Workin' at luggage
Tryna get paid the right way
But somehow the right way don't pay
I'm comin' home late every night
Gotta struggle and fight
With the baseheads on the late night high
Tryna creep in the house
Through the cut for what?
So I won't be seen by none of the homies
But the homie Nate Dogg spots me
And say, "Yo, what's happenin'?
Oh, you don't know me no more?
And passed me the satin"
I said, "Ah, nah, it ain't like that G
I'm tryna go straight and have a J-O-B "
"You need to quit that faggot ass job," that's what he said
Showed me his grip and took some satin to the head
Damn, that nigga had at least two G's
And he was clockin' it wit so much ease
I told him I was gone so I'm headed in the house
Everybody knocked out
So I'm locked out
I go back to the front where my homies is hangin' at
They offer me a cavi sack so I can start slangin' dat
They say, "You ain't a hustler"
I say, "Don't doubt it"
Hold that thought and I'll think about it

(I've been dreamin' too long, too long, too long)
Because
I don't like to dream about gettin' paid
(I've been dreamin' too long, too long, too long)
I don't like to dream about gettin' paid
(I've been dreamin' too long, too long, too-)
I don't like to dream about gettin' paid
(I've been dreamin' too long, too long, too long)
I don't like to dream about gettin' paid
(I've been dreamin' too long)

The thought's complete so let me take a seat
Since I was born and raised on the streets
I quit the job I had and cop myself a sack
Went from a double of fifty into a c-note stack
Within a week, but my peak wasn't reached
I was gettin' too known on the north side of Long Beach
Niggas got to trippin' and I thought I heard it
So I went to the hood on 20th and Myrtle
I came up quick with some homies dat I knew from way way back
And bid my sack
Or maybe it was seven or was it eight hundred strong?
In other words Daz had it goin' on
I bought myself a bucket, that's right a bucket, bitch
Who you fuckin', my car or my dick?
My lifestyle switched a bit but my attitude didn't
I told all my old bitches good riddance
'Cause when you got money, hoes come automatically
And no hoes don't do nothin' but cause some static see
I went from khakis to Guess, braids to a fade
I'm not Special Ed but I had it made
Livin' the life of a baller, care free
Have bitches dyin' to sleep wit me ya see
But I went bankrupt from all the spendin' and gamblin'
Business was gettin' slow and I wasn't handlin'
Mine the way that I was supposed to
Now I'm broke and on a jack mission so don't get close to
The D-P-G gang 'cause we scandalous when we broke
We get the Doggs in us then we get to actin' like locs

(I've been dreamin' too long, too long, too long)
I don't like to dream about gettin' paid
(I've been dreamin' too long, too long, too long)
I don't like to dream about gettin' paid
(I've been dreamin' too long, too long, too-)
I don't like to dream about gettin' paid
(I've been dreamin' too long, too long, too long)
I don't like to dream about gettin' paid

Last night I had a dream
Felt so good it had to be
Me and my homies were gettin' paid
Man, oh, man, we had it made
Some homies wanna roll with me
Some homies claim insanity
Well if you wanna set trip I will
If you don't wanna drop be still
Damn, I can't believe this
But you can best believe this
Today, I'm on another mission to get paid
Serve what I can serve right (right)
So my pockets will stack up
Nigga, don't trip, nigga, back up (hold up)
I gots to react off the first impulse I find
But my mama thinks I should take my time and work for mines
But how much work would it take?
And how much money would I make? Wait
There's somethin' that I gotta think about
But I ain't got that much time
Moms want a nigga out the house
I ain't gettin' no younger, I'm only gettin' older
I'm only thinkin' 'bout what my mama told me
Now I'm a Dogg Pound gangsta for life
And the fact that I'm out to get paid twice
I ain't nothin' nice
Down to slang or pull a heist
Jack or break motherfuckas on the dice, that's real
Now what should I do just chill
When it's time to peel caps and adapt to kill?
Unconcealed, unconcealed
So I've maintained for the salary
And my mentally is raw from the door
I go hard from the door
Up against all odds
Always down to squab Dogg, Pound for life
I survive 'til '95
Day after day makin' hits wit D-A-Z to get paid, yeah-yeah-yeah

(I've been dreamin' too long, too long, too long)
I don't like to dream about gettin' paid
(I've been dreamin' too long, too long, too long)
I don't like to dream about gettin' paid
(I've been dreamin' too long, too long, too-)
I don't like to dream about gettin' paid
(I've been dreamin' too long, too long, too long)
I don't like to dream about gettin' paid
(I've been dreamin' too long, too long, too long)
I don't like to dream about gettin' paid
(I've been dreamin' too long, too long, too long)
I don't like to dream about gettin' paid
(I've been dreamin' too long, too long, too-)
I don't like to dream about gettin' paid
(I've been dreamin' too long, too long, too long)
I don't like to dream about gettin' paid

Copyright: ENTERTAINMENT ONE U.S. LP, MUSIC SERVICES, INC., OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Writer(s): Calvin Broadus, Greg Phillinganes, Lionel Richie, Nathaniel Hale, Ricardo Brown