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Hard Times Lyrics by Esham

Repentance

2003

[Verse 1: Esham]
For the suckas that hate me
Keep my gun up off safety, while you actin' all shady
Baby, thats where the snakes be
Three-one-three, D-E-T, 7 M-I-L-E
Uzi still in my Pelle, it's Esham, not Al Wissam Butter Man
Bitch swerving hard out the gutter lane
Run tell your mother man, the motherfuckin' cutter man
Its just another mothafuckin' brother strugglin'
"UH" one time for Biggie
"UH UH UH" three times for Pac, and it don't stop
When I set up shop, I bought my Glock fresh up out the box
Up out the plastic, situations drastic
Don't fuck around and get stretched like elastic
Once the Glock Austria seventeen blasted
I put the bastard in his casket
Now they wrappin' another up in plastic

[Hook: Esham, Violent J]
Tryna get mine, steady with the nine
Steady on the grind, hard times (And I'm tryna get mine)
Tryna get mine, steady with the nine
Steady on the grind, hard times (And I'm steady with the nine)
Tryna get mine, steady with the nine
Steady on the grind, hard times (And I'm steady on the grind)
Tryna get mine, steady with the nine
Steady on the grind, hard times (Hard times)

[Verse 2: Violent J]
Hard times, I found a dead body on the way to school
I told nobody 'bout it, man I thought it was cool
I went and visited it, and talked with it, made it my friend
Until it smelled so fuckin' bad I couldn't handle it man
My daddy was a hard worker, always husslin' change
Because he drank so much, I think he drowned his brain
The only time we ever spoke was when he was beatin' my ass
He slapped my momma up, and grabbed her purse and dipped in for cash
It don't stop, tick tock until the break of dawn
A crooked-ass pig-cop I'm quick to break your arm
I climbed up into a tree at five-thirty AM
I'm huntin hay-am, pig-skinner good god damn
Somebody tried to kill me, but they missed, and pissed
The shit they ass when the black glass hollowtips hissed
And I blew his head clean off, his hat landed on his neck
And I thought, "Look at that"
Hard times

[Hook: Esham, Violent J]
Tryna get mine, steady with the nine
Steady on the grind, hard times (And I'm tryna get mine)
Tryna get mine, steady with the nine
Steady on the grind, hard times (And I'm steady with the nine)
Tryna get mine, steady with the nine
Steady on the grind, hard times (And I'm steady on the grind)
Tryna get mine, steady with the nine
Steady on the grind, hard times (Hard times)

[Verse 3: Shaggy 2 Dope]
Marinatin' with my forearms hangin' out the jail bars
Bitch, I ain't no Mel Farr, I ain't no superstar
But nontheless, he in a cell right next to me
I seen him sellin' hot cars on this lot right on Court TV
So I sit back on my slab thinkin' "What the fuck?"
Toilet paper roll for a pillow, "How'd I get locked up?"
Was it the stalkin', or maybe the murders?
Oh shit, maybe the booty-stabbin' of Kim Mathers?
Naw, it couldn't be, she was cool with that shit
On top of that, when I pulled out, she sucked on my dick (Ewww!)
Could it have been the gat in my sock? (Nah!)
Could it been the block getting hot? (Nah!)
Could it be about the snitch getting caught? (Nah!)
Could it have been about stinkin body rot? (Yeah!)
I could've killed or I could've killed time
But I chose number one, now I'm doin' hard time

[Hook: Esham, Violent J]
Tryna get mine, steady with the nine
Steady on the grind, hard times (And I'm tryna get mine)
Tryna get mine, steady with the nine
Steady on the grind, hard times (And I'm steady with the nine)
Tryna get mine, steady with the nine
Steady on the grind, hard times (And I'm steady on the grind)
Tryna get mine, steady with the nine
Steady on the grind, hard times (Hard times)
Credits

About “Hard Times” by Esham

Read the complete lyrics to "Hard Times" by Esham from the album "Repentance" in 2003. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Rap.

"Hard Times" is performed by Esham. from the album "Repentance" in 2003 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Hard Times", explore more songs by Esham using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Hard Times" is credited to Esham. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Hard Times" appears on "Repentance" in 2003.

Visit the Esham artist page at /artist/esham for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.


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