The song speaks of survival and sustinance - it's not actually his experiences (It's been stated officially that the inspiration came from a former co-worker, who was a drug dealer, and responded to the question of why with "ain't no rest for the wicked."), but a statement of the world we live in. Not everyone has a choice - life turns on you in unexpected ways. The fact that the people in the song label -themselves- 'wicked', indicate that they did not choose the life they lead, and lament it ("Though you know, I wish I could"). Note that the narrator himself doesn't actually help (Unless the prostitute in the first verse is very quick), just observes and reports There's also a typo in the lyrics presented here - verse 3 line 1 'past' = 'passed'.