John Legend, The Roots, Black Thought - Little Ghetto Boy lyrics

My grandmother suit's was tailor made
Sundays Mahalia played simple familiar ways
Like how she kneeled and prayed
Wailin', master forgive us, our trust
Pastors had us real afraid
I never listened yet I still obeyed
I got to see how Philly played
At such an early age
What my father was into sent
Him to his early grave
Then moms started chasin that base
Like Willie Mays
My childhood was all of 40 nights and 40 days
Trouble was my ball and chain
Shorties would call me names
Humble beginnings but a star is
What it all became
My journey from a dirty hallway
To the Hall of Fame
Music my therapeutic way to cope
With all this pain was headed for the drain
Soakin before the rainwater came
And chaos, into the order came
I started doin' what I'm 'sposed
To do in life tryin to move out of the dark
And closer to the light
They say if you get a chance to do it
Overdo it right
Tomorrow isn't promised every time
You say goodnight knahmtalkinabout? Uhh, yo
Story of a little ghetto boy, check it out

Yeah yeahhh little ghetto boy, ohhh
Playin in the ghetto street, ay ayyyy!
What'chu gonna do when you grow up
And have to face responsibility? yeah yeahhh

Will you spend your days and
Nights in a pool room?
Will you sell caps of madness
To the neighborhood little ghetto boy
You already know, how rough life could be
Hard to see, so much pain and misery
Yeah, yeah

Little ghetto boy, yeah
Your daddy was blown away heyy yeahhh
He robbed that grocery store yeah
Don't you know that was a sad sad day?
Eyyyyy yeah

All your young life you've seen
Such misery and pain
The world's a cruel place to live in
It ain't gonna change yeahh you're so young
And you've got so far to goooooo
Don't think you'll reach your goal young man
Talkin 'bout the ghetto boy yeah yeah yeah

Yeah, yeahhh little ghetto BOYYYYY-OYYYY
When when you become a maaaaan, yeah
You can make things change
Oh if you just take a stand, yeah yeah

You've got to believe in yourself
In all that you doooo
You've got to fight to make it better, better
And you will see
That others will start believin too
Then my son, things will start to get better
Hey yeah yeah

Ohhh everything has got to get better
Yeahhh yeahh yeah
Don't you know it's gonna get better
Heyy yeah yeah
Got to believe that everything
Yeahh yeah yeah yeah
Whooahhh ho oahhh oahhh oahh whoa yeah
Whoah ho oahhh oh ohhhhhhh

OHHHHHHHH YEAH yeah
YEAH, yeahH, little ghetto boy