Dear Mama
2Pac Lyrics

You are appreciated
The artist recognizes and appreciates all that his mother has done for him throughout his life

When I was young me and my mama had beef
When I was young, I had a lot of arguments with my mother

Seventeen years old kicked out on the streets
I was kicked out of my house and had to live on the streets at the age of seventeen

Though back at the time, I never thought I'd see her face
At the time, I thought I would never see my mother again

Ain't a woman alive that could take my mama's place
No other woman could ever take my mother's place in my life

Suspended from school, and scared to go home, I was a fool
I was suspended from school and too scared to go home, which I now realize was foolish

With the big boys, breaking all the rules
I was hanging out with older boys and engaging in rebellious behavior

I shed tears with my baby sister
I cried with my younger sister

Over the years we was poorer than the other little kids
We were much poorer than the other kids in our community

And even though we had different daddy's, the same drama
Even though we had different fathers, we had the same traumatic experiences in our household

When things went wrong we'd blame mama
When things went wrong, we would blame our mother for everything

I reminisce on the stress I caused, it was hell
I look back on all the stress I caused my mother and feel guilty about it

Huggin' on my mama from a jail cell
I give my mother a hug from a jail cell

And who'd think in elementary?
Who would have thought when I was in elementary school

Hey, I see the penitentiary, one day
That I would end up in the penitentiary one day

And runnin' from the police, that's right
And I was running from the police, which is true

Mama catch me, put a whoopin' to my backside
My mother would catch me and discipline me for my bad behavior

And even as a crack fiend, mama
Even when I was addicted to crack, my mother still loved me

You always was a black queen, mama
My mother was always a strong and beautiful black woman

I finally understand
I finally understand all that my mother went through in raising me

For a woman it ain't easy tryin' to raise a man
It is difficult for a woman to raise a man on her own

You always was committed
My mother was always dedicated to taking care of her children

A poor single mother on welfare, tell me how ya did it
She managed to raise us all as a poor single mother on welfare, and I don't know how she did it

There's no way I can pay you back
I know I can never repay my mother for everything she has done for me

But the plan is to show you that I understand
But my plan is to show my mother that I understand and appreciate everything she has done for me

Don't ya know we love ya?
We love you, mom!

Now ain't nobody tell us it was fair
No one ever said life was going to be easy for us

No love from my daddy 'cause the coward wasn't there
My father was not there for me and did not show his love

He passed away and I didn't cry, 'cause my anger
When my father passed away, I didn't cry because I was too angry

Wouldn't let me feel for a stranger
I couldn't feel sadness for someone who was a stranger to me

They say I'm wrong and I'm heartless but all along
People say I'm wrong and heartless, but deep down I am looking for something more

I was looking for a father he was gone
I was searching for a father figure, but he was gone

I hung around with the thugs, and even though they sold drugs
I hung around with some bad people, even though they were drug dealers

They showed a young brother love
Despite their flaws, these people showed me affection and acceptance

I moved out and started really hanging
I moved out and started spending more time with these dangerous people

I needed money of my own so I started slanging
I started selling drugs to make my own money

I ain't guilty 'cause even though I sell rocks
I don't feel completely guilty for selling drugs because it has helped me provide for my family

It feels good putting money in your mailbox
It makes me feel good to provide for my mother and put some money in her mailbox

I love paying rent when the rent's due
I am proud to be able to contribute to my family and pay the rent on time

I hope ya got the diamond necklace that I sent to you
I hope you received the diamond necklace that I sent to you as a gift

And I could see you coming home after work late
I remember you coming home from work late every night

You're in the kitchen tryin' to fix us a hot plate
You would always be in the kitchen trying to prepare us a meal, even when you were tired from work

Ya just workin' with the scraps you was given
You always made the most of what you had, even if it was not much

And mama made miracles every Thanksgiving
You always managed to pull together an amazing meal for us every Thanksgiving

But now the road got rough, you're alone
Now that things have gotten tough, you are alone and struggling

You're trying to raise two bad kids on your own
You are trying your best to raise two difficult kids on your own

Pour out some liquor and I reminisce 'cause through the drama
I pour out some liquor and look back on all that we have been through together

I can always depend on my mama
I know that I can always depend on my mother, no matter what

And when it seems that I'm hopeless
When I feel like things are hopeless

You say the words that can get me back in focus
You always know what to say to help me focus and keep going

When I was sick as a little kid
When I was sick as a child

To keep me happy there's no limit to the things you did
You did everything possible to keep me happy and comfortable

And all my childhood memories
All of my childhood memories

Are full of all the sweet things you did for me
Are full of all the sweet and loving things you did for me

And even though I act crazy
Even though I sometimes act crazy

I gotta thank the Lord that you made me
I am grateful to God that you are my mother and made me who I am today

There are no words that can express how I feel
I cannot find the words to express how much you mean to me

You never kept a secret, always stayed real
You were always honest and never kept secrets from me

And I appreciate how you raised me
I appreciate how you raised me and taught me to be a good person

And all the extra love that you gave me
I appreciate all the extra love and attention that you gave to me

I wish I could take the pain away
I wish I could take away all the pain and hardship that you have faced

If you can make it through the night there's a brighter day
If you can make it through this trying time, there will be better days ahead

Everything will be alright if ya hold on
Everything will be okay if you just hold on and keep going

It's a struggle everyday, gotta roll on
Life is a struggle every day, but we have to keep moving forward

Don't ya know we love ya?
We love you, mom!