My grandmother suits was tailor made, Sundays Mahalia played Simple familiar ways, like how she kneeled and prayed Willin, 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
[John Legend - overlapping BT's last two lines]
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 Yeahhhhhhh, yeahhhh
Little ghetto boy, yeah Your daddy was blown away Heyyyy 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 yeahhhh
Yeah, yeahhh little ghetto BOYYYYY-OYYYY When when you become a maaaaan, yeahhhh You can make things change Oh if you just take a stand, yeah yeahhhh
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 yeahhhh yeah
"Everything has got to get better" - [repeat in background] Ohhh Everything has got to get better Yeahhh yeahhhhh yeah Don't you know it's gonna get better Heyyyyyy yeah yeah Got to believe that everything yeahhhhh yeah yeah yeah Whooahhh ho oahhh oahhh oahh Whoa yeah Whoah ho oahhh oh ohhhhhhh
OHHHHHHHH YEAH YEAHHHH YEAH, YEAHHHHH, little ghetto boy Mmmmmm yeah yeahhhhhhhhh