Once there was a little kid named Benefit

Walked around town with a frown, face down, lookin bent


Had problems inside, his little sister just died
Keep your head up little man, all you got is your pride


He said "the world doesn't want me, and neither does my daddy


He'd rather get drunk and puff blunts then have a family"

That's real, and ain't nothing realer then that


The world is much colder then the steal of a gat


But yet he moved on, he fought to stay strong

In this cold world, to stay warm he put a jacket on


Made of 100 percent pain


The label said the only way to wash it was to stand on the rain

But he still was cold, the other kids were old


All he really wanted in life was Jordan's and gold


Then he'd be set, getting fine girls in berrets

See him with a boom box and fat boys cassettes


If he got into a fight, he'd throw down


But he's a little skinny kid, about 70 pounds

And he had a loud mouth so nobody stepped to him


But I guess if they would've, well I guess that he'd do 'em


But it didn't get to that, this little aristocrat

Tryin to live phat, smashing mail boxes with bats


Runnin wild through the streets, his mouth would make peace


Used to play football in mud with baseball cleats

That's the life in my memory inbedded in my brain


As he started growing, things started to change




(Hook)


Who has the right to know?


My life's a standing flow

Who can say, what's right or wrong for people?





As Benefit got older he started to realize

Everybody's smile was just jealousy in disguise


If he turned his back, how is that, a knife would be in it


Draw my face-to-face in any place, no one would begin it

If they knew, what this kid had been through


Nothing nice, ?fest? sacrifice off of lifes menu


But things lately, were starting to get crazy

And if they stuck around maybe, his mom would lose a baby

So they broke out, headed down south on route


This kid was still actin wild, thought he was tough no doubt

Dealt a difficult hand, but he had to play with it


Emotionally disturbed when the kid never quit it

Immediately took charge when in his new neighborhood

Makes me laugh thinkin when he made forts from wood


And if anybody touched 'em, then that's the razz

If anybody frontin, to the creak they get cashed


In school, everybody sayin "who's the new kid?"

"I heard he's from Chicago, last week know what he did

Such and such," that's how rumors get started


But at lunch acting all !@$!ed eatin Capt'n Crunch

Thought he was funny, little dummy makin a scene

Lookin happy on the outside, but inside mean

Lotta anger built up, from things in the past


Such an unreal life, reality hard to grasp

That's the life in my memory inbedded in my brain

As he started growin, things started to change




(Hook)

Who has the right to know?

My life's a steady flow.


Who can say, what's right or wrong for people?



He moved again, now his moves totaled thirteen times


Started gettin serious, writin serious rhymes

He began workin, hustling the company

Pockets full of cash, now every day a shopping spree

Got away with it, finally got caught and ?bull%#@!ted?


They didn't fire 'em, instead the job he quitted

His life is slowed down, different then in the beginning

Only worse, cause little $%&^$%&^x had him sinning

Fell in love one time, maybe twice, who knows

Only problem was the girls weren't nice, but hoes

It was a big mistake, messed up the kinds mindstate

The trade? his best-friends for nice $%&^ and a date

Wait, what's goin on here? the girls left him

Now he's scarred from left ear to right ear

That's his whole brain, now his lights are gettin dim

Cause what he did to his best friends, happened to him

Now he cares about nothin, feeling sick everyday

Thank God, eventually the pain went away

Now he's grown mad, then he ever has been

Up late at night at home, his only friend is his pen

Writin angry to get out frustration out through poetry

Treating girls the exact opposite of noblely

The struggle continues on, documented in every song

Made it this far, confident he'll live long

That's the life in my memory, inbedded in my brain

And it's true as he grew, things did change



(Hook x3)

Who has the right to know?

My life's a steady flow

Who can say, what's right or wrong for people?