Black Girl Pain

My mama said life would be this hard

Growin' up days as a black girl scarred

In every ways till you've come so far

They just know the name they don't know the pain

So please hold your heads up high

Don't be ashamed of yourself know

IWill carry it forth till the day

I dieThey just know the name they don't know the pain black girl

Yeah I do it for the people,

I do it for the love

I do it for the poet,

I do it for the thug

This is for victory, and this is for the slaughter

I do it for my mother,

I do it for my daughter

Promise I'll always love ya,

I love to kiss and hug ya

You and your brother should be lookin' out for one another

I'm so blessed, man, y'all the reason

I got upSomebody put his hands on you

I'm gettin' locked up

I'm not playin', that's the prayer

I'm sayin' for

DianiAnd if

I die then she'll be protected by

AmaniThat's her bigger brother and

I love the way he love her

She a girly girl, she love to imitate her mother

But she a

Gemini, so stay on her friendly side

She'll put that look on you, it's like somebody' friend just died

My pretty black princess smell sweet like that incense

That you buy at the bookstore supporting black business

Teach her what black is, the fact is her parents are thorough

She four reading cornrows by

Camille Yarborough

I keep her hair braided, bought her a black

BarbieI keep her mind free, she ain't no black zombie

This is for

Aisha, this is for

KasheraThis is for

Khadijah scared to look up in the mirror

I see the picture clearer through the stain on the frame

She got a black girl name, she livin' black girl pain

This is for

Makeba, and for my

MamacitaWhat's really good, ma?

I'll be your promise keeper

I see the picture clearer through the stain on the frame

She got a black girl name, she livin black girl pain

My mama said life would be this hard

Growin up days as a black girl scarred

In every ways till you've come so far

They just know the name they don't know the pain

So please hold your heads up high

Don't be ashamed of yourself know

IWill carry it forth till the day

I die'Coz they just know the name they don't know the pain black girl

This is for

Beatrice Bertha

Benjamin who gave birth to

Tsidi Azeeda for

Lavender Hill for

KyalishaAlthelone,

Mitchells

Plain, Swazi girls

I'm rep pin for thee

Mannesburg,

Guguletu where you'd just be blessed to get through

For beauty shinin through like the sun at the highest noon

From the top of the cable car at table mountain

I am youGirls with the skyest blue of eyes and the darkest skin

For cape colored allied for realizing we're

AfricanFor all my cousins back home, the strength of mommy's backbone

The length of which she went for raising, sacrificing her own

The pain of not reflecting the range of our complexions

For rubber pellet scars on

Auntie Elna's back

I marchFist raised caramel shinin in all our glory

For Mauritius,

St. Helena, my blood is a million stories

Winnie for

Joan and for

Edie, for

Norma, Leslie,

NdidiFor Auntie

Betty, for

Melanie, all the same family

Fiona, Jo

Burg, complex of mixed girls

For surviving through every lie they put into us now

This world is yours and

I swear I will stand focused

Black girls, raise up your hands, the world should clap for us

My mama said life would be this hard

Growin' up days as a black girl scarred

In every ways till you've come so far

They just know the name they don't know the pain

So please hold your heads up high

Don't be ashamed of yourself know

IWill carry it forth till the day

I die'Coz they just know the name they don't know the pain black girl

Momma said that the day's like this

Momma said that the day's like this

Momma yeah momma said

That the day's like this

Momma said every day's like this

Momma said that the day's like this

Momma said that the day's like this

Momma yeah momma said

That the day's like this