Intro:

Yeah, ohh yeah, this one goes out,

to all the families that went through the struggle,

yeah, from the heart, it was from the heart, everything was real



yo, dwelling in the past, flash back when I was young

who ever thought that I would have a beby girl and 3 sons

I'm going through this difficult stage I find it hard

to believe why my old earth had so many seeds

but she's an old woman and do to me I respect that

I saw life for what its really worth and took a step back

family ain't family no more, we used to play ball

eggs after school, eat gritz cause we were poor

grab the plyers for the channel, fix the hanger on the T.V.

rockin each others pants to school wasn't easy

we survived winters snauty nose with no coats

we kept it real but the older brother still had a joke

sadly daddy left me at the age of six

I didn't know nutin' but mommy neatly packed his shit

she cried, and grandma held the family down

I guess mommy wasn't strong enough, she just went straight down

check it, 15 of us in a three bedroom apartment

roaches everywhere causons and aunts were there.

4 in the bed, 2 at the foot, 2 at the head

I didn't like to sleep with Jon-Jon, he peed the bed

pluckin roaches out the cereal box

we shared the epoon, watchin saturday cartoons

sugar water was our thing, everymeal was no thrill

in the summer school lunch held us down like steel

and there was days I had to go to Shea's house with a note

"Shea and Gloria can I borrow some food I'm dead broke"

so embarrasin I couldn't stand to knock on the door

my friends might be laughin, I spent stamps in stores

mommy where's the toilet paper, use the newspaper

look Ms. Rose bought us a couch, shes the neighbor

2 brothers who must led this defeat kiiled me

but I remember this mom's would lick her finger tips

to wipe the cold out of my eye before school wit her spit

case worker had her runnin back for face to face

I caught a case worker, trying to throw us out our place.

sometimes I'm lookin back and analyze the sky,

goodnight



outro

sometime I'm lookin back and analyze the sky

let myself rock wasn't meant to be so hard



Mary J. Blige: (Chorus)

All that I got is you

And I'm so thankful I made it through

(3x)



I sit and think about all the times we did without rain

I always said I woudn't cry, when I saw tears in your eyes

I understand that daddy's not here know,

but some way or some how, I will always be around

All the things that I did from yesterday

oh from drugs to being bad

being down and out and I love you always, oh oh