Setback
The Constellations Lyrics

Another shakedown, the corners crawling with cops,
The streets are teeming with police officers, nook and cranny covered, prepared for a crackdown

Take your money and your work like its some insider (?),
The police are seizing money and valuables under the guise of law enforcement

There ain't no stake now, lost your fork and your plate
Nothing was left after the police seized everything, the basic essentials gone

I had the bank roll slow but they confiscated
Despite my slow accumulation of money, the police took it all away

The minor setback, and I'll be back in a week
The police interference was a minor setback, and I'll be back in business in no time

This money don't come easy, even harder to keep
Earning money is a difficult task, but it's even harder to hold on to the money you've obtained

You got to calculate, and come up with a plan
One must plan and strategize when dealing with money and the risks involved

My man with front my what I need, I get him back when I can
I depend on someone to provide me with necessary items, but repayment will be made whenever possible

You know these bar where built way before my time
The environment I operate in was established long before I arrived, and the infrastructure is less than reliable

Those artist with iron bars street with lines (?),
Prison bars with the lines of barbed wire surround the area where I operate

Got different neighborhoods, and different rules to abide by,
The area I operate in has varying neighborhoods, each with their own set of rules to follow and abide by

Stay on the sidelines, if you want to slide by
To avoid getting caught up in trouble, it's safer to not be involved at all

Untouched, by all the dirt and grime,
As of yet, I haven't experienced the negative aspects of the environment, its corruption and filth

Sooner or later you'll be knee deep, open your eyes,
It's unavoidable to be swallowed up by the area's corruption, and it's important to be vigilant

And wade through, just like a US troop
To get through the environment and overcome its obstacles, one must strategize and persist like a military unit

I'm dodging bullets like a matador cape to the bull
Navigating the risks and dangers of the environment is like dodging bullets, and requires finesse and skill like a matador evading a bull

Another setback, I'm back up grip the street,
After another setback, I'm back up and ready to take on the streets once again

I've got some money in my sock, and I need some relief
I only have a small amount of money in my possession, and I need to find a way to make it work, to find a source of relief

Cop a ten sack, but that ain't gett'n me far,
I buy a small amount of drugs, but it won't last long or take me far

I put the hammer to the nail, and the nail to my arm
I resort to using drugs intravenously as a quick means of achieving relief

And know I'z way slow, blow the Chinese breeze
I'm beginning to slow down, and I use substances to achieve a temporary reprieve like a gentle breeze

That hit me like a ton of brick had me down on my knees
The effects of the drugs hit me hard and harsh, leaving me incapacitated and vulnerable

And that's the last time, I trade a dime for a dime
I've learned a valuable lesson and won't make the same mistake again, to not trade something of greater value for something of lesser value

Skipping stones, flipp'n coins, out their grinding my time
Life can seem like a game of chance, and sometimes it can feel like I'm wasting my time