[Verse 1]

Yo yo

It's a dog eat dog, piranhas eat sharks

Might as well quit before you even start

They say until you know where these dreams are sold

Rubber bank rolls backed by fools gold

Masses heading west to Los Angeles

Told they were the best back in their little nest

Somewhere, nowhere, but not from here

Once they arrive, ambition meets with fear

Insecurities change smiles to more denial

The only constant is "No" struggles and trials

It's a long road to the top of nothing

No morals, no friends, just a love for something

Never to be attained it drains the soul dry

Under a bridge downtown the soul cry

Feeling like the city is all you really have

But when you take a look back, that's really sad

[Chorus]

In L.A. things don't always work out quite like they should

(scratches)

In L.A. things don't always work out quite like they should

(scratches)

[Verse 2: Sareem Poems]

Young, dumb and sprung on fantasy

Wants nothing more than to escape reality

Needs them badly, glitz, glamour and fame

Eyes set on neon lights illuminating her name

Wearing shame like an overcoat, awkward and obvious

Did porn for cash, so tasteless and heartless

Welcome to darkness, turned out the light

Geeked out, by L.A.'s nightlife

Not one thing's right, everything's gone wrong

Supposed to be an actress, not dancing in a thong

Stomach coke lines long, heroin in her arm

Touching parts of men that she lapdance on

There's no quiet to her storm, forever it roars loud

Every single day, wishing she was a child

Swearing to make the family proud, she starts over new

Pushing 50, she figured she'd have her breakthrough

[Chorus]

In L.A. things don't always work out quite like they should

(scratches)

In L.A. things don't always work out quite like they should

(scratches)

[Verse 3]

It's got to be more than this, big game, big risk

The bold and the beautiful, young and reckless

The Hollywood dream, heroin Santa Fe

The rich and the poor live a few blocks away

And it's all in Los Angeles home of the schemes

Where the rich get richer trying to sell you a dream

Young girls' self-esteem falls prey to the scene

Tall, thin sex symbol is all she seen

And that's all he expects, nothing more, nothing less

New car, clean shoes, gotta stay well dressed

Needs the best of the best to compete with the rest

Passes on 22's Mercedes 500S

They say you've gone Hollywood, the saying stands true

Cause if you live in LA, you might lose a piece of you

Innocence isn't something to have

It can't last in a city that requires a mask

[Chorus]

In L.A. things don't always work out quite like they should

(scratches)

In L.A. things don't always work out quite like they should

(scratches)