So there I sat in the bank parking lot
40 degrees while I sweat like it's hot
Nappy on deck remindin’ me that all my life I've been poor
and I really can't take this shit any more
so I stood outside lookin’ at the ground
tryin’ to ignore all the people around
my palms were sweaty my heart was racin’
I tried to stay calm but my body was shakin’
I took a deep breath and walked through the door
"Alright muthafuckaz getcha ass on the floor
I'm not here to do any harm
so stay away from the fuckin’ alarm"
all I wanted was the cash and get out
no violence no hostage I’m not goin’ that route
that was the closest thing I had to a plan
and there I stood with a gun in my hand

(money the root of all evil
money an illusion to poor people
money that's why we work hard
money without it we starve
money a provider for those who posses
money a mirage for those with less)

I'm not a killer or a criminal
and I really hope the damage I cause is minimal
I'm sick and tired of my life bein’ a joke
I'm sick and tired of my account being stuck on broke
I can hardly afford to keep my family fed
and it's really been fuckin’ with my head
workin’ 9-5 just to survive
just tryin’ to get by
like Talib Kweli not pronounced kwel-i
I'm not livin’ even though I'm alive
I’ve got more bills than Destiny's Child
and most haven’t been paid in a while
I can't afford the latest style
I too often have to force myself to smile
I don't know if I'm sad or if I'm mad
but I know things wouldn't be so bad
if I got the things that I never had
like Thug Life from the Cradle To The Grave
life ain't never been easy
like JD and Jay-Z
money ain't a thing to me
naw it's much more like a fantasy

(money the root of all evil
money an illusion to poor people
money that's why we work hard
money without it we starve
money a provider for those who posses
money a mirage for those with less)

I can hardly pay my bills
I can't even afford to dream of a house on the hill
like the ones in Sausalito over lookin’ the Bay
I'm just a couple of levels above livin’ in an alley like a stray
I'm tired of feenin’ for all the shit I'm seein’
I'm tired of lookin’ and wantin’ and dreamin’
about all the shit I can't afford
it's just one of the many frustrations of bein’ poor
I've always wanted to live lavish
drive fancy cars and dress in flash
walk around with a fist full of ca$h
move on up to high class
with season tickets to the Giants
my own private jet with a pilot
so I could fly all around the world
without a single worry
the whole fuckin’ world in my hand
and I'd be the muthafuckin' man
that type of life would be heaven sent
but it'd never be allowed by the government
the system's not designed to let me rise
a muthafuckah like me can aim for the sky
but you're in for a surprise
even though it's in print right before your eyes
I work 5 days per week 8 hours per day
just for the government to take 30% of my pay
and another fuckin’ 8%
goes to the government
whenever I buy shit
so they can fund a war
while they fuck the poor
and you wonder why I live in frustration
and why robbery's a temptation

(money the root of all evil
money an illusion to poor people
money that's why we work hard
money without it we starve
money a provider for those who posses
money a mirage for those with less)

so there I stood with gun in hand
without really any kinda plan
sweat drippin’ down from my brow and my palms
while I just tried to keep myself calm
everybody was down on the floor
and I’ve got one eye on the door
both my mind and heart were racin’
as I was at the counter waitin’
'what’s takin’ this bitch so long
if she thinks she can stall me out she's wrong'
"fill up the fuckin’ bag bitch
I'm not leavin’ this muthafuckah ‘til I'm rich"
it was about then I heard a cough
spun around and the gun went off
the bullet hit a lady in the head
as she laid there dead
a small child started sheddin’ tears
then I knew I was really facin’ years
I couldn't believe I just committed a killin’
that's when panic really began to set in
an unparalleled fear
I had to get the fuck up outta there
but I glanced outside and there were cops everywhere
oh fuck I wasn't goin’ anywhere
they wouldn't accept my explanation
to get out of this shit I'm facin’
my only chance was a hostage situation
try for some sort of negotiation
or maybe I should just go out blazin’
by then everything was getting’ hazy
as I looked around with blurred vision
with flashes of spendin’ my life in prison
I don't deserve to be forgiven
I've committed the ultimate sin
and there's no way I can repent
but her death was an accident
I didn't wanna hurt anybody
I just wanted to get a little bitta money
and get the fuck out right quick
there wasn't s’posta be any of this bullshit
but instead fueled by frustration
I worsened my whole situation
and even worse I took someone's life
a mother a daughter and probably someone's wife
I just stood there motionless
lookin’ over this whole fuckin’ mess
until my eyes fixed themselves on the floor
just as 5-0 tore through the fuckin’ door
shit seemed to happen in slow mo’
a cop yelled out freeze and fired to the brain
I fell to my knees and there was no more pain