All I've known

There’s a sound that bangs not far away,
Its a deafening bang that I hear every day,
You can tell who’s not from here,
They run with their faces filled with fear,
They run,
From the sound of a gun,
I don’t get up to go,
Because this life is all I’ve known.

I’ve lived in these streets all my life,
Every day I’ve had to contend with strife,
I’ve lived in prison walls,
I’ve hardened my heart on a bed of hot coals,
I’ve only turned twenty,
But I’ve lived this life aplenty,
Sometimes the sound of the gun is my own,
This is the life I’ve known.

I’ve never sat down to enjoy family meals,
I have no idea how love feels,
I’ve had death all around me,
What I am is all I’ll ever be,
I don’t dare to dream for more,
Where will those dreams ever go?
This lot is my own,
Its all I’ve ever known.