Lyrics:

(Ed Sanford And Michael McDonald)He was born on the wrong sideWhere hopelessness breedsWhere pride is hard to come byAnd violence fills a needLord, what can the future beLookin' from his point of view'cause here on these desperate streetsBetter a short lived legendThen a long life played for a foolHomeboy wants to rule the hot townAnd the innocent will fallWhen the santa ana blows across the killin' groundIt sweeps away what mercyIs left to be foundA child on a cornerAn instrument of greedSeduced before knowingThe harsh realityLord, what will the answer beIs there nothing we can doTo save him on these desperate streetsBetter a long life of tryin'Than a short life playin' to lose