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