Common, Samora Pinderhughes, BJ The Chicago Kid - Memories of Home lyrics

My first memory, my birthday on a party bus
Pops wasn't there but that wasn't obvious
In Mom's arms, in God we trust
Black Mama love, everything marvelous
I didn't know what I was missin'
Part of a system
Pops is gone, Uncle in prison
Inside wishin' for men to teach
Me 'bout girls and religion
Made my own rendition of grindin' and kissin'
Weekend calls to my Dad I'd listen
Still I felt distant, distant like love
There's only so far that
Words could really hug
Didn't wanna be a thug
Older niggas I banged with
I learned a lot from them
Cuts in the basement
The smell of blunts laced with
A little bit of spice
Wise, high niggas, giving me advice
We go out and start fights
Scuff up our Nikes
Come back to talk crap and
Shoot a little dice
This is a slice of life and memories
Sittin' in my mind vividly
Often they visit me

Oh baby
Da da da, da da da, da da da, da da da
I'm just tryna find a way to understand
Oh, oh, oh, oh
How do I rewind the tape and live in it?
Stayin' out late and playin' in Wonderland
Is it in God's plan?
I'm just tryna find my way to understand it

Metaphors can't explain how far I came
A young man at work, I made my own lane
Steered away from pain, relied on drive
There's a old saying, "Don't cry, survive"
As I kept building there were
Cranes in the sky
Certain memories my brain would deny
A tear laid in my eye, I was afraid to reply
To the hurt that was callin'
It came from the sky
An older play cousin, of course I trust him
But he was touchin' where he
Wasn't supposed to be touchin'
What's a kid supposed to do?
When they goin' through
What I was goin' through
Don't know who to go to
You want to tell somebody
In many ways, I failed somebody
That somebody was me
Now I'm talking to little Rasheed
Incarcerated heart, man, you gotta be free
I felt it
When I told my man I would help with
Things he was dealin' with I
Really hadn't dealt with
Emotions meltin', I began to release it
Things you can't change
You could come to peace with
At least get it better for
The children of forever
I read the Lord's letter
I forgive our debtors
They don't talk about it
Maybe sharing their story
Memories of home, shared pain and glory

Oh baby
Da da da, da da da, da da da, da da da
I'm just tryna find a way to understand
Oh, oh, oh, oh
How do I rewind the tape and live in it?
Stayin' out late and playin' in Wonderland
Is it God's plan?
I'm just tryna find my way to understand it

Said I'm tryna understand
Understand, understand, understand
Ayy hey oh oh, oh