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 'em in battles that I can't handle

'
Less I absolutely have to, I'm supposed to set an example

I need to be the leader, my crew looks for me to 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 that 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 mentionin' ****

And that was just outta respect, for not runnin' my mouth

And talkin' about somethin' that I knew nothin' 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 TV, down-talkin' the 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, ‘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






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 it, 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, let him have it

Meanwhile my attention's 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 could get it too, fuck him then!

But I'm so busy bein' 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 willin' 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 tryna have none of my people hurt or murdered

It ain't worth it, I can't think of a perfecter way to word it

Than 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 plea that I'm coppin'

I'm just willin' 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 conscience ‘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