[Akon] 
How many days we gonna live our life struggling on the streets 
How many days we gotta live our life searching for a way to eat 
You gotta stay down stay down just to see a brighter day 
Stay down stay down just to live a better way 
Stay down stay down just to live a brighter day 
Stay down stay down just to live a better way 

[Flashy Verse 1] 
How many blacks gotta die by the hands of another 
Don't you understand that man's the same color so that man is your brother 
That's what happens when that man is from the gutter 
And that man is a hustler trying to survive, moving grams of that butter 
See, his momma was a dope fiend, poppa was a rolling stone 
he never knew what family was he grew up in a broken home 
Ever since twelve years old he was known as grown 
'cause ever since twelve years old he was on his own 
And even though it seemed like school was the best plan 
his only choice was distributing the rock like Def-jam 
While everybody else was getting diplomas 
he graduated from the middle of the strip to the corner 
But I don't knock him cause he tryin to bubble 
there's no food on the table, the rents past due and that's why he hustles 
and I ain't sayin that its right to be dealin 
All I'm sayin is I feel him I guess 
I just see eye 2 eye wit his struggle you know 

[Akon] 
How many days we gonna live our life struggling on the streets 
How many days we gotta live our life searching for a way to eat 
You gotta stay down stay down just to see a brighter day 
Stay down stay down just to live a better way 
Stay down stay down just to live a brighter day 
Stay down stay down just to live a better way 

[Flashy Verse 2] 
Now baby girl's got a promising future 
But her moms passed away while she was younger and her father's a loser 
He'd always abused her but what else you expect from a coward 
He wasn't even proud when she got accepted to Howard 
And even though she loves college everyday it would stress her 
but it wasn't cause of exams or she hate her professor 
it was her financial situation here she couldn't pay a semester 
And the only means of making it better was totally reversing the role 
lap dancing working that pole even though deep down its hurting her soul 
And even if it meant taking off her clothes 
she was down for what ever to help her accomplish her personal goals 
And I ain't trippin off a-how shortie livin 
She gotta pay her tuiton put food in the kitchen and that's why she strippin 
and I ain't sayin I agree with her job but shit times is hard 
I guess I just see eye to eye with her vision you know 

[Akon] 
How many days we gonna live our life struggling on the streets 
How many days we gotta live our life searching for a way to eat 
You gotta stay down stay down just to see a brighter day 
Stay down stay down just to live a better way 
Stay down stay down just to live a brighter day 
Stay down stay down just to live a better way 

[Flashy Verse 3] 
Now see the moral of the story is this 
if you ain't tryin to help stop our troubles then don't knock our hustle 
cause really at the end of the day its not ya'll struggle 
but you always got something to say 
well hear this fuck you 
Yeah that's right I'm talking to you come try to sleep in our beds 
eat off our plates, take a walk in our shoes 
look at the world from our view try to live by our rules 
drink the same water we do, put your kids in our schools 
I guarantee you won't maintain your health you'll probably try to end it all 
and hang yourself or bang yourself 
You couldn't possibly understand all pain we felt 
and without folding your hands play the games we dealt 
I'm being real I ain't tryin to be evil 
Look how we live, look how ya'll live 
c'mon be serious how is we equal 
Matter fact I feel I'm wasting my time 
I'm finished writing this rhyme 
Ya'll never gonna see eye to eye with my people you know 

[Akon] 
How many days we gonna live our life struggling on the streets 
How many days we gotta live our life searching for a way to eat 
You gotta stay down stay down just to see a brighter day 
Stay down stay down just to live a better way 
Stay down stay down just to live a brighter day 
Stay down stay down just to live a better way (Repeat 2X)