When I Die (OG Version)

[Intro: Uncle Howie]
You know, the funniest thing happened to me today. A girl on that line when I was picking up my methadone, she was getting her methadone after me, she said hey, it’s unbelievable, you got some body. The shit it takes, it keeps bouncing back. You know what I mean? I have seizures three times a fucking week, an overdose once a week, every week. I wake up in the emergency room a minimum of two times a week. You know what I’m saying? And I... My body just recuperates. I don’t know how. But I don’t know how long it’s gonna last, so...

[Verse 1: ILL Bill]
I left you outside the gates of heaven, they wouldn't let me in
I waved goodbye as you stepped within
It's like hell on earth without you near
I named my daughter after you
So when she smiles, it's sorta like you're still here
It's kinda crazy how time flies
Twenty-five years since my grandmoms died
But it feels like just yesterday when we was all laughing together
Those happy memories are so vivid, they'll last me forever
And yet you're still here somehow, I still feel your presence
I credit you for my inner strength, I feel it in my essence
In my soul, in my inner being, in my genetics
I wouldn't exist if you hadn't persisted through the trenches
I wouldn't have been a lyricist, I owe you every sentence
Every verse I've ever written, your energy is kinetic
Though I've grown up, I'm still heartbroken, aching to cry
Hoping you're the one holding open those gates when I die

[Verse 2: ILL Bill]
I left you outside the gates of heaven, they wouldn't let me in
I waved goodbye as you stepped within
It's like hell on earth without you near
I named my label after you
So when I rhyme, it's sorta like you're still here
It's been a year, still in shock about exactly what happened to you
Made a song for you called "My Uncle"
I was just rapping to you, just talking to you
I just saw you at my mother's house
I can't believe I just bought a coffin for you
We always feared that you would die from an overdose
God knows you loved to do drugs, it swallowed you whole
But in the end, drugs didn't kill you, cancer did
Why do good people die young, I don't know what the answer is
All I know is I worshipped you as a scrappy kid
Being around you made me feel cooler than rapping did
And that's pretty fucking cool, trust me
I was embarrassed when you started smoking crack
Honestly, it crushed me, swept it under the rug
Started smoking weed and popping acid
But managed to not do the uglier drugs
We grew apart after my grandmother died
Homeless, in and out of jail
We stopped relating to each other's lives
But years later, we connected once again
Not just as nephew and uncle, but as homies, we were friends
Though I've grown up, I'm still heartbroken, aching to cry
Hoping you're the one holding open those gates when I die