Keep Ya Head Up

Little something for my godson Elijah

And a little girl named Corin

Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice

I say the darker the flesh, then the deeper the roots

I give a holla to my sisters on welfare

2Pac cares if don't nobody else care

And I know they like to beat you down a lot

When you come around the block, brothers clown a lot

But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up

Forgive, but don't forget, girl, keep ya head up

And when he tells you you ain't nothin', don't believe him

And if he can't learn to love you, you should leave him

‘Cause, sister, you don't need him

And I ain't tryin' to gas you up, I just call 'em how I see 'em

You know what makes me unhappy?

When brothers make babies

And leave a young mother to be a pappy

And since we all came from a woman

Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman

I wonder why we take from our women

Why we rape our women — do we hate our women?

I think it's time to kill for our women

Time to heal our women, be real to our women

And if we don't we'll have a race of babies

That will hate the ladies that make the babies

And since a man can't make one

He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one

So will the real men get up?

I know you're fed up, ladies, but keep ya head up

Keep ya head up, ooh, child

Things are gonna get easier

Keep ya head up, ooh, child

Things'll get brighter

Keep ya head up, ooh, child

Things are gonna get easier

Keep ya head up, ooh, child

Things'll get brighter

Ayo, I remember Marvin Gaye used to sing to me

He had me feelin' like black was the thing to be

And suddenly the ghetto didn't seem so tough

And though we had it rough, we always had enough

I huffed and puffed about my curfew and broke the rules

Ran with a local crew and had a smoke or two

And I realize Mama really paid the price

She nearly gave her life to raise me right

And all I had to give her was my pipe dream

Of how I'd rock the mic and make it to the bright screen

I'm tryin' to make a dollar out of fifteen cents

It's hard to be legit and still pay the rent

And in the end it seems I'm headin' for the pen

I try to find my friends, but they're blowin' in the wind

Last night my buddy lost his whole family

It's gonna take the man in me to conquer this insanity

It seems the rain'll never let up

I try to keep my head up and still keep from gettin' wet up

You know, it's funny, when it rains it pours

They got money for wars but can't feed the poor

Say there ain't no hope for the youth

And the truth is it ain't no hope for the future

And then they wonder why we crazy

I blame my mother for turnin' my brother into a crack baby

We ain't meant to survive, ‘cause it's a set-up

And even though you're fed up, huh, you got to keep ya head up

Keep ya head up, ooh, child

Things are gonna get easier

Keep ya head up, ooh, child

Things'll get brighter

Keep ya head up, ooh, child

Things are gonna get easier

Keep ya head up, ooh, child

Things'll get brighter

And uh, to all the ladies havin' babies on they own

I know it's kinda rough and you're feelin' all alone

Daddy's long gone and he left you by your lonesome

Thank the Lord for my kids even if nobody else want 'em

‘Cause I think we can make it; in fact, I'm sure

And if you fall, stand tall and come back for more

‘Cause ain't nothin' worse than when your son

Wants to know why his daddy don't love him no mo'

You can't complain you was dealt this

Hell of a hand without a man, feelin' helpless

Because there's too many things for you to deal with

Dyin' inside, but outside you're lookin' fearless

While tears is rollin' down your cheeks

You steady hopin' things don't fall down this week

‘Cause if it did, you couldn't take it

And don't blame me — I was given this world, I didn't make it

And now my son's gettin' older and older

And colder from havin' the world on his shoulders

While the rich kids is drivin' Benz

I'm still tryin' to hold on to survivin' friends

And it's crazy, it seems it'll never let up

But please, you got to keep ya head up