Count Basey

This story's 'bout a guy that I once met
And LL, a-don't you bite it like you bit Yvette
It's called Count Basey, not the jazz band leader
But the guy who hangs with the piper called Peter
Count Basey

Well I was on the bus a-just taking a ride
And then I felt a hard pull on my left side
I took off my shades and then I turned around
Saw a brother in my pocket going way, way down
I grabbed him by the collar, said "What's the deal?"
He said "I'm Starvin' Marvin and I need a meal"
I said "If you wanna eat, don't cheat, don't rob
Take your butt downtown and get you a job"
He was a pretty young kid so I gave him a break
I took him to a restaurant and bought him a steak
The kid was really hungry and he liked the place
So I bought him some more and let him dog his face
He finished his meal and I paid the bill
27 dollars, he dogged his grill
But now he's making a living very honestly
The brother's on, and he's on because of me

Count Basey

He took my advice and got his act together
Didn't rob, got a job, and racked up on the leather
Got a fresh hairdo and apartment too
And bought a neckful of gold and a Subaru
He bought a big stereo and a JVC
A video machine and a color TV
Had juice in the clubs, got in all of them free
And kept honeys by the dozen like leaves on a tree
A celeb in the streets, didn't have to sing
With all the little kids underneath his wing
Always hanging out with the guys with the clout
Being down with the crowd is what he was about
Had the Fila sneakers and the Gucci shoes
Always got cheers and never the boos
Had everything going for him, on top of the world
Too bad his downfall was because of a girl
Count Basey

He met a young girl and she drove him crazy
Turned him onto the pipe and made him lazy
He was on the right track before he met Tracy
Now he's a Count, not Dracula, Basey

He started missing work, waking up too late
He started missing his appointments and breaking his dates
He fell behind on the rent, Con Ed and the phone
Now he gets no calls 'cause he's got no home
Then his health got bad and his mind grew weak
He got skinny as a rail 'cause he got no sleep
Roamed the streets all night no matter what the weather
With his hair uncombed and his worn-out leather
One time he scraped up enough for a hit
Just enough for one blast, and that'll be it
He bought a nice jumbo, should've bought him a rope
Because the bottle was filled with ivory soap
He's beat

The Count is on a mission and he ain't coming back
He sold his soul to the devil for a bottle of crack
He blew all of his money being part of the crowd
For a little glass jar and a big white cloud
All his worldly possessions including the car
The fly clothes, all the gold, and the VCR
His Sony Trinitron and his box is gone
At one time he was a king but now he's a pawn
Just a slave to a bottle he shouldn't have tried
A-with a habit that can never be satisfied
In a major league game at a suicide pace
Didn't even go to bat and he's on third base
Count Basey

Ba-ba-ba-b-ba-b-base

He used to weigh 200 with girls galore
And now he's walking 'round looking like Skeletor
He's a pitiful sight a-with no appetite
And don't sleep at night 'cause the light is too bright
But he can do things now he never could before
He can spot a piece of crack on a all-white floor
A damn he never gives, but he survives and lives
By stealing from his friends and his relatives
Girls are secondary, the pipe is primary
Concern is how is he gonna gonna get that lift
He needs a bottle or two 'cause nothing else will do
Because basing ain't free if you're getting my drift
Count Basey

Base
Used to
He can
Girl
Count