Yo, Jackson, A 231549
Yeah, close four! Comin' down!
My homeboys in Clinton and Rikers Island
(All Crichlow! A 5991301) the penitentiaries
Mumia, Mutulu, Geronimo, Sekou
All the political prisoners, San Quentin (all close five! comin' down!")
Look at Satan, I see him
All the jailhouses, I'm with you

Yeah, one thug, one thug (how do we keep the music playin'?)
You're listenin' to the sounds of one thug
One thug, one thug (how do we get ahead?)

I wake up early in the mornin', mind state so military
Suckers fantasizin' pictures of a young brother buried
Was it me, the weed or this life I lead?
If daytime is for suckers then tonight we breathe
Out for all that, knowin' that this world bring drawbacks
Look how they shiver once I deliver these raw raps
Meet me at the cemetery, dressed in black
Tonight, we honor the dead, those who won't be back
So, if I die, do the same for me, shed no tears
An outlaw thug livin' in this game for years
Why worry? Hope to God, get me high when I'm buried
Knowin' deep inside only a few love me
Don't rush me to the gates of Heaven
Let me picture for a while, how I lived for my days as a child
I wonder now, how do we outlast?
Always get cash, stay strong if we all mash, hold ya head

How do we keep the music playin'?
Yes, you got to hold ya head!
How do we get ahead? Hold ya head
Too many young Black brothers are dyin'
Yes, you got to hold ya head
Livin' fast, too fast

Yo, these felonies be like prophecies
Beggin' me to stop 'cause these
Lawyers gettin' money every time they knock us
Snatchin' pockets lyrically, suckers flee when they notice
Switched my name to Makaveli, half the rap game ghost
Exposed foes with my hocus-pocus flows, they froze
Now suckers idolize my chosen blows
And mo' money mean litigatin', mo' playa hatin'
Got a cell at the pen' for me waitin', is this my fate?
Miss me with that misdemeanor thinkin', me fall back?
Never that, too much Tequila drinkin', we all that
Make them understand me? Hell nah, this ain't my posse
Everyone with me is family, 'cause everybody's got me
Watch me paint, this life we livin'
Got us all meetin' up in prison
Last week I got a letter from my road dog, written in blood
Sayin', "Please show a playa love," hold ya head (Hold it)

How do we keep the music playin'?
You got to hold ya head!
How do we get ahead? (Come on, hold ya head)
Too many young black brothers are dyin' (yes, hold ya head)
Livin' fast, too fast
The weed got me tweakin' in my mind, I'm thinkin'

God bless the child that can hold his own
Indeed, enemies bleed when I hold my chrome
Let these words be the last to my unborn seeds
Hope to raise my young nation in this world of greed
Currency means nothin' if you still ain't free
Money breeds jealousy, take the game from me
I hope for better days, trouble comes naturally
Runnin' from authorities 'til they capture me
And my aim is to spread mo' smiles than tears
Utilize lessons learned from my childhood years
Maybe Mama had it all right, rest yo' head
Tradin' conversations all night, bless the dead
To my homies that I used to have that no longer roll
Catch a brother at the crossroads
Plus nobody knows my soul, watchin' time pass
Through the glass of my drop-top Rolls, hold ya head

How do we keep the music playin'?
Yes, you got to hold ya head no matter how hard it gets
How do we get ahead? (Feel me? C'mon, hold ya head)
Too many young Black brothers are dyin'
Hit the weed, drink a drink, read a book (you got to hold ya head)
Watch the stars, get some pussy, whatever (livin' fast, too fast)
You got to hold ya head
How do we keep the music playin'?
Yes, you got to hold ya head
How do we get ahead?

Copyright: Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Writer(s): Tupac Amaru Shakur, Tyrone J. Wrice