my grandmother suits was tailor made
sundays mahalia played
simple familiar ways
like how she kneeled and prayed
willin
master forgive us
our trust pastors had us real afraid
i never listened yet i still obeyed
i got to see how philly played at such an early age
what my father was into sent him to his early grave
then moms started chasin that base
like willie mays
my childhood was all of 40 nights and 40 days
trouble was my ball and chain
shorties would call me names
humble beginnings but a star is what it all became
my journey from a dirty hallway
to the hall of fame
music my therapeutic way to cope with all this pain
was headed for the drain
soakin before the rainwater came
and chaos
into the order came
i started doin what i'm 'sposed to do in life
tryin to move out of the dark
and closer to the light
they say if you get a chance to do it
overdo it right
tomorrow isn't promised every time
you say goodnight
knahmtalkinabout? uhh
yo
story of a little ghetto boy
check it out
yeah yeahhh
little ghetto boy
ohhh
playin in the ghetto street
ay-ayyyy!
what'chu gonna do when you grow up
and have to face responsibility?
yeah yeahhh
will you spend your days and nights in a pool room?
will you sell caps of madness
to the neighborhood
little ghetto boy
you already know
how rough life could be
hard to see
so much pain and misery
yeahhhhhhh
yeahhhh
little ghetto boy
yeah
your daddy was blown away
heyyyy yeahhh
he robbed that grocery store yeah
don't you know that was a sad sad day?
eyyyyy-yeah
all your young life you've seen such misery and pain
the world's a cruel place to live in
it ain't gonna change yeahh
you're so young
and you've got so far to goooooo
don't think you'll reach your goal young man
talkin 'bout the ghetto boy
yeah yeah yeahhhh
yeah
yeahhh little ghetto boyyyyy-oyyyy
when when you become a maaaaan
yeahhhh
you can make things change
oh if you just take a stand
yeah yeahhhh
you've got to believe in yourself
in all that you doooo
you've got to fight to make it better
better
and you will see
that others will start believin too
then my son
things will start to get better
hey yeahhhh yeah
everything has got to get better" -