Little somethin for my godson Elijah and a little girl named Corinne
    [Verse One:]
    Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
  I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots
  I give a holler to my sisters on welfare
  Tupac cares, and don't nobody else care
  And uhh, I know they like to beat ya down a lot
  When you come around the block brothas clown a lot
  But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up
  Forgive but don't forget, girl keep your head up
  And when he tells you you ain't nuttin don't believe him
  And if he can't learn to love you you should leave him
  Cause sista you don't need him
  And I ain't tryin to gas ya up, I just call em how I see em
  You know it makes me unhappy (what's that)
  When brothas 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 your head up
    [Chorus]
    Keep ya head up, oooo child things are gonna get easier
  ooooo child things are gonna get brighter [2x]
    [Verse Two:]
    Aiyyo, I remember Marvin Gaye, used to sing ta me
  He had me feelin like black was tha thing to be
  And suddenly tha 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 the local crew, and had a smoke or two
  And I realize momma really paid the price
  She nearly gave her life, to raise me right
  And all I had ta give her was my pipe dream
  Of how I'd rock the mic, and make it to tha bright screen
  I'm tryin to make a dollar out of fifteen cents
  It's hard to be legit and still pay tha rent
  And in the end it seems I'm headin for tha pen
  I try and 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 tha 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 tha future
  And then they wonder why we crazy
  I blame my mother, for turning my brother into a crack baby
  We ain't meant to survive, cause it's a setup
  And even though you're fed up
  Huh, ya got to keep your head up
    [Chorus]
    [Verse Three:]
    And uhh
  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 ya 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 comeback for more
  Cause ain't nuttin worse than when your son
  wants to kno 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
  Dying inside, but outside you're looking fearless
  While tears, is rollin down your cheeks
  Ya steady hopin things don't all 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 getten older and older and cold
  From havin the world on his shoulders
  While the rich kids is drivin Benz
  I'm still tryin to hold on to my survivin friends
  And it's crazy, it seems it'll never let up, but
  please... you got to keep your head up