This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Five, four, three, two, one
Five, four, three, two, one
He holds the gun against my head
I close my eyes and bang I am dead
I know he knows that he's killing me for mercy
And here I go
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
And here I go
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
He holds my body in his arms
He didn't mean to do no harm
And he holds me tight
He did it all to spare me from
The awful things in life that comes
And he cries and cries
I know he knows that he's killing me for mercy
And here I go
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
And here I go
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
He holds my body in his arms
He didn't mean to do no harm
And he cries and cries
He did it all to spare me from
The awful things in life that comes
And he cries and cries
Five, four, three, two, one
Five, four, three, two, one
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Five, four, three, two, one
Five, four, three, two, one
Five, four, three, two, one
The gun is gone
And so am I
And here I go
Five, four, three, two, one
He holds the gun against my head
I close my eyes and bang I am dead
I know he knows that he's killing me for mercy
And here I go
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
And here I go
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
He holds my body in his arms
He didn't mean to do no harm
And he holds me tight
He did it all to spare me from
The awful things in life that comes
And he cries and cries
I know he knows that he's killing me for mercy
And here I go
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
And here I go
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
He holds my body in his arms
He didn't mean to do no harm
And he cries and cries
He did it all to spare me from
The awful things in life that comes
And he cries and cries
Five, four, three, two, one
Five, four, three, two, one
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Five, four, three, two, one
Five, four, three, two, one
Five, four, three, two, one
The gun is gone
And so am I
And here I go
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In my naive and humble opinion, writing a song of this caliber, can leave it open for one's own interpretation. This song, this powerful song, to me is a story about a young lady (or young person) that has been told about the reality of the world and how terrible it can be killing the innocence of that young person. The person wielding the gun: Parent or Guardian The gun: Reality of how the world can be Bang, I am dead: The child's innocence is gone
I love everyone else's take on the song. I believe them all to be correct.