Even though I hold the weight of the whole world on my shoulders
I ain't never 'sposed to show it, my crew ain't supposed to know it
Even if it means goin' toe to toe with the Benzino

It don't matter, I'd never drag 'em in battles that I can handle
'Less 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 does pop off, I'm supposed to be beside 'em

That 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, the shit went way beyond some Jay-Z and Nas shit

And even though the battle is won, I feel like we lost it
I spent so 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 want to destroy somethin' I helped build?
It wasn't my intentions, my intentions were good
I went through my whole career without ever mentionin'

And that was just out of respect, for not runnin' my mouth
And talkin' about somethin' that I knew nothin' 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 TV, now I'm 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
I'm still knowin' this shit could pop off at any minute, because

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
We're 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, 'cause 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, you call 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 he stabbed him
Fuck him, 50 smash him, mash him and let him have it
Meanwhile, my attention's pulled in another direction
Some receptionist at The Source who answers phones at his desk

Has an erection for me and thinks that I'll be his resurrection
Tries to blow the dust off his mic and make a new record
But now he's fucked the game up, 'cause 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, fuck it, that motherfucker could get it too, fuck him then
But I'm so busy bein 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 willin' to die for us as soon as we give the orders
Never to extort us, strictly to show they support us

And maybe shout 'em out in a rap or up in the chorus
To show them we love 'em back and let 'em know how important it is
To have Runyon Avenue soldiers up in our corners
Their loyalty to us is worth more than any award is

But I ain't tryin' to have none of people hurt or murdered
It ain't worth it that I can't think of a perfecter way to word it
Than to just say that I love y'all too much to see the verdict
I'll walk away from it all, 'fore 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 y'all can quit poppin'
Off at your jaws, well then I can, cause frankly I'm sick of talkin'
I'm not gonna let someone else's coffin rest on my conscience 'cause

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
We're toy soldiers