Back Then

[Verse 1]
Yeah!
Back then, didn't need the buzz
Russian Alex had Reebok pumps
Big Gaz had Nike T dubs
Everybody wanted Nike sneakers
I saved up for a pair of Jordans
And spent all day dubbing tapes for Walkmans
Who remembers Ice T was king?
Flat tops were in, Swatches were bling
I couldn't comprehend my sisters intrepidity
Mohawks, Cherry Docs, Dead Kennedy's
Pegz memories are bonafide
But perceptions change over time
Yeah I still love cars and motorbikes
Give me coconut sauce and a bowl of rice
Keep my soul alive, control the mics
Bruce Lee versus poltergeist

[Chorus]
Back then wasn't easy, back then things worked out
Back then I wish you were now
Back then wasn't easy, back then things worked out
Back then I wish you were now

[Verse 2]
Ducking transit cops and gumbies
Menzies Ave was a real Jumanji
Windsor flats, St. Kilda junkies
Steal your money like which bank?
Girls didn't seem so superficial
Levi jeans and a blue light disco
Let's go back when baseball caps meant
Racking cans, police harassment
Star Wars, street assassin
Collector's Corner, feed the passion
Bootlegs from Central Station
KRS One's revelation
Knowledge and self-preservation
Fuck racism and president Reagan
Remember days when I first tried rapping
Cabs were black white, "till you get enough"

[Chorus]
Back then wasn't easy, back then things worked out
Back then I wish you were now
Back then wasn't easy, back then things worked out
Back then I wish you were now

[Verse 3]
Everyone had humble intentions
DJ Koopz had a couple of lessons
Belt-drives, double cassette decks
Tandy mics with the budget connections
Back then, I scrubbed floors and packed shelves
And left school to get away and hang out
Phone boxes, pinball parlours
Showing off like an ignoramus
Whole crew had a crush on Tiffany
And got played like a Mozart symphony
Bronx infamy, Compton attitude
Flannelette shirts and Adidas parachutes
Bomber jackets, turtle Ray Bans
New Balance, purple stained hands
Little Ben got burned by spray cans
And I'm still hear reverberations

[Bridge]
Back then, didn't need the buzz
Back then, hadn't seen enough
Back then, always dreaming of
B-girls in the classroom steaming hot
Homeboys at the station being hard
Beat box on the train, MC in the park
Getting chased by cops, piss in the yards
Back then, I lived the meaning of art

[Chorus]
Back then wasn't easy, back then things worked out
Back then I wish you were now
Back then wasn't easy, back then things worked out
Back then I wish you were now
Back then wasn't easy, back then things worked out
Back then I wish you were now