Peering from a window of my humble home
Dealers sling drugs without care of the cost
Gunshots echo all through the night
Hell is right outside my door

We are never safe from violence
The police are helpless voyeurs
Unable to deliver them or rescue us
Fear grips my children’s heart

We are too poor to buy a house
To proud to accept charity
Our neighbors are criminals
Prostitutes work door to door

Drunks sleep in the hall way
Roaches crawl on the floor
Broken windows covered by bars
Our cupboard is always bare

Broken dreams flirt with my mind
Sleepless nights worrying for my family’s sake
My kid’s play with make-believe toys
They pretend to own a brand-new bike

It breaks my heart to hear them cry
Hugs and kisses is all I can afford
I conclude that I have been condemned to
Life with no parole