as we stepped out of the car
I heard someone behind me fighting
So I turn to look and find out
What's the cause of this excitement
One brother was a dopefiend
And the other was a dopeman
And the dope man had an AK
Said he'll spray and he's not jokin'
Well it seems to be the dopefiend
Owed the dope man for his product
And he swore if he did not pay
He would end up getting shot up
Now I could not walk away
'Cause I got caught up in the scene
Wondering what would happen to this
Poor and helpless fiend
Well my homie, Michael Cooley
Said let's go and make our order
What's the use in watchin' two men
Stand out here fight over quarters
While I walked inside the diner
And all the Dope Fiends waved to me
Heard the sound of several gunshots
And I ran outside to see...

[Chorus]
(What's goin' on)
Another gunshot rings
(What's goin' on)
Another siren screams
(What's goin' on)
Another mother cries
(What's goin' on)
'Cause another innocent dies
(What' goin' on)

[Verse 2: 2Pac]
All the people in the diner
Ran outside to see the big show
It was just another party
For them to see just who they would know
But for me I held concern
I wanted to go see the outcome
Would the mother have her son tonight
Or would she live her life without one?
I made it to the streets I
Almost cried right on the spot
Not only had the fiend died
But a small girl had been shot
And my heart could take no more
I felt a tear roll down my face
That was daddy's bullet
But she took it in his place

[Chorus]
(What's goin' on)
Another gunshot rings
(What's goin' on)
Another siren screams
(What's goin' on)
Another mother cries
(What's goin' on)
'Cause another innocent dies
(What' goin' on)

[Verse 3: 2Pac]
I tried to make my way through the crowd
So I could go help the baby
She could barely speak
But she whispered
Mister can you please save me
So I screamed out, someone help me
But I dont think they could hear
And if they did, they didn't care
Oh how I hated everyone there
The baby lie here dying
And I wondered what could I do
The cameramen and newspapers had come
To get their interviews
To them it's just a story
And they can't see the tragedy
To them it doesn't matter
'Cause it ain't, it wasn't their family
I don't think I'll be back
'Cause it'll never be the same here
So I wipe away the tears
And leave the scene the way I came here
Though some people say it's crazy
And the food could have been finer
I'll never forget, never forget the night
At Dopefiend's Diner

[Chorus]
(What's goin' on)
Another gunshot rings
(What's goin' on)
Another siren screams
(What's goin' on)
Another mother cries
(What's goin' on)
'Cause another innocent dies
(What' goin' on)

[Outro]
Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do...

2Pac

Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an actor and a highly influential rapper who is considered by many to be the greatest of all-time due to the revolutionary spirit and thug passion he mixed into his music. During his music career, he made appearances in movies such as his acclaimed debut in Juice (1992), Poetic Justice (1993), and Above the Rim (1994).

Born in Harlem, New York City to Black Panther Party members Billy Garland and Afeni Shakur, Tupac would later move to Baltimore before settling in the Bay Area cities of Oakland and Marin City in the late 1980s. There, he joined his first rap group Strictly Dope with Ray Luv before connecting with Shock G and Digital Underground. He was a roadie and backup dancer for the group before his breakthrough performance on their 1991 song “Same Song.”

2Pac released his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991, which featured intense storytelling on singles such as “Trapped” and “Brenda’s Got a Baby.” His sophomore album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z featured one of his signature songs, the Digital Underground-assisted “I Get Around.” After working on the Thug Life group album in 1994, 2Pac released Me Against the World the following year, which is considered by many to be his best album, peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200 and receiving a Grammy nomination—all while he sat in prison.