Let's take a trip down memory lane at the cemetary
Rain grey skies, seems at the end of every
young black life is this line...."Damn him already?
Such a good kid," got us pourin Henn' already
Liquor to the curb for my niggaz up above
When it cracks through the pavement that's my way of sendin love
So give BIG a hug, tell Aaliyah I said hi'
Til the next time I see her on the other side
He was just some thug
that caught some slugs
And we loved him cause in him we saw some of us
He walked like us, talked like us
His back against the wall....nigga fought like us
Damn! Poor Isis.....that's his momma name
Momma ain't strong enough to raise no boy
what's his father name? Shorty never knew him
though he had his blood in him
Hot tempered....momma said he act just like her husband
Daddy never fucked with him so the streets raised him
Isis blamin herself ; she wish she coulda saved him
Damn near impossible.....only men can raise men
He was his own man...not even him can save him
He put his faith in her
.38 in his waist
But when you live by the gun you die by the same fate
End up dead before 38 and ummm......
That's the life of us raised by winter, it's a cold world
Old girl turned to coke to tried to smoke her pain away
Isis' life just ended on that rainy day
When she got the news her boy's body could be viewed
down at the City Morgue, she opened the drawer and saw him nude
Her addiction grew....prescription drugs, shift and brew
Angel dust ipped in WOO!!!!!
She slipped into her own fantasy world
Had herself pregnant by a different dude
But reality bites and this is her life
He wasn't really her husband though he called her wife
It was just this night when moon was full
and the stars were just right
and her dress was real tight
Had her soundin like Lisa Lisa
"I wonder if I take you home will you still love me after this night?"
See Mike was the hardhead from the around the way that she wanted all her life
shit she wanted all the hype
Used to hold on tight when he wheelied on the bike
He was a Willie all her life he wasn't really the one to like
It was a dude named 'Shy' who would really treat her right
He wanted to run to the country to escape the city life
But Isis likes this Broadway life
She loved the Gucci sneakers ; the red, green and whites
Hangin out the window when she first seen him fight
She was so turned on that she had to shower twice
How ironic it would be some fight that turned into a homicide that'll alter their life
See Mike at 32 was still on the scene
Had a son 15 that he never saw twice
Sure he saw him as an infant but he disowned him like
"If that was my son he would look much different.
See I'm light-skinnded and that baby there's dark"
So it's momma's baby; poppa's maybe.
Mike was still crazy out there runnin the streets
Got older but not bright with a .38 gun in his reach
It's been 14 years and him and Isis ain't speak
He runnin around like life is a peach
'til one day he approached this thug that had a mean mug
And it looked so familiar that he called him "Young Cuz"
Told him get off the strip but the boy ain't budge
Instead he pulled out a newer .38 snub
He clearly had the drop but the boy just paused
There was somethin in this man's face he knew he seen before
It was like lookin in the mirror and seeing himself more mature
And he took it as a sign from the almighty Lord
You know what they say about he who hesitates in war
He who hesitates is lost
He can't explain what he saw before his picture went blank
The old man didn't think he just followed his instinct
Six shots into his kin out of the gun
Niggaz be a father you're killin your son
Six shots into his kin out of the gun
Niggaz be a father, you killin your sons
Meet the parents........
- Jay Z "Meet The Parents"