Born 2 Live
O.C. Lyrics

Like the dead end kids, we used to play in the streets
As kids we didn't have much, but we were content with playing with each other on the streets.

Never worryin' about grief, football spelled relief
We didn't have to worry about any of life's issues, football games were our way of relieving any stress.

Ronnie was the coach for us
Ronnie was our mentor who taught us everything about football.

See he taught us to play, almost every single day, OK
Ronnie encouraged and inspired us to play football every day.

Now on Evergreen was Larry and Mike and Lon
On the street Evergreen lived Larry, Mike, and Lon among others.

My cousin Boo lived there too just to name a few
My cousin Boo also lived on Evergreen, just to name a few.

With Sha-rone, he's bad to the bone, Boo's little sidekick
Sha-rone was Boo's sidekick and an unruly character.

And a bad ass mouth, he used to feist it on Harmon Street
He had a foul mouth and would start fights on another street called Harmon.

With Zach, Leo and Ed
Also on our block were Zach, Leo, and Ed.

Me Jody and Boop by June, Rocky and then comes
In addition to them, there was myself, Jody, Boop, June, and Rocky.

Tommy and Cedric, Lamont and Greg, unique in our own right
There were also Tommy, Cedric, Lamont, and Greg, each with their own unique characteristics.

At times we'd fight, but that's a-ight
Sometimes we would get into fights, but that was okay.

Still, not realizin' we had love, it showed
We didn't realize it then, but we had a genuine love for each other, and it was evident in the way we played together.

When we played, no phony charades against one another
When we played with each other, there was no deceit, and we played fairly and honestly.

Now while I write this song, it's like some are still alive and a couple are gone
As I write this song, some of us are still alive, while a few of us have passed away.

[Chorus] We're born to live, a life to die, Life's so damn short and I wonder why
We are all born to live but are destined to die. Life is fleeting, and we often wonder why.

As kids, you're overlookin' death
As children, we don't realize the finality and significance of death.

It didn't seem important or serious, it just seems curious
Death seemed curious and unimportant to us as kids.

It was about, wakin' to a bowl of cereal
Our childhood lives were about simple pleasures like having a bowl of cereal for breakfast.

Cartoons on Saturday's, karate flicks, and like ridin' your skateboard, or bicycle
We enjoyed watching Saturday morning cartoons, karate movies, and spent leisurely afternoons riding our skateboards or bicycles.

And went as deep as Killa Joe on the corner drinkin' Ripple
Some people, like Killa Joe on the corner, would drink alcohol and seem to be content with their lives.

Plus, Puerto Rican kids on the block were cool, We got along, we all knew right from wrong
The Puerto Rican kids living in our neighborhood were cool and we all respected each other and knew the difference between right and wrong.

By far, we got a dose that life was hard, A Spanish we were close with, was killed by a car
We learned that life could be difficult when a close Spanish friend was killed by a car.

Shocking, Alberto was hit on the block and, Death was spontaneous, his moms was clockin' him 'cross the street
The death of our friend Alberto was sudden and unexpected, and his mother witnessed it happening from across the street.

He just received an award, for Little League baseball like an hour before, plus
Just before his death, Alberto had received an award for his accomplishments in Little League baseball.

He didn't even get to see the summer set in, Dyin' all young at the age of seven
Alberto didn't get to experience more summers, as he died at a young age of seven.

It opened up my eyes small that the flesh was weak
This experience opened my eyes to the fragility of human life.

As a kid, thinkin' shit like that was mad deep, peep it
As a kid, I thought about these things deeply, even though nobody else did.

[Chorus]
We're born to live, a life to die, Life's so damn short and I wonder why

Now when somebody is gone, that's when you realize how close you was
You realize how close you were to someone when they are no longer around.

How close you are, like a star, Real deep it takes time to heal
You feel very connected to their memory, like a star shining in the sky, and it takes time to heal from their loss.

And still from time to time you wish you could find the way to forgive
You still wish you could forgive them for something or find closure.

And let him know you forgave, But they can't feel six feet deep inside the grave
Even if you forgive them, they can't feel it since they are six feet deep in their grave.

What's left, but attend his wake, believin' if it was you, He'd do it for old time's sake, damn
The only thing you can do is attend their wake and believe that if the roles were reversed, they would attend your wake for old time's sake.

I'm disturbed, by the news when I was told I was sittin'
I was saddened and disturbed when I heard the news while sitting down.

Knowin' damn well Boo ain't bullshittin'
I knew my cousin Boo wasn't joking about the news.

My life flashed like big bills of cash
Thinking about my past experiences with Mike made me remember many aspects of my life.

And good times we had, now it's all so sad
The good memories I had with Mike now make me sad since he passed away.

One of my childhood pals hit the road
One of my childhood friends has passed away.

When you take, to the streets, then you die, by the code
When you live a certain way in the streets, you might die due to the consequences of street life.

But in this case, who knows what went down?
In Mike's case, it's unclear what happened that caused his death.

Bottom line is wishin' that he still was around
Ultimately, I just wish Mike was still alive.

Now he found a spot in my heart, or should I say lobotomy
Mike now has a special place in my heart or perhaps even my mind since his death affected me greatly.

Mike, know you're trapped inside of me, And every other brother in Bush wick, Who rushed to your side thick, all down with the click
Mike, I want you to know that you are always a part of me, and all of the people in our neighborhood who were there for you when you needed help.

Yeah, God Bless he laid to rest, Call him Mike Boogie, that's what describes the nigga best
May he rest in peace. We called him Mike Boogie, which perfectly described his personality and demeanor.

[Chorus] We're born to live, a life to die, Life's so damn short and I wonder why
We are all born to live but are destined to die. Life is fleeting, and we often wonder why.

We're born to live, We're born to live, We're born to live, We're born to live, Like that y'all
We are meant to live our lives to the fullest and cherish the time we have. Like that, y'all.