Little Ghetto Boy - John Legend & The Roots
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
Ohhh
Everything has got to get better
Everything has got to get better
Yeahhh yeahhhhh yeah
Don't you know it's gonna get better
Heyyyyyy yeah yeah
Got to believe that everything
Yeahhhhh yeah yeah yeah
Whooahhh ho oahhh oahhh oahh
Whoa yeah
Whoah ho oahhh oh ohhhhhhh
OHHHHHHHH YEAH YEAHHHH
YEAH YEAHHHHH little ghetto boy
Mmmmmm yeah yeahhhhhhhhh