Like toy soldiers

Step by step, heart to heart
Left right left we all fall down

Step by step, heart to heart, left right left
We all fall down, like toy soldiers
Bit by bit, torn apart, we never win
But the battle wages on, for toy soldiers

I'm supposed to be the soldier who never blows his composure
Even though I hold the weight of the whole world on my shoulders
I ain't never supposed to show it, my crew ain't supposed to know it
Even if it means goin' toe to toe with a Benzino, it
Don't matter, I never drag them in battles that I can handle
Less I absolutely have to I'm supposed to set an example
I need to be the leader, my crew looks for me ta guide 'em if some shit ever does pop off I'm supposed to be beside em'
That Ja shit, I tried to squash it, it was too late to stop it, there's a certain line you just don't cross and he crossed it
I heard him say Hailie's name on a song and I just lost it
It was crazy the shit went way beyond some Jay Z and Nas shit
And even though the battle was won, I feel like we lost it
I spent so much energy on it, honestly I'm exhausted
And I'm so caught in it I almost feel I'm the one who caused it
This ain't what I'm in hip hop for, that's not why I got in it
That was never my object for someone to get killed, why would I wanna destroy something I helped build
That wasn't my intentions, my intentions were good, I went through my whole career without ever mentioning
And that was just out of respect, for not runnin' my mouth
And talkin' about something that I knew nothing about
Plus Dre told me stay out, this just wasn't my beef
So I did, I just fell back watched and gritted my teeth
While he's all over T.V, down talkin' a man
Who literally saved my life like fuck it I understand
This is business and this shit just isn't none of my business, but still knowin' the shit could pop off at any minute, 'cuz

Step by step, heart to heart, left right left
We all fall down, like toy soldiers
Bit by bit, torn apart, we never win
But the battle wages on, for toy soldiers

There used to be a time when you could just say a rhyme and
Wouldn't have to worry about one of your people dyin'
But now it's elevated cause once you put someone's kids in it
The shit gets escalated. It ain't just words no more is it?
It's a different ballgame you call names and you ain't just rappin
We actually tried to stop the 50 and Ja beef from happenin
Me and Dre had sat with him, kicked it and had a chat with him
And asked him not to start, he wasn't gonna go after him until Ja started yappin' in magazines how he stabbed him
Fuck it 50 smash him, mash on him and let him have it
Meanwhile my attentions pulled in another direction
Some receptionist at The Source who answers phones at his desk has an
Erection for me and thinks that I'll be his resurrection
Tries to blow the dust off his mic and make a new record
But now he's fucked the game up cause one of the ways I came up
Was through that publication the same one that made me famous
Now the owner of it has got a grudge against me for nothin'?
Well fuck it that motherfucker can get it too fuck him then
But I'm so busy being pissed off I don't stop to think
That we just inherited 50's beef with Murder Inc
And he's inherited mine which is fine, ain't like either of us mind
But we still have soldiers that's on the front line
Who's willing to die for us as soon as we give the orders
Never to extort us strictly to show they support us
And maybe shout 'em out in a rap or up in a chorus
To show 'em we love 'em back and let 'em know how important
It is to have Runyon Avenue, soldiers up in our corners
Their loyalty to us is worth more than any award is
But I ain't trying to have none of my people hurt or murdered
It ain't worth it, I can't think of a perfecter way to word it
Then to just say that I love y'all too much to see the verdict
I'll walk away from it all 'fore I let it go any further
But don't get it twisted it's not a plee that I'm coppin'
I'm just willing to be the bigger man if y'all can quit poppin' off at the jaws well then I can, cause frankly I'm sick of talkin'
I'm not gonna let someone else's coffin rest on my conscious
Cause...

Step by step, heart to heart, left right left
We all fall down, like toy soldiers
Bit by bit, torn apart, we never win
But the battle wages on, for toy soldiers