Only the Strong Survive On the microphone in 1993 Short Dawg made me And he don't stop to the beat Nothing but a menace to society I always heard that you gotta be strong if you wanna survive Get your diploma, go to college, get a nine to five Every year, you're makin' 30 Gs a popWorkin', see, and you're tied to the white man's jock Movin' out of the ghetto 'cause it troubles you Makin' payments on a BMWI know you never would settle for the minimum snaps And have to live in the ghetto where the blacks be at And send your kids to a school that don't really teach How could I care about a college degree? You think I wanna get cha Take you to the motel and straight get richer You must be crazy, smokin' that chronic I take you to the motel and then put my rubber on it And hope it don't bust so I can stay alive' Cause only the strong survive Only the strong survive Only the strong survive Only the strong survive Only the strong survive Only the strong survive So tell me what it is, man, tell me what you want Not talkin' 'bout the music but we likes to funk Ain't no such thang as a Oakland punk It don't matter who you are, you'll be in the trunk You come twenty-five deep or maybe ten If I let your push me, then you push me again He was six foot four, they used to call him ' Sir'But he was smooth, gunned down by a teenage gangsta No bigger than me, never could be his self Always tryin' to act like someone else There just ain't no future for us young black men' Cause we always get killed or sent to the pen But even Malcolm X was a ex-convict And you can bet I won't go fo' it next time I'm kinda strong with my bullets in the clip That's why I never trip 'cause only the strong survive Only the strong survive Only the strong survive Only the strong survive Only the strong survive Only the strong survive Only the strong survive Only the strong survive You say, "Be a man, let's go toe to toe" But that was like fifteen years ago They say, "Only the strong will survive" But brothers be strong and still they die But you gotta get around that bush All the things we used to do, we can't push No more 'cause ain't nobody trippin' on us You wanna fight, mess around and get shot up See you layin' there, bleedin', losin' the fight All behind a broad and that just ain't right You could live or die, it just doesn't make a difference' Cause everybody knows about your sorry ass, simpin' for a hoe I thought you knew life is but the punk's so fake, he can't handle his So you weak fizz news ain't no surprise 'cause only the strong survive Only the strong survive Only the strong survive Only the strong survive Only the strong survive