Lyrics:

(Ed Sanford And Michael McDonald) He was born on the wrong side Where hopelessness breeds Where pride is hard to come by And violence fills a need Lord, what can the future be Lookin' from his point of view 'cause here on these desperate streets Better a short lived legend Then a long life played for a fool Homeboy wants to rule the hot town And the innocent will fall When the santa ana blows across the killin' ground It sweeps away what mercy Is left to be found A child on a corner An instrument of greed Seduced before knowing The harsh reality Lord, what will the answer be Is there nothing we can do To save him on these desperate streets Better a long life of tryin' Than a short life playin' to lose