In a city where jobs are few, and people are many
it would be hard to see yourself winning
when you need money and don't have any
the clocks against you from the beginning

what can a man do, just to get by
what can a man do to be somebody
what can a man do to change his life
what can a man do

selling cigarettes that he calls loosies
maybe he can make himself a dollar
that all depends on who sees
it might be okay if you're the right color

jailed twice for trying to make a living
but in the black, the blue is hidden
seen by the eyes of the unforgiving
just trying to get by is forbidden

with no warrant and no good reason
it's just encroachment on our freedom
tired of the way they treat him
he fought back, they called it treason

a battle he could never win

I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breath, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe

what can a man do to catch his breath
what can a man do to make a buck
what can a man do to avoid his death
what can a man do

(this is about Eric Garner, a man who had been arrested twice for selling single cigarettes in a poverty stricken nation. The fourth time the police approached him, he was tired of it, so he wasn't going to jail so easily. The law states that they must have a warrant or a reasonable cause, before they can arrest someone. They tackled Eric, and choked him to death. In the same city, many crimes are unsolved while this goes on. The video of the police killing Eric garner can be found on youtube)