Vice
The Sugarhill Gang - Grandmaster & Melle Mel Lyrics

You have the right to remain silent
You can choose not to speak and what you say can be used against you in a court of law

Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law
Whatever you say can be taken as evidence and will be used against you in a court of law

You have the right for an attorney
You have the right to have a lawyer represent you in court

If you do not, or cannot afford an attorney
If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you by the court

An attorney will be appointed to you, you are now under arrest
You will be provided with a lawyer if you cannot afford one, and you have been arrested

Crime, it pays real nice
Committing a crime can result in making a lot of money

But what you really didn't know that crime pays twice
Committing a crime can result in losing not only money, but also time

It pays once in money, twice in years
Committing a crime can make you lose money and also result in spending years in jail

In the jail cell, tryin to hide your tears
In jail, you might try to hide your sadness and fear

And the trip bad, cause you tried to get rich
The outcome is negative since you tried to become wealthy through illegal means

In the graveyards, or in the shallow ditch
The consequence of committing a crime can result in ending up dead, buried in a grave or a shallow ditch

It's money or time so make up your mind
Committing a crime is a decision that can result in either making money or losing time in jail

Fraud, the girl he adored
The man's love interest turned out to be a fraudster

Turned out to be another dirty old broad
The woman was revealed to be a deceitful and immoral person

Took all the money, told all the lies
She stole all the money and lied to him

I heard she even, slept with other guys
The woman was unfaithful and slept with other men

Nothing she wouldn't do for a dollar or two
The woman was willing to do morally questionable things for money

But every lie she told he knew to be true
The man was aware that the woman was lying to him

He loves his honey, but she loved money
The man loved his partner but she was more interested in making money by any means necessary

Talk about ya-yo, uh, it's everywhere you go
Drug use, particularly cocaine, is prevalent everywhere

They said in Miami it'll never snow
Miami was considered too warm to snow but now drugs are being sold there

Now it's snow in the palm trees, snow on the sand
Cocaine is being sold everywhere, even in the palm trees

It snows all day, for sixty dollars a gram
Cocaine is being sold for sixty dollars per gram

Now they're strung out and high, hung out to dry
Drug addicts are now high and have no help

The air that they breathe the food that they buy
Drug addicts are so consumed by their addiction that they cannot take care of themselves or their basic needs

They think that they can fly, but that's a white lie
Drug addicts have delusions of grandeur that they can do things that they cannot

The mob, a full time job
Being involved in organized crime is a full-time commitment

Known to extort and steal or rob
Organized crime involves using illegal methods to acquire money or power

Started as a hitman, lookin for wealth
A hitman began his career in crime looking to become wealthy

And now he's the boss workin' for his self
The hitman has managed to work his way up in the crime world and is now his own boss

For all the blood money that he did earn
The hitman made money from killing people

It made him take lives with no concern
The hitman became desensitized to taking lives

But soon he would learn that next is his turn
Despite his success, the hitman knows that he could also face danger and his life could also be taken

Prostitution, it's a low down shame
Prostitution is a shameful profession

How any girl, would want to play that game
It is difficult to understand why any girl would choose to be a prostitute

From pillow, to post, a sidewalk host
Prostitutes go from one client to another on the streets

But the lady's got a condo out on the coast
Despite having a successful business, the prostitute might not have a desirable living situation

She thought that the hole, was better than gold
The prostitute believes that her profession is more profitable than other jobs

Now she worked on her back 'til she got too old
The prostitute continued working until she could no longer do so physically or was no longer in demand

Layin' down on the job, has made her a slob, uh
Being a prostitute has had negative effects on her health and well-being

It's a stickup, so throw your hands in the air
There is a robbery taking place and the person needs to raise their hands to show they do not pose a threat

And don't, ah put 'em down, keep 'em way up there
They should keep their hands in the air at all times until instructed otherwise

Just let me your wallet empty all your pockets
The robber wants the person to give them all their money and other valuables

Got a itchy trigger finger and I'm gonna cock it
The robber is holding a gun and might shoot if provoked

My eyes got wide as they pulled away
The artist was surprised as the robbers drove away

I said, 'Who are you the cops?' He began to say
The artist asked if the robbers were the police and one of them responded

'No I'm Clint Eastwood, make my day, get in the car!'
The robber responded as if he were the famous actor Clint Eastwood and ordered the singer to get in their car

Homicide is on the rise, and it's no surprise
The number of murders is increasing and it isn't unexpected

The bums are in the alleyways tryin to take lives
People who are desperate or homeless are committing violent crimes

People burglarize then suicidal criminals are never idle
Burglars and other criminals who are suicidal will continue to commit crimes

Court procedures at your leisure eight finger
There are many court procedures and forms to be filled out

Visas circle seizures
People are being deported from the country or have their assets seized by the government

Con man fencer, arson is a trip
There are people using lies to scam others and people who are setting fires for the thrill of it

Take all the fingerprints, and give him the book
Getting fingerprints and other evidence is necessary to convict someone of a crime

And then hope that the judge don't let him off the hook, uh!
After arresting someone, it is still possible for them to be found not guilty by a judge