[00:00.32]Little something for my godson Elijah
[00:02.47]And a little girl named Corin
[00:10.19]Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
[00:13.37]I say the darker the flesh, then the deeper the roots
[00:16.17]I give a holla to my sisters on welfare
[00:18.72]2Pac cares if don't nobody else care
[00:21.58]And I know they like to beat you down a lot
[00:24.40]When you come around the block, brothers clown a lot
[00:27.27]But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up
[00:30.28]Forgive, but don't forget, girl, keep ya head up
[00:33.20]And when he tells you you ain't nothin', don't believe him
[00:36.15]And if he can't learn to love you, you should leave him
[00:39.04]‘Cause, sister, you don't need him
[00:41.05]And I ain't tryin' to gas you up, I just call 'em how I see 'em
[00:44.40]You know what makes me unhappy?
[00:46.27]When brothers make babies
[00:47.87]And leave a young mother to be a pappy
[00:50.01]And since we all came from a woman
[00:52.56]Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
[00:55.34]I wonder why we take from our women
[00:58.19]Why we rape our women — do we hate our women?
[01:01.20]I think it's time to kill for our women
[01:03.76]Time to heal our women, be real to our women
[01:06.54]And if we don't we'll have a race of babies
[01:09.42]That will hate the ladies that make the babies
[01:12.08]And since a man can't make one
[01:14.42]He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
[01:18.01]So will the real men get up?
[01:19.87]I know you're fed up, ladies, but keep ya head up
[01:23.45]Keep ya head up, ooh, child
[01:26.35]Things are gonna get easier
[01:28.94]Keep ya head up, ooh, child
[01:31.26]Things'll get brighter
[01:34.06]Keep ya head up, ooh, child
[01:36.93]Things are gonna get easier
[01:40.30]Keep ya head up, ooh, child
[01:42.73]Things'll get brighter
[01:44.79]Ayo, I remember Marvin Gaye used to sing to me
[01:48.15]He had me feelin' like black was the thing to be
[01:50.89]And suddenly the ghetto didn't seem so tough
[01:53.72]And though we had it rough, we always had enough
[01:56.43]I huffed and puffed about my curfew and broke the rules
[01:59.30]Ran with a local crew and had a smoke or two
[02:01.94]And I realize Mama really paid the price
[02:04.80]She nearly gave her life to raise me right
[02:07.65]And all I had to give her was my pipe dream
[02:11.01]Of how I'd rock the mic and make it to the bright screen
[02:13.78]I'm tryin' to make a dollar out of fifteen cents
[02:16.55]It's hard to be legit and still pay the rent
[02:19.71]And in the end it seems I'm headin' for the pen
[02:21.83]I try to find my friends, but they're blowin' in the wind
[02:24.47]Last night my buddy lost his whole family
[02:27.47]It's gonna take the man in me to conquer this insanity
[02:30.27]It seems the rain'll never let up
[02:32.37]I try to keep my head up and still keep from gettin' wet up
[02:35.85]You know, it's funny, when it rains it pours
[02:38.46]They got money for wars but can't feed the poor
[02:41.14]Say there ain't no hope for the youth
[02:43.85]And the truth is it ain't no hope for the future
[02:46.80]And then they wonder why we crazy
[02:49.06]I blame my mother for turnin' my brother into a crack baby
[02:52.87]We ain't meant to survive, ‘cause it's a set-up
[02:55.50]And even though you're fed up, huh, you got to keep ya head up
[02:58.70]Keep ya head up, ooh, child
[03:01.23]Things are gonna get easier
[03:04.25]Keep ya head up, ooh, child
[03:06.00]Things'll get brighter
[03:08.32]Keep ya head up, ooh, child
[03:12.41]Things are gonna get easier
[03:14.89]Keep ya head up, ooh, child
[03:16.82]Things'll get brighter
[03:19.54]And uh, to all the ladies havin' babies on they own
[03:22.41]I know it's kinda rough and you're feelin' all alone
[03:25.16]Daddy's long gone and he left you by your lonesome
[03:28.21]Thank the Lord for my kids even if nobody else want 'em
[03:31.72]‘Cause I think we can make it; in fact, I'm sure
[03:34.66]And if you fall, stand tall and come back for more
[03:37.47]‘Cause ain't nothin' worse than when your son
[03:39.82]Wants to know why his daddy don't love him no mo'
[03:42.51]You can't complain you was dealt this
[03:45.00]Hell of a hand without a man, feelin' helpless
[03:47.72]Because there's too many things for you to deal with
[03:50.53]Dyin' inside, but outside you're lookin' fearless
[03:53.46]While tears is rollin' down your cheeks
[03:56.35]You steady hopin' things don't fall down this week
[03:59.09]‘Cause if it did, you couldn't take it
[04:01.55]And don't blame me — I was given this world, I didn't make it
[04:04.98]And now my son's gettin' older and older
[04:07.85]And colder from havin' the world on his shoulders
[04:10.63]While the rich kids is drivin' Benz
[04:13.05]I'm still tryin' to hold on to survivin' friends
[04:15.80]And it's crazy, it seems it'll never let up
[04:18.89]But please, you got to keep ya head up