Promised Land

Sometimes I wonder
Man, how long is it gon' be for my people to come out
Man we strugglin', it's hard sometimes
But tomorrow's better than yesterday

I was born in the slums, struggled from day one
Ray Charles vision, blinded by the light from the sun
No navigation, no sense of direction, darker complexion
Made it hard to live, dad how you fathered your kids?

Stranded on the highway of life, left us out to die
Left us out to dry, I'm still here, my mother's cries
Nigga, no father figures make harder niggaz through the years
Went to war with niggaz from what I saw in the picture

Now your son is bigger, 13 but just like you
Moms said I would grow up and be just like you
From what you did to my sister she disliked you
Sixteen, eleventh grade, look at me, just like you

Gunnin' for riches, runnin', hoppin' project fences
Street corners to Arizona, how I earn my digits
And I'm far from finished, gamin' 'til my coffee diminish
Why pray for the afterlife when mines just beginnin'

Only son by our mother, no brothers, only sisters by this one
Every time I kissed one I missed one, let me explain
Eight years before the game, everything came with pain
Watch the fate of my family slain, would never see good times again

Cursed with pain by a nigga with no shame
My father, that have the same name as his father
My grandfather wouldn't believe, he pulled up our family tree
I can see him rollin' over in his coffin

I'm left with often, thoughts of how could you molest your daughter
They say that's ten times worse than manslaughter
Man you oughta, be dead in a grave
But it wasn't my call, so instead you sat in a cage

High-powered, two-hundred and fifty pound
Six-five coward, woulda been dead in an hour
Heard you was scared to take a shower, scared of the yard
Your end is near, you shoulda been scared of God, motherfucker

All my niggaz listen
I stay a step ahead of the rest of y'all
Why I gotta keep a vest for y'all
Though I made it dog, I still stress for y'all?

Funny how my folks think rap money stretch so far
Pray to God my niggaz, see through all the checks and the cars
I'm tryin' to invest in what's ours, gimme a couple of years dog
I'll turn your tears stress and your scars

Into lawn chairs and green grass in your yard
I'm tryin' to watch my kids wrestlin' yours
Not have to get 'em ready for school and strap a vest on 'em all
I know sometimes it get hard

Keep your head up mami, reach for the stars
Havin' a child is like a blessing from God
You just gotta work hard, can't let your youngest star strip in that bar
I feel your pain, this shit is rippin' my heart

But where and when do we start, listen to the voice in back of my mind
Can't reach all my women so I attack it in rhyme
I know what you're feelin', I'm wipin' ya tears ma, it could happen in time
For now I take your tear strife sufferin', imagine it mine