The Game
Chico DeBarge Lyrics

Rollin' down the highway
Driving on the road

With a trunkful of work
Transporting illegal drugs

I just lost my job
Got fired from a job he didn't like

Didn't wanna be a mail-room clerk
Didn't like his previous job

Besides it didn't pay but dimes
The job didn't pay well

And the boss had a disrespectful mouth
The boss was rude to him

If I wasn't on parole
If he wasn't on probation

I would've knocked the motherfucker out
He wanted to fight his boss

So I'm drivin', gotta get me some fast cash
Driving to make money quickly

Ain't tryin' to hurt nobody
Doesn't want to harm anyone

Mama, maybe it's wrong
Admits it may be wrong

But I gotta get the money, it's a must have
Needs money urgently

If I get caught, I go back to jail with no bail
He'll be arrested and held in custody

It's the risk that I'm takin'
Aware of the danger

I'm convinced so, ain't fakin'
He believes in what he's doing

It's the life I choose
He chose a life of crime

Win or lose, that's the way you play life's game
The game of life can go either way

If you play it wrong then you're the one to blame
If things go bad, it's his fault

If I can choose I would make a change
Wishes he could change his life

But it's the same old song that everybody shame
Everyone looks down on him

Now, I'm my own boss
He's in charge of his own business

And I ain't got no friction
Things are going smoothly

'Cause I'm a bootleg pharmacist
Selling illegal drugs

You don't need no prescription
No prescription is necessary

? that's my law
That's the rule he follows

Tryin' to get the dough and retire
Making money to retire

'Cause if I stay in it too long
If he does it too long

The Feds gonna set my ass on fire
The government will arrest him

And if they come
If he gets caught

Gotta hold court in the streets
He'll have to fight in the streets

And one of three things will happen
There are three possible outcomes

I get away, get the chair or die cappin'
He'll either escape, be executed or die in the process

And if they catch me right
If he gets caught

And I can't fight, I go back to prison
He'll be sent back to jail

And like my mama say, you can't always bust your gun
Sometimes you have to avoid confrontation

She goes sometimes you gotta run
You have to escape sometimes

All the odds are against me
He faces many disadvantages

'Cause I'm already a felon
Because he's a convicted criminal

I'd probably die this time in jail
He thinks he'll die if he goes back to jail

'Cause I ain't doin' no tellin'
He won't be a snitch

I'll probably lose the girl that I love
He thinks he'll lose his girlfriend

She'll turn her back once the money's spent
She'll leave him when he's broke

And play it off to her friends
She'll pretend it was just a fight

Like it was a heated argument
As if they just had a disagreement

Bad game, it's a bad game, yeah
Life is hard

It's a bad game, yeah, yeah
Life can be a struggle

It's a bad game, yeah, yeah, yeah
Life is very difficult

To the mother who's watching over
Talking to his mother who passed away

You know the game ain't fair
Life isn't fair

Sometimes you can't change their mind
You can't change people's minds

So, all you got is prayer
All you can do is pray

Listen, I ain't got that much time
He doesn't have a lot of time

Only four minutes to sing to you
The length of the song

But I hope and pray that you will listen
He hopes people listen and learn

While I try to school you
While he tries to teach you something

Nobody wins
In life, it feels like no one ever wins