[Intro] Yeah… this one right here is for all my carnales who grew up in San Berdoo back in the eighties… We didn’t have much, but damn, we had heart. Ese… let’s take it back. [Chorus] Reminiscing on the good old days, It was hard, but we managed to play. San Berdoo, eighty-nine, A blessing we even still alive. Just a lil homeboy in the rain Raised by the streets, strength in the pain Blowing candy cigarettes like we grown, Kids like us from the barrio, Stories never told, Thangs ain't the same, But nothing like the good old days. [Verse 1] Back in the IE, that San Bernardino heat, No daddy in the picture, just me and my feet. Mom grindin’ two shifts, all alone no voice, Scavengers for dinner, beans and rice no choice. Orange groves in the distance, but we was in the cuts, Bikes with banana seats, no helmets, just guts. Playin’ tag in the alleys where the cholos held court, Dreamin’ ‘bout Cadillacs and lowriding like a sport Reality hit different when the lights went dim, Empty fridge singin’, still smilin’ no matter how grim. Grateful for the lessons, the hunger strengthened my core, First kiss with a hyna behind the corner store. We was little kings with crowns made of hope, Turned nothin’ into somethin’, that’s how we coped. Pressure to stay true, never fold, Little vatos showing no fear, standing bold. Reflections in the rearview, stealin bottles of booze, Running in my Cortez's with nothin’ to lose. [Chorus] Reminiscing on the good old days, It was hard, but we managed to play. San Berdoo, eighty-nine, A blessing we even still alive. Just a lil homeboy in the rain Raised by the streets, strength in the pain Thangs ain't the same, But nothing like the good old days. Blowing candy cigarettes like we grown, Kids like us from the barrio, Stories never told, Thangs ain't the same, But nothing like the good old days. [Verse 2] Neighborhood floods, splashin', like a pool, Water up to our chests, thought we were cool. Big dreams in our heads while the rain poured down, Talkin’ ‘bout bein’ ballers, actors, or ownin’ the town. Wanted a house with a yard, maybe a Regal all clean, Not the corner or the county, nah, none wanted that dream. But the hood whispered loud, “Stay solid, don’t fold”, Pressure to claim colors when your heart just wanted gold. We swam through the storms, both the sky and the streets, Kids who raised ourselves, turnin’ hard times to beats. Violence was the soundtrack, sirens every night, Drive-bys and funerals, stealin’ young lives in plain sight. Lost too many carnales before they hit eighteen, But somehow I’m still here, chasin’ my dreams. They said “stay true to the hood or you a sellout, ese”, All I wanted was peace, a good life, feel me? We made it, ese… still breathin’, still ridin’, From the deserted streets of Berdoo to the mic, no more hidin’. [Chorus] Reminiscing on the good old days, It was hard, but we managed to play. San Berdo, eighty-nine, A blessing we even still alive. Just a lil homeboy in the rain Raised by the streets, strength in the pain Thangs ain't the same, But nothing like the good old days. Blowing candy cigarettes like we grown, Kids like us from the barrio, Stories never told, Thangs ain't the same, but nothing like the good old days. [Outro] Yeah… we didn’t have much, but we had each other. San Berdoo raised me, my dreams saved me. To all the ones who didn’t make it… this one for you, ese. Peace.
