Intro (audio sample):
I'm a gangsta, living like a gangsta, holding like a gangsta, yo, yo, being a bangsta, yeah, I'm a living like a gangsta, yo, every time I woke up I live in the sky, from morning till evening I've sinned a lot, for forgiveness I pray to almighty God, and I pray I didn't ask from him a lot, from the sin of fornication, masturbation, crimination, and most of all, I used to do a lot, including blasphemation, but all I did before, I took a confession, I'm a gangsta, yo, I'm a gangsta, for a gangsta, being a bangsta, I'm a gangsta, yo, I'm a gangsta, feeling gangsta, yo, I'm a gangsta, I'm a gangsta, I'm a gangsta, I'm a gangsta,
Verse 1:
Neon burns the corner where my shadow learned to pray,
Concrete cradle, cigarettes and nights that fade to gray.
Woke up in the skyline—clouds like borrowed fame,
Pocket full of choices stamped with someone else's name.
I kept my heartbeat loud like a stolen radio,
Paper rosaries in pockets where the cold wind blow.
No saint on the corner, just echoes and a name,
I wore my armor heavy, never wanting to change.
Pre-Chorus:
But every alley holds a mirror, every late night holds a dawn,
Knees can meet the tile, a new song can carry on.
Chorus (Hook):
Pray for me — I'm a gangsta trying to change (pray for me)
Pray for me — let the old fire rearrange (pray for me)
One short line, one steady light, I'm calling out through the pain
Pray for me — I'm a gangsta trying to change. (gangsta)
Verse 2:
Midnight confession, stained glass and incense thin,
I whisper to the ceiling for the weight to lift again.
Priest's voice like thunder, rain against a rusted sign,
Knees on cold white tile, got my sins in a straight line.
Crime and cheap escapes, the lust that used to lie awake,
I named them like a ledger, let the ledger start to break.
No grand speeches, just the echo of my name,
Trading loud bravado for a quieter flame.
Pre-Chorus (variation):
I still feel the city calling, neon ghosts in a row,
But in the hush of midnight, something softer starts to grow.
Chorus (Hook):
Pray for me — I'm a gangsta trying to change (pray for me)
Pray for me — let the old fire rearrange (pray for me)
One short line, one steady light, I'm calling out through the pain
Pray for me — I'm a gangsta trying to change. (gangsta)
Bridge:
Picture me at dawn with my back to the streetlight glare,
Ash on my palms, a rosary wound round my prayer.
I drop the lighter in the gutter, let the smoke forget my name,
Walk past the corner boys and the echoes of my fame.
Redemption isn't palace gold — it's a small room, a clean slate,
It's the handshake with the sunrise, it's the courage to be late.
I won't say I'm perfect; I won't promise no more scars,
But I'll trade my old excuses for these slow and honest stars.
Chorus (Hook) — final:
Pray for me — I'm a gangsta trying to change (pray for me)
Pray for me — let the old fire rearrange (pray for me)
Short and true, the prayer holds like a name
Pray for me — I'm a gangsta trying to change. (gangsta)
Outro (tag / ad-lib):
Knees on tile,
