The Hardships of a Black Man
Now I’m gonna tell a story.
Of a black man who was manipulated to be
What society labeled all black people to be
A black man who tried to restart his life
Flew across countries met face to face with strife,
Caught up in the streets, letting niggas roll his dice
So stick around for this one, listen to my words
This isn’t just another story that everyone has heard
This man did try, but his aspirations were deferred
From game changer, to gangbanger, to rotting in a cell,
He should’ve known better, mama did teach him well,
But anyways here we go, no time to waste
Here’s his tale, concrete into a damned life state
Showing a place of serenity and grace,
Overcame with great happiness that they’ve packed up their place
Moved cities to cities, land with a look of mistake
Upon a place that’s been hyped up, to look like nothing more than a waste
Soon after they land, he gave the title friends
To the low-life, street-bound, throw it up kinda men,
Of people who said “I gotchu”, while scheming up plans
Trying to plead your stance that wasn’t accepted but by chance,
You’ve accepted your fate, signed invisibly into contract
Never questioned their motives, didn’t feel the knife in your back
Mama said “Stay in the back,” but he was out front sagging pants cause it was ‘cool like dat”
Stealing grams, on the corner, they put him up to that.
He’s shown what color he claimed, but certain niggas don’t like that.
They pull up, bang bang in front mama’s house
Shooting windows, holes in doors, bullets piercing mama’s blouse
Tires screeching, people screaming, “lets go, lets go!” hands withdrawn
Mama’s blood spilling out onto the tainted lawn.
“Hands in the air, don’t move!” you gotta follow orders
Close in, check hands, cuff you up, move forward
Sirens flaring,neighbors staring, buzzing live with the news
Shoved inside peep outside, watch them snicker amused
Mama pleading “Don’t take him” but she don’t get to choose
Watch her cry to the sky “Lord watch my child!”
Watch her slowly disappear into ongoing crowds
Looking down at his hands, changed and tainted.
He’d given proof to how people with color are painted.
News stations so hungry to follow reports
Of a labeled “dumbass black man” picked out from the sort
No need to question him, they gathered up their facts
News know what to do, they twist the story for pats on the back
He was trying to be something
But they don’t see that.
They see a man with a sign saying “I’m black.”
Don’t give a damn about motives and just plain facts
Starting over doesn’t matter, just remember that
Given the chance, not an option were on display
Wearing different colored clothes, your color never frays
I must say that we have a title anyways
We can’t protect ourselves, never could in the old days
“Nigga” added in vocabulary to those who don’t know
That that word was meant to rest hundreds of years ago
You say you’ve heard my words before, just from different lips
But you ain’t never heard a story being told like this.
Let the news understand that we aren’t one voice
We don’t all do the same, nah that’s by choice
We work, sweat, and cry like we were taught to
Ain’t no excuse to disrespect except “we want to”
So before you even speak on what we all have in hand
Think hard about the hardships of a black man