Cam O’bi, Smino - TenderHeaded lyrics

How come I can't do what fuck I want do?
How come, how come? Tryna get this skraight
No damn hot comb through how come, how come?
Weavin' through the naps, dreams been on hold
Since my cradle hit the flo
Tender head, my denim skrong
Yea, yea, yea, yeaaaah

Remember when I was a kiddo
Growin' up in the middle
Windows lining my smile
Silver teeth underneath my pillow
A nigga had a nappy head like a Brillo pad
Sister said I need to do
Somethin' about them beedy-beed naps
Snackin' on Andy Capp's with a
Pickle and a quarter water
Walked in the barbershop asked
Me what I wanted i told that man I wanted
To look like Superman
But when he had the long hair
You know, kinda like Michael Jackson?
The damn barber just started laughin'
I cried as he gave me that bald fade
Afro puffs hit the flo'
Symbolic of sheddin' my innocence
I guess I thought they were
Magicians or alchemists or mathematicians
With algebraic
Calculus algorithms designed to cure
Me of my nappiness
Like a perm burned off my happiness
I sat silently acquiescent
Pitfalls of adolescence
Spitballs and scrabble sessions
And tattle tales
Playing around in the hallway like
One of Santa's elves "You wanna go to jail?"
"Hell naw, mister security!"
Got sent to the principal for my potty mouth
Talkin' bout some
"give me your number so we
Can call the house" but gimme got shot
So the ink stainin' my record now
You pull a comb thru my afro
That shit'll crackle
Like a bowl full of Rice Krispies
Rollin' my innocence in a cigarillo like

How come I can't do what fuck I want do?
How come, how come? Tryna get this skraight
No damn hot comb through how come, how come?
Weavin' through the naps, dreams been on hold
Since my cradle hit the flo
Tender head, my denim skrong
How come, how come?
How come I can't say what fuck I want say?
How come, how come?
Tender braids, but I can't make my eyes rain
How come, how come?
Yanked straight from my naps, dead on my comb
When my cradle hit the flo'
Tender head, my genes on swole
Yea, yea, yea, yeaaaaah

I don't wanna sing the Star-Spangled Banner
Unless it's produced by David Banner
Elbows on the lunch table
Eatin' on a gravy sammich
Lil' nigga, no table manners
Crazy it attracted shawty's
On the back of the bus gettin'
Neck had a knack for noggin'
Lil' nick at nighttime googlin' booty
Beauty illusions polluted and deep-rooted
In my mind my block was a Rubix
Anywhere you turned
The shit was hot around the clock
And they could not ice cube it, damn
Mama, I don't like this school shit
Fuck a logarithm, I'll log into the music
Damn daddy, I don't like this school shit
I beat the desk until my knuckles bleed
All my teachers think I'm challenged mentally
But my mental skrong, know who I wanna be
Instantly began a surgery
Bada-bing, Voila!, made wings wit the
Words, Hallelujah, Yah bitch, yah!
All my blessings came when I
Accepted I'm not y'all
I been put it down the line like laundry
They told me find something more concrete
Now a lil' nigga breakin' concrete
Praises to God I ain't no convict
They'll never take away my confidence

How come I can't do what fuck I want do?
How come, how come? Tryna get this skraight
No damn hot comb through how come, how come?
Weavin' through the naps, dreams been on hold
Since my cradle hit the flo
Tender head, my denim skrong
How come, how come?
How come I can't say what fuck I want say?
How come, how come?
Tender braids, but I can't make my eyes rain
How come, how come?
Yanked straight from my naps, dead on my comb
When my cradle hit the flo'
Tender head, my genes on swole
Yea, yea, yea, yeaaaaah