Keep Ya Head Up
Little somethin for my godson Elijah and a little girl named Corinne
[Verse One:]
Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juiceI say the darker the flesh then the deeper the rootsI give a holler to my sisters on welfareTupac cares, and don't nobody else careAnd uhh, I know they like to beat ya down a lotWhen you come around the block brothas clown a lotBut please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let upForgive but don't forget, girl keep your head upAnd when he tells you you ain't nuttin don't believe himAnd if he can't learn to love you you should leave himCause sista you don't need himAnd I ain't tryin to gas ya up, I just call em how I see emYou know it makes me unhappy (what's that)When brothas make babies, and leave a young mother to be a pappyAnd since we all came from a womanGot our name from a woman and our game from a womanI wonder why we take from our womenWhy we rape our women, do we hate our women?I think it's time to kill for our womenTime to heal our women, be real to our womenAnd if we don't we'll have a race of babiesThat will hate the ladies, that make the babiesAnd since a man can't make oneHe has no right to tell a woman when and where to create oneSo will the real men get upI know you're fed up ladies, but keep your head up
[Chorus]
Keep ya head up, oooo child things are gonna get easierooooo child things are gonna get brighter [2x]
[Verse Two:]
Aiyyo, I remember Marvin Gaye, used to sing ta meHe had me feelin like black was tha thing to beAnd suddenly tha ghetto didn't seem so toughAnd though we had it rough, we always had enoughI huffed and puffed about my curfew and broke the rulesRan with the local crew, and had a smoke or twoAnd I realize momma really paid the priceShe nearly gave her life, to raise me rightAnd all I had ta give her was my pipe dreamOf how I'd rock the mic, and make it to tha bright screenI'm tryin to make a dollar out of fifteen centsIt's hard to be legit and still pay tha rentAnd in the end it seems I'm headin for tha penI try and find my friends, but they're blowin in the windLast night my buddy lost his whole familyIt's gonna take the man in me to conquer this insanityIt seems tha rain'll never let upI try to keep my head up, and still keep from gettin wet upYou know it's funny when it rains it poursThey got money for wars, but can't feed the poorSay there ain't no hope for the youth and the truth isit ain't no hope for tha futureAnd then they wonder why we crazyI blame my mother, for turning my brother into a crack babyWe ain't meant to survive, cause it's a setupAnd even though you're fed upHuh, ya got to keep your head up
[Chorus]
[Verse Three:]
And uhhTo all the ladies havin babies on they ownI know it's kinda rough and you're feelin all aloneDaddy's long gone and he left you by ya lonesomeThank the Lord for my kids, even if nobody else want emCause I think we can make it, in fact, I'm sureAnd if you fall, stand tall and comeback for moreCause ain't nuttin worse than when your sonwants to kno why his daddy don't love him no mo'You can't complain you was dealt thishell of a hand without a man, feelin helplessBecause there's too many things for you to deal withDying inside, but outside you're looking fearlessWhile tears, is rollin down your cheeksYa steady hopin things don't all down this weekCause if it did, you couldn't take it, and don't blame meI was given this world I didn't make itAnd now my son's getten older and older and coldFrom havin the world on his shouldersWhile the rich kids is drivin BenzI'm still tryin to hold on to my survivin friendsAnd it's crazy, it seems it'll never let up, butplease... you got to keep your head up