KXNG Crooked, Joell Ortiz - Community Center lyrics

One two one two
You think you could turn my voice up
In the headphones a little bit?
Yeah I gotta go there i gotta be there
See it ah

Some days in the summer
Everyday in the winter
You'd found me in that community center
Sign your name on that sheet
And get a dap from Mister
Barnes when you entered
Head to the gym and shoot around
Get your squadron together
This the one place we can hoop
Regardless thе weather
Plus OG's controlled thе outside
Courts or whatever
So this was our place Chalk
On a pool stick fronting
I had that bank shot down pat like Tim Duncan


Learned how to play pool from Mister Turner
He took the time to teach a
Young boy how to shoot something
That ain't a burner
My eight ball carried a different aura
Hitting them corner pockets stopped
My broke pockets from
Hitting that corner, least for a little while
That little smile from a little woman in the
Kitchen cooking just lit up a mile
Poverty had our stomachs rumbling heavy
We dropped everything when she came
Out that back screaming lunch is ready
Hope it's that pepperoni pizza
Maybe it's burgers
That look on miss Munez face
Made it all worth it
She was just happy she could be of service
I snatched the extra chocolate milk but
I ain't outside snatching purses
That community center gave me
A sense of purpose
Showed me I could be good at
Something even when I'm nervous
Taught me life ain't perfect but everyone
Ain't out to hurt us
In there I was safe, outside it was murder
(Murder, murder, murder, murder, murder
Murder)

What do you expect a young kid
To do if he goes outside
And they don't see nothing but
Dope dealers you know big gold chains
A lot of money and girls you know
They want to grow up to be just like
Him but the problem is you know
Kids in the ghettos and things they
Don't have no place to go
After school So they just hang
On their lives you know
So that's what they see
That's their role models
So that's what they want to be like
I feel like the community
Has to band together
Because that's that's what a solution is

Outside it was murder
Bangers throwing their turf up
Crossing they enemies out
Even hitting the curb up
This is circa eighty-nine
Drug dealers would swerve up
Selling that Curtis Blow
Chemicals with the perm up
Didn't disturb us
Even though them dudes shoot to kill
Drug moving skills got them knowing
How wearing Gucci feels
The cars super ill, Caddy on stupid wheels
Hand us a couple dollars out the
Window of his Coupé de ville
Mama say, stay away from them negus
The preacher used to pray for them niggas
I developed trait's from them niggas
But not today cause today I'm on
My way to the center
Before the street lights come on don't
Be late for your dinner
Okay mama, I hugged her and left
She said hallelujah right under her breath
We've been getting on her nerves all day
Take some of that energy outside go play
Ay y'all remember at the
Community center playing Bingo, uno
Connect Four, Monopoly?
And Mister Brown gave us lots of
Love, he gave us food, gave us clothes
And when'd we argue he gave us boxing gloves
Keep your guards up and watch the right
Damn now that I think about it
He was teaching us 'bout life yeah
At the community center
It was beautiful when a young nigga was safe
Outside it was murder
(Murder, murder, murder, murder, murder
Murder)