Verse one: coolio When I was a kid I rode crates on a skate And I ate everything momma put on my plate Niggaz walked around packin b-b guns Knock on yo door and run, just for fun We went to the sto and sold bottles fo a nickel To feast upon a big bag of cheetos and a pickle You could get a soda foe less than quarter, and People used to speak even if they didnt know ya We fought in the streets like little black soldiers Shake hands, and still be friends when it was over We used to play tag and, hide and go seek, or Hide and go get it if we had a few freaks, but Now thangs changed, kids aint the same They bang, and slang, and blow out brains I wish I could go back but, wishin is for suckers Life was so simple then Chorus one: ? I remember (I remember) ohhhhhhh When we used to hang On the porch, drinkin brew And now they drive-by (bay-bee) I remember (I remember) ohhhhhhh When we used to play Shoot-em-up, up and down But now they gang-bang (bay-bee) Verse two: billy boy Well I remember yesteryear like it was yesterday Runnin through the streets of onessa p-a I take you through my childhood step by step Daddy always told me to maintain my rep though Daddy was a dawg he aint raise no punks In the midst of the trees we learned how to thump At the tender age of nine momma put us on a plane Next stop -- the land of the insane Compton california where the killers grow Forced to live a life that I didnt know Wore the wrong colors cause I didnt know the facts Call her bitch, caught a case, caught a slug in my back But I adapted quickly, suckers tried to get me Now the fools better run cause this just driveby billy Little black boy from the east Forced to be a killer, but I can still remember Chorus two: ? I remember (I remember) ohhhhhhh When we used to play Domino, on the porch But now they drive-by (bay-bee) I remember (I remember) ohhhhhhh When we used to have Army fights, in the smog But now they gang-bang (bay-bee) [coolio] back when I was a kid nigga We used to have this game called paperball (paperball? what the fuck is that? ) Get a piece of paper, ball that motherfucker up And play with it! hahahaha Verse three: j-ro I got tha alkaholik juice to wake ya up like a rooster Back when I was young, I used to be a booster Stealin candy from the sto, go to school, come up I had the whole playground, chewin all my gum up You know what Im sayin? playin still to the chest And I was the best, playin kickball at recess I play pop warner, golden pairs for the losers We used to hop corners on the fresh deuce cruisers Playin galaga, space invaders, eatin reeses I had all the women cause my tough skins had creases And its been that way since day one Girls of the world aint nothin but fun I used to watch dr. j, come through in the clutch Remember new zoo review, and starsky and hutch I remember lunchtime, we used to rhyme out loud Peace to the wop and the hip-hop crowd, I remember Chorus one Outro: ? Ohhh, my life, no no I do remember ohhhhhhhh I know you do I remember yesterday I remember when we played I remember yesterday, aoowwwwwww! I remember, hell, when we used to play In ghetto blocks through the dark I rememmmmmberrrrrr Yeahhh yeahhh yeahh We used to play dominoes all night long Dominoes all night long Yesterday, yesterday Do you remember yesterday? I remember yesterday You remember remember remember remember...