Common, Tasha Cobbs Leonard - Little Chicago Boy lyrics

How should I begin?
This is the story of a boy named Lonnie Lynn
As I say it, the spirit's enwhip me
He was raised in the belly of the city
Chicago, discovered by du Sable
A Black Frenchman that I had to mention
Extensions of a young man livin'
On a low end 47th and Michigan
Lackin' a little discipline
Know Grandma Mable did the best she could
You know how young niggas want a testy hood
There he stood, taller than most black boys
One of the best ballers out of Illinois
College in Ohio, this is like his bio
Talks that we had, man, they was never idle
He talked about readin' the
Quran and the Bible
He talked how he smoked dope
And sold it for survival
He talked about the ancestors
In our lives they're vital
He said y'all niggas love the
Bang 'cause you tribal
Spiral of life, Chicago to Denver
Anywhere he went, of attention
He's the center 6'9", big heart, big mind
He he spent a lifetime tryin' to be big time
He did in a way, he made to the ABA
And the things he say on my record
When I was a shawty
He bought me "The Message"
It was his messages in the
Life I would step with
Didn't see him much, spirit's are connected
The Father creates it, the son can reflect it
His perspective: sometimes seemed crazy
His perspective: sometimes seemed brilliant
His perspective: somehow it shaped me
His perspective: undoubted I feel it
He'd walk around in them Air
Jordans I gave him
I said, "Pops, them from Mike, man
You better save 'em"
The fight that he had with
Cancer was a brave one
Took Dr sebi's herbs instead of medication
Breathing heavy, he talked reparations
He said, "Son
We live through our generations"
Offspring, coughing, Gene Ammons playing
In the background, he was talking
I was praying
Our Father, take care of my father
As far as he went, may I go farther
May our dreams and legacies
Live through our children
Though I can't touch him
I can still feel him

You know the other day I got a phone call i
Got a message says pops you
Been gon from home
Too long so I set my bags down and headed to
87th street i was just
Back in the neighborhood
Ya know cruising the same street
That I used to cruise
In my long black Fleetwood listening
To the Minister and
Dr king and my beloved brother
Malcolm first thing is
See I'm boundless with spiritual
Energy i wanna talk
About the moral necessities of human
Justice the power and
The action of God-given dignity one can not
Enter the gate if you hate you gotta take
The lead for the rest of the world
87th is the street of knowledge
The streets of knowledge are all
Over the world we got
A possibility again of leading
The world chi my
Chi we gon ask you for safe passage for the
Kids to walk to school
Alright, my young homies
We got a mission to finish we got the unborn
That we got to provide the truth for

I gotta be honest it's so
Much different without you here
But I have no fear
I'll see you when I get there
To that city bright and fair
You were all I needed you to be
And now I thank you for all you gave for me
So Father, I stretch my hands to Thee
No other help I know
If you withdraw yourself from me
Somebody tell me where, oh where shall I go?

Father, I stretch my hands to Thee
No other help I know
If you withdraw yourself from me
Tell me where, oh where shall I go?