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[00:01.38]Little something for my godson Elijah
[00:03.06]And a little girl named Corin
[00:07.25]🎵
[00:11.38]Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
[00:13.94]I say the darker the flesh, then the deeper the roots
[00:16.78]I give a holla to my sisters on welfare
[00:19.33]2Pac cares if don't nobody else care
[00:22.25]And I, I know they like to beat you down a lot
[00:25.26]When you come around the block, brothers clown a lot
[00:27.71]But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up
[00:30.95]Forgive, but don't forget, girl, keep ya head up
[00:34.26]And when he tells you you ain't nothin', don't believe him
[00:36.63]And if he can't learn to love you, you should leave him
[00:39.68]'Cause, sister, you don't need him
[00:41.84]And I ain't tryin' to gas you up, I just call 'em how I see 'em
[00:45.19]You know what makes me unhappy?
[00:47.22]When brothers make babies
[00:48.94]And leave a young mother to be a pappy
[00:51.08]And since we all came from a woman
[00:52.95]Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
[00:56.33]I wonder why we take from our women
[00:58.53]Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
[01:01.68]I think it's time to kill for our women
[01:04.15]Time to heal our women, be real to our women
[01:07.15]And if we don't we'll have a race of babies
[01:09.87]That will hate the ladies that make the babies
[01:12.93]And since a man can't make one
[01:14.91]He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
[01:18.61]So will the real men get up?
[01:20.74]I know you're fed up, ladies, but keep ya head up
[01:23.76]Keep ya head up, ooh, child
[01:26.42]Things are gonna get easier
[01:28.82]Keep ya head up, ooh, child
[01:31.63]Things'll get brighter (Oh-oh)
[01:34.01]Keep ya head up, ooh, child
[01:37.17]Things are gonna get easier
[01:40.02]Keep ya head up, ooh, child
[01:43.03]Things'll get brighter
[01:45.33]Ayo, I remember Marvin Gaye used to sing to me
[01:48.48]He had me feelin' like black was the thing to be
[01:51.65]And suddenly the ghetto didn't seem so tough
[01:54.09]And though we had it rough, we always had enough
[01:57.14]I huffed and puffed about my curfew and broke the rules
[01:59.79]Ran with a local crew and had a smoke or two
[02:02.57]And I realise Mama really paid the price
[02:05.38]She nearly gave her life to raise me right
[02:08.38]And all I had to give her was my pipe dream
[02:11.41]Of how I'd rock the mic and make it to the bright screen
[02:14.53]I'm tryin' to make a dollar out of 15 cents
[02:17.37]It's hard to be legit and still pay the rent
[02:20.16]And in the end it seems I'm headin' for the pen
[02:22.36]I try to find my friends, but they're blowin' in the wind
[02:25.21]Last night my buddy lost his whole family
[02:28.04]It's gonna take the man in me to conquer this insanity
[02:31.02]It seems the rain'll never let up
[02:33.07]I try to keep my head up and still keep from gettin' wet up
[02:36.31]You know, it's funny, when it rains it pours
[02:38.85]They got money for wars but can't feed the poor
[02:41.78]Say there ain't no hope for the youth
[02:44.33]And the truth is it ain't no hope for the future
[02:47.89]And then they wonder why we crazy
[02:49.65]I blame my mother for turnin' my brother into a crack baby
[02:53.06]We ain't meant to survive, 'cause it's a set-up
[02:55.61]And even though you're fed up, huh
[02:57.68]You got to keep ya head up
[02:59.97]Keep ya head up, ooh, child
[03:02.09]Things are gonna get easier
[03:03.51]Keep ya head up, ooh, child
[03:06.30]Things'll get brighter (Oh-oh)
[03:08.72]Keep ya head up, ooh, child
[03:12.39]Things are gonna get easier
[03:14.86]Keep ya head up, ooh, child
[03:17.62]Things'll get brighter
[03:20.33]And uh, to all the ladies havin' babies on they own
[03:22.95]I know it's kinda rough and you're feelin' all alone
[03:25.80]Daddy's long gone and he left you by your lonesome
[03:28.61]Thank the Lord for my kids even if nobody else want 'em
[03:32.54]'Cause I think we can make it, in fact, I'm sure
[03:35.40]And if you fall, stand tall and come back for more
[03:37.54]'Cause ain't nothin' worse than when your son
[03:40.42]Wants to know why his daddy don't love him no more
[03:43.17]You can't complain you was dealt this
[03:45.61]Hell of a hand without a man, feelin' helpless
[03:47.93]Because there's too many things for you to deal with
[03:50.92]Dyin' inside, but outside you're lookin' fearless
[03:54.03]While tears is rollin' down your cheeks
[03:56.91]You steady hopin' things don't fall down this week
[03:59.84]'Cause if it did, you couldn't take it
[04:02.18]And don't blame me, I was given this world, I didn't make it
[04:05.60]And now my son's gettin' older and older
[04:08.38]And cold from havin' the world on his shoulders
[04:11.28]While the rich kids is drivin' Benz
[04:13.85]I'm still tryin' to hold on to survivin' friends
[04:16.84]And it's crazy, it seems it'll never let up
[04:19.69]But, huh, please, you got to keep ya head up
[04:20.96]🎵