Ice-T
Ice-T
Ice-T
Ice-T
Ice-T
Ice-T
Ice-T
Ice-T
Ice-T
Ice-T
Ice-T
Ice-T
Ice-T
Ice-T & Sean E Sean & & Mello
Ice-T
Ice-T
The title track on the soundtrack to the film of the same name, “Colors” was released as a single and became the first of two of Ice-T’s most successful songs, reaching #70 in the US in June 1988.
In “Colors”, Ice-T defends, yet laments, being in a gang, wishing he had other opportunities. The radi...
[Intro]
Yo Iz, let's do this
[Verse 1: Ice-T]
I am a nightmare walkin', psychopath talkin'
King of my jungle, just a gangster stalkin'
Livin' life like a firecracker, quick is my fuse
Vendettas of death back; the colors I choose
Red or Blue, Cuz or Blood, it just don't matter
Sucka dive for your life when my shotgun scatters
The gangs of L.A. will never die - just multiply
[Interlude: Ice-T]
You see they hit us then we hit them
Then we hit them and they hit us, man
It's like a war, ya know what I'm sayin'
People don't even understand
They don't even know what they dealing with
You wanna get rid of the gangs it's gonna take a lotta work
But people don't understand the size of this
This is no joke man, this is real
[Verse 2: Ice-T]
You don't know me, fool
You disown me, cool
I don't need your assistance, social persistence
Any problem I got I just put my fist in
My life is violent but violent is life
Peace is a dream, reality is a knife
My colors, my honor, my colors, my all
With my colors upon me one soldier stands tall
Tell me what have you left me, what have I got?
Last night in cold blood my young brother got shot
My homeboy got jacked
My mother's on crack
My sister can't work cause her arms show tracks
Madness insanity, live in profanity
Then some punk claimin' they're understandin' me
Give me a break, what world do you live in
Death is my set, guess my religion
[Interlude: Ice-T]
Yo my brother was a gang banger
And all my homeboys bang
I don't know why I do it man, I just do it
I never had much of nothing man
Look at you man, you've got everything going for yourself
And I ain't got nothing man, I've got nothing
I'm living in the ghetto man
Just look at me man, look at me
[Verse 3: Ice-T]
My pants are saggin', braided hair
Suckas stare but I don't care
My game ain't knowledge, my game's fear
I've no remorse so squares beware
But my true mission is just revenge
You ain't in my set, you ain't my friend
Wear the wrong color your life could end
Homicide's my favorite binge
[Interlude: Ice-T]
Listen to me man
No matter whatcha do don't ever join a gang
You don't wanna be in it man
You're just gonna end up in a mix of dead friends and time in jail
I know, if I had a chance like you
I would never be in a gang man
But I didn't have a chance
You know I wish I did
[Verse 4: Ice-T]
I'll just walk like a giant, police defiant
You'll say to stop but I'll say that I can't
My gang's my family, it's all that I have
I'm a star, on the walls is my autograph
You don't like it, so you know where you can go
Cause the streets are my stage and terror's my show
Psycho-analyze tried diagnosin' me, why?
It wasn't your brother that brutally died
But it was mine, so let me define
My territory; don't cross the line
Don't try to act crazy cause that shit don't faze me
If you ran like a punk, it wouldn't amaze me
Cause my colors death
Though we all want peace
But our war won't end
'Till all wars cease
[Interlude: Ice-T]
See the wars of the street gangs will always get to me, man
But I don't wanna be down with this situation man
But I'm in here, if I had something better to do I think I'd do it But right now, I'm just down here boy
I'm trying to get money cause I'm smart
I'm gonna get paid while I'm out here
I'm gonna get that paper, ya know what I'm saying
If I had a chance like you
Maybe I would be in school
But I'm not, I'm out here living day to day surviving
And I'm willing to die for my colors
[Outro]
Yo, please stop cause I want y'all to live
This is Ice-T, peace
Colors was written by Afrika Islam & Ice-T.
Colors was produced by Afrika Islam & Ice-T.
Ice-T has given some great insight into this track over the years in various interviews. Here is a clip from a 2017 interview on the podcast Drink Champs
In his memoir, Ice-T revealed that when he was approached by producers of Colors about using “Squeeze the Trigger” from Rhyme Pays in the film, he offered to record a new title track upon discovering that the track they selected was “Everywhere I Go (Colors)” by Rick James.
The movie was nearly fin...