Never owned a gold chain
Never seen a diamond ring
Never worn a pair of Jordans
Now things are about to change
Living in a matchbox
Playing on the blacktop
Sweating in the summer got me looking like a ham hock
Never owned a gold chain
Never seen a diamond ring
Never worn a pair of Jordans
Now things are about to change
Living in a matchbox
Playing on the blacktop
Sweating in the summer got me looking like a ham hock

Staying pressed for cash, never been the one to brag
Yeah we had a nice pad, grass in the front and back
Neither rich nor poor but we waited to buy that
Kept my head up cuz ain't nothing but dirt that laid on my path
Now, don't think that I grew up with nothing always in my hand
Both my parents worked hard to give the fam a life of a hundred grand
7 days a week, 365 days a year
Working hard every single waking hour, not even time for beer
Dad always coming home at 12AM to a quiet house
Tip-toeing to the bedroom knowing he'd be up in hours
Yawning himself to sleep, hoping that he won't be woke by cowards
Breaking into his store for a score of alcohol and Camels
Praying to the Lord for a saving grace, faith held in it's place
To better the lives of their kids having no fear to stand and face
The trying limits of the American Dream when it is swinging
So every single day was another breathe of conscious living

Never owned a gold chain
Never seen a diamond ring
Never worn a pair of Jordans
Now things are about to change
Living in a matchbox
Playing on the blacktop
Sweating in the summer got me looking like a ham hock
What's the worth of gold chains
What's the worth of diamond rings
What's the worth of Jordans
Now things haven't even really changed
Living in a matchbox
Playing on the blacktop
Sweating in the summer got me looking like a ham hock

Beef is on the grill, Summer evenings in the ville
That was time for us to catch up, we mustered up how we feel
Momma working on the bills, daddy cashing up the till
Kids only yelling for more, that was just part of the deal
Take your child to work day was the best when I was YE years old
Eating candy and chips, even learned about how cash flows
Insisted on helping but I was given the shoulder, cold
Customers in and out, regulars would stay until we closed
My eyes were not open until the day I saw it face to face
I got to see addiction first hand like when Blue asked me to break
Open the door so that he could purchase at a discounted rate
But I knew better so I just told him to get in line and wait
Now it's time to give it back, close your eyes and just relax
No more working until you feel it inside your neck and back
All the things you did for me, you will get back ten-fold from me
Thank you for pushing me to be the best person I could be

What's the worth of gold chains
What's the worth of diamond rings
What's the worth of Jordans
Now things haven't even really changed
Living in a matchbox
Playing on the blacktop
Sweating in the summer got me looking like a ham hock
What's the worth of gold chains
What's the worth of diamond rings
What's the worth of Jordans
Now things haven't even really changed
Living in a matchbox
Playing on the blacktop
Sweating in the summer got me looking like a ham hock