Lyrical Breakdown of I Seen a Man Die - A Journey through Words and Rhymes

(So what you gonna do when you get outta here cat daddy?)

I don't know dawg, I'm just trying to live it one day at a time, ya know?

(I hear you talkin' man, live it one day at a time...)

(It ain't nothing but a thang though, bro)

Yeah, I hear you fool

Well, let me get up outta here, my ride out here waitin' for me

(Alright cat daddy, take it easy, baby)

You stay up fool (peace)

He greets his father with his hands out

Rehabilitated slightly, but glad to be the man's child

The world is different since he's seen it last

Out of jail, been seven years and he's happy that he's free at last

All he had was his mother's letters

Now he's mobile and he's gotta make a change and make it for the better

But he's black so he's got one strike against him

And he's young, plus he came up in the system

But he's smart and he's finally making 18

And his goal's to get on top and try to stay clean

So he's calling up his homie who done came up

Livin' lavish, now they dealin' with the same stuff

And had that attitude that who he was was worth land

And with that fucked up attitude, he killed his first man

Now it's different, he done did dirt

And realized killin' men meant comin' up but it still hurt

And can't nobody change this

It's 1994, and we up against the same shit

I never understood why

I could never see a man cry 'til I seen a man die

Man cry

Imagine life at its full peak

Then imagine lying dead in the arms of your enemy

Imagine peace on this Earth when there's no grief

Imagine grief on this Earth when there's no peace

Everybody's got a different way of endin' it

And when your number comes for souls, then they send it in

Now your time has arrived for your final test

I see the fear in your eyes and hear your final breath

How much longer will it be 'til it's all done?

Total darkness at ease be at all one

I watch him die and when he dies let us celebrate

You took his life, but your memory you'll never take

You'll be headed to another place

And the life you used to live will reflect in your mother's face

I still gotta wonder why

I never seen a man cry 'til I seen a man die

I hear you breathin' but your heart no longer sounds strong

But you kinda scared of dying so you hold on

And you keep on blacking out and your pulse is low

Stop trying to fight the reaper, just relax and let it go

Because there's no way you can fight it though you'll still try

And you can try it 'til you fight it but you'll still die

Your spirits leave your body and your mind clears

The rigor mortis starts to set, now you outta here

You start your journey into outer space

You see yourself in the light but you're still feeling outta place

So you standing in the tunnel of eternal life

And you see the ones you never learn to love in life

Make the choice, let it go if you can back it up

If you ain't at peace with God, you need to patch it up

But if you ready, close your eyes and we can set it free

Here lies a man not scared to die, may he rest in peace

I still got to wonder why

I never seen a man cry 'til I seen that man die