Hood Paradise

[Intro] (Sparse synth pad, distant police siren fades, deep bass drum kicks in) Yeah... check the mic... Paradise ain't always palm trees and sand... Sometimes it's concrete... sometimes it's b***d on your hands... This that street gospel... listen close... [Verse 1] Sunrise paints the bricks a faded gold Another story on these streets untold Mama prayin' hard behind the screen door While young'ns dream of somethin' worth livin' for We hustle hard 'cause the system failed Check the corner where ambition got derailed Homies standin' tall, a unified front Against the wolves comin' to take what they want Respect is currency, loyalty the bond In this concrete jungle where the weak get gone Seen the flash, heard the pop, felt the cold dread Another brother gone, another soul misled This ain't no fairy tale, no Disneyland ride It's survival mode, nowhere left to hide But deep within the struggle, a strange kind of peace A shared understanding, where the violence cease... for a moment. [Chorus] This is the hood paradise, under smoggy skies Where the strong survive and the weak one dies Pray for redemption, wipe the tears from your eyes In this gangsta's paradise, yeah, this hood paradise Searchin' for heaven in the devil's backyard Life is a gamble, playin' your cards hard This concrete promised land, forever scarred Our hood paradise... yeah, our hood paradise. [Verse 2] The feds roll slow, eyes sharp and keen Tryna lock a dream inside a cell, obscene We build our own empires, brick by brick From nothin' but hustle and a desperate trick The weight of the world on these weary backs Navigatin' love through the constant attacks See the beauty in the struggle, the rhythm in the pain The shared laughter drippin' like summer rain On hot asphalt, steam risin' high Reflectin' dreams that almost touch the sky But temptation whispers, revenge burns bright One wrong move plunges you into the night Forever... lost in the endless maze Caught in the unforgiving, judgmental gaze Of streets that remember every single sin Where does the endin' ever truly begin? [Chorus] This is the hood paradise, under smoggy skies Where the strong survive and the weak one dies Pray for redemption, wipe the tears from your eyes In this gangsta's paradise, yeah, this hood paradise Searchin' for heaven in the devil's backyard Life is a gamble, playin' your cards hard This concrete promised land, forever scarred Our hood paradise... yeah, our hood paradise. [Bridge] (B**t simplifies, haunting piano melody joins) Is paradise just a state of mind? A moment of peace that's so hard to find? Between the sirens wail and the gunshots ring Can a broken spirit still learn to sing? Of hope... of change... of breakin' the chain? Or are we destined to relive the pain? Generation to generation, the cycle spins Can forgiveness ever wash away these sins? Committed just to make it through the day... In this hood paradise... what more can I say? [Chorus] This is the hood paradise, under smoggy skies Where the strong survive and the weak one dies Pray for redemption, wipe the tears from your eyes In this gangsta's paradise, yeah, this hood paradise Searchin' for heaven in the devil's backyard Life is a gamble, playin' your cards hard This concrete promised land, forever scarred Our hood paradise... yeah, our hood paradise. [Outro] (Synth pad returns, bass drum fades slowly, piano lingers) Yeah... hood paradise... Where the struggle is real... and the love survives... Concrete and dreams... under watchful eyes... Gangsta's paradise... just tryna rise... (B**t fades completely, leaving only the faint synth pad, then silence)