[Verse I]

It begins
Enter the two-bit crook
Whose time is counted by the rice pouring from his hand
Blood spilled for a refill
Never knowing how long the crime life is gonna last
Nor any idea when this all began
It was like this ever since
No past, no future
Just the present of his children forged with every sin
Every cellphone snatched is tuition
Every gram of drug is nutrition
Every scrape with Death a repetition
Heavy conscience honed his intuition
But ain't much difference between the needy and greedy in the laws that are bound
Run like the wind when the hogs come around
They'll run you to the ground and gun you down, another body count
They say everybody see the devil on an empty stomach
Then they see God when their end is coming
And he knows damn well ain't no running from it, but...
At least 'til his kids make it out of this hell, gotta stay alive
Too far downhill for a better life
Not saying he ain't praying for it every night
Then his answer came, on a fated chase through the maze-like alleyways
It was there that he saw God's face...
... right behind a .38 aimed at his way
"But I'm still needed by my family"
So he drew his own weapon frantically
Time stood still as they both stared down
The barrel of a gun and their mortality


[Interlude]

Who is right, who is wrong
Does it even matter?
When only winners get another chapter
But even then you're getting played
This is not Lady Justice's scales
Just the strings of a puppet master
As the world keeps spinning
And your money keeps thinning
And humanity is slipping
Into fear, need, greed
Desperation, rage and pride
The problems keep pressing
Now let's hear the other side of the story


[Verse 2]

Enter the young police
Whose career was built with every dime from his mom and dad
Studied hard so he can make 'em proud at last
He was gonna be the one to take 'em out of that
Lifestyle of debt and decay
That he knew growing up in this rough place
Not one to accept how "it just is",
He vowed to bring order and justice
But it wasn't quite like he first thought
Corruption rooted down to the bedrock
Salary wasn't enough for the risk brought
Some'd rather trade honor for a quick buck
As he got pulled in to a world of sin
He had lost his dreams and his flames were killed
And his badge's glimmer grew dimmer with every moral descent
Now his only saving grace was his bloodless hands
Couldn't take the life of another man
But it wasn't for long, now he understands
As he stands in front of God
In this confrontation with a man on the run
Deep in the alley, no backup to come
Shaking hands firmly grasping that guns
They stared eye to eye
And the only thing they saw was a swine and a man of crime
Neither one will ever get to know
Their similarities and burdens held up inside
No chance for redemption
When in just another millisecond, you're about to die
Shots rung loud in the sky
As the two lost souls pulled the trigger at the same time


[Outro]

Who was right, who was wrong?
Does it even matter
When only winners get another chapter
But even then you're getting played
This is not Lady Justice's scales
Just the strings of a puppet master
As the world keeps spinning
And your money keeps thinning
And humanity is slipping
Into fear, need, greed
Desperation, rage and pride
The problems keep pressing us
Further down the slide