Streets On Fire (Remix I)

[MALE_VOICE: baritone, smooth, dry, rhythmic, sensual] [MALE RAP VOICE: rough and dry, rhythmic, hip hop] [GOSPEL CHOIR VOCALS: powerful, rhythmic rap] [STYLE: Dry vocals, close mic] [Verse 1] Two blocks apart, two flags, two sides Red versus blue, where only pain resides Started with a stare-down on the corner last night Now everybody's loading up, preparing to fight Marcus got a brother on the opposite end Used to kick the ball together, now they can't be friends The block divides 'em deeper than the color they wear Somebody's gonna fall — and nobody out here cares [Pre Chorus: melodic] Oh, these streets keep bleeding out And I can't find a way to drown this doubt We were kings before we ever pulled the trigger out Now the sirens scream and the block goes cold... Cold... [Chorus] Streets on fire, two hoods at war Bullets flying, what are we fighting for? Mothers crying on the pavement at the door Body after body, can't take it anymore Streets on fire, we losing our own Every grave we dig, it's a seed we have sown Two gangs, one hood — but we all bleed the same When the smoke clears out, who's left to claim the name? [Verse 2] DeShawn from the Eastside, tattoos on his neck Lost his cousin in the crossfire - still ain't shown respect Carries all the anger like a stone inside his chest Every night he pulls the flag out, never gets no rest On the Westside, Rico's making plans to retaliate Sixteen-year-old soldiers sealing someone's fate Trap house on the corner lit up like a shrine Between the chalk and the candles, somebody crossed a line They say the block is yours, but the block don't love you back It just takes and takes and takes until your soul goes black [Pre Chorus: melodic] Oh, these streets keep bleeding out And I can't find a way to drown this doubt We were kings before we ever pulled the trigger out Now the sirens scream and the block goes cold... Cold... [Chorus] Streets on fire, two hoods at war Bullets flying, what are we fighting for? Mothers crying on the pavement at the door Body after body, can't take it anymore Streets on fire, we losing our own Every grave we dig, it's a seed we have sown Two gangs, one hood — but we all bleed the same When the smoke clears out, who's left to claim the name? [Bridge: spoken/half-sung] I used to see the future in this neighborhood... Kids riding bikes, old men on the stoop Now every corner's got a vigil with a picture frame And young boys ten years old already know the game When does it stop? When does it stop... [Final Chorus: intensified] Streets on fire, two hoods at war Bullets flying, what are we fighting for? Mothers crying on the pavement at the door Body after body, can't take it anymore Streets on fire - somebody lay it down Before the whole damn hood burns to the ground Two gangs, one hood - but we all bleed the same When the smoke clears out - ain't nobody left to blame [Outro: fading, melodic] Streets on fire... (echo) We all bleed the same... (fade) Cold...