Nas - Like Toy Soldiers

I'm bored let's do something else.
I got this book , my dad gave it to me.

[Step by step, heart to heart, left right left
We al fall down like toy soldiers]

Step by step, heart to heart, left right left
We all fall down like toy soldiers
Bit by bit, torn apart, we never win
But the battle wages on for toy soldiers I'm supposed to be the soldier
who never blows his composure
Even though I hold the weight
of the whole world on my shoulders
I am never supposed to show it,
my crew ain't supposed to know it
Even if it means goin' toe to toe
with a Benzino
it don't matter
I'd never drag them in battles
that I can handle unless I absolutely have to
I'm supposed to set an example
I need to be the leader,
my crew looks for me to guide 'em
If some shit ever just pop off,
I'm supposed to be beside 'em
Now the Ja shit
i tried to squash it,
it was too late to stop it
There's a certain line
you just don't cross and he crossed it
I heard him say Hailie's name on a song
and I just lost it
It was crazy, this shit be way beyond
some Jay-z and Nas shit
And even though the battle was won,
I feel like we lost it
I spent too much energy on it,
honestly I'm exhausted
And I'm so caught in it I almost feel
I'm the one who caused it
This ain't what I'm in hip-hop for,
it's not why I got in it
That was never my object for someone to get killed
Why would I wanna destroy something
I help build
It wasn't my intentions, my intentions was good
I went through my whole career
without ever mentionin' ...
Now it's just out of respect for not runnin' my mouth
And talkin' about something that I knew nothing about
Plus Dre told me stay out,
this just wasn't my beef
So I did, I just fell back,
watched and gritted my teeth
While he's all over t.v. down
talkin' a man who literally saved my life
Like fuck it i understand this is business
And this shit just isn't none of my business
But still knowin' this shit could pop off
at any minute cuz

Step by step, heart to heart, left right left
We all fall down like toy soldiers
Bit by bit, torn apart, we never win
But the battle wages on for toy soldiers

There used to be a time when you could just say a rhyme
And wouldn't have to worry
about one of your people dyin'
But now it's elevated
cuz once you put someone's kids in it
The shit gets escalated,
it ain't just words no more is it?
It's a different ball game,
callin' names and you ain't just rappin'
We actually tried to stop
the 50 and Ja beef from happenin'
Me and Dre had sat with him,
kicked it and had a chat with him
And asked him not to start it
he wasn't gonna go after him
Until Ja started yappin' in magazines
how we stabbed him
F*** it 50 smash 'em,
mash 'em and let him have it
Meanwhile my attention is pullin' in other directions
Some receptionist at The Source
who answers phones at his desk
Has an obsession for me
and thinks that I'll be his ressurection
Tries to blow the dust off his mic
and make a new record
But now he's fucked the game up
cuz one of the ways I came up
Was through that publication the same one
that made me famous
Now the owner of it has got
a grudge against me for nothin'
Well f*** it, that mutherf**** can get it too,
f*** him then
But I'm so busy being pissed off
I don't stop to think
That we just inherited 50's beef
with Murder Inc.
And he's inherited mine which is fine
ain't like either of us mind
We still have soldiers that's on the front line
That's willing to die for us
as soon as we give the orders
Never to extort us,
strictly to show they support us
We'll maybe shout 'em out
in a rap or up in a chorus
To show them we love 'em back
and let 'em know how important it is
To have Runion Avenue Soldiers up in our corners
Their loyalty to us is worth more than any award is
But I ain't tryna have
none of my people hurt and murdered
It ain't worth it
I can't think of a perfecter way to word it
Then to just say that I love ya'll too much
to see the virdict
I'll walk away from it all
before I let it go any further
But don't get it twisted,
it's not a plea that I'm coppin'
I'm just willin' to be the bigger man
If ya'll can quit poppin' off
at your jaws well then I can,
Cuz frankly I'm sick of talkin'
I'm not gonna let someone elses coffin
rest on my conscience cuz

Step by step, heart to heart, left right left
We all fall down like toy soldiers
Bit by bit, torn apart, we never win
But the battle wages on for toy soldiers