Ghetto
2Pac & The Notorious B.I.G Lyrics


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I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto

I was raised, the little young nigga doin' bad shit
Talk much shit, 'cause I never had shit
I could remember being whupped in class
And if I didn't pass, mama whupped my ass
Was it my fault, papa didn't plan it out
Broke out left me to be the man of the house
I couldn't take it, had to make a profit
Down the block, got a glock and I clock grips
Makin' G's was my mission
Movin' enough of this shit to get my mama out the kitchen
And why must I sock a fella,
Just to live large like Rockefeller
First you didn't give a fuck but you're learnin' now
If you don't respect the town then we'll burn you down
God damn it's a motherfuckin' riot
Black people only hate police so don't try it
If you're not from the town then don't pass through
'Cause some O.G. fools might blast you
It ain't right but it's long overdue
We can't have peace till the niggas get a piece too
I want G's so you label me a criminal
And if I die, I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto

I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto

Here on Earth, tell me what's a black life worth
A bottle of juice is no excuse, the truth hurts
And even when you take the shit
Move counties, get a lawyer, you can shake the shit
Ask Rodney, LaTasha, and many more
It's been goin' on for years, there's plenty more
When they ask me, when will the violence cease?
When your troops stop shootin' niggas down in the street
Niggas had enough time to make a difference
Bear witness, own our own business
Word to God, 'cause it's hard tryin' to make ends meet
First we couldn't afford shit now everything's free so we loot,
Please don't shoot when you see
I'm takin' from them 'cause for years they would take it from me
Now the tables have turned around
You didn't listen, until the niggas burned it down
And now Bush can't stop the hit
I predicted the shit, in 2Pacalypse
And for once I was down with niggas, felt good
In the hood bein' around the niggas, yeah
And for the first time everybody let go
And the streets was death row
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto

I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto

I see no changes, all I see is racist faces
Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races
We under, I wonder what it take to make this
One better place, let's erase the wait state
Take the evil out the people, they'll be acting right
'Cause both black and white are smokin' crack tonight
And only time we deal is when we kill each other
It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other
And though it seems Heaven-sent
We ain't ready to have a black President, huh
It ain't a secret don't conceal the fact
The penitentiary's packed and it's filled with blacks
I wake up in the morning and I ask myself
Is life worth living, should I blast myself
I'm tired of being poor and even worse I'm black
My stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch
Cops give a damn about a negro
Pull a trigger, kill a nigga*, he's a hero
Mo' nigga, mo' nigga, mo' niggas
I'd rather be dead than a po' nigga
Let the Lord judge the criminals
If I die, I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto

I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
And I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto

I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
Just think, if niggas decide to retaliate
Soldier in the house, I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto




I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto

Overall Meaning

The song 'Ghetto Gospel' by 2Pac & The Notorious B.I.G starts with the lyrics "Uh, hit em with a little ghetto gospel" and talks about the struggles that people face in the ghetto. The song speaks about the need for love, peace, and unity in the world. The chorus of the song repeats, "Those who wish to follow me, my ghetto gospel. I welcome with my hands and the red sun sinks at last, into the hills of gold. And peace to this young warrior, without the sound of guns."


The first verse of the song talks about how difficult life is in the ghetto and how old memories of blissful childhood days can turn into stress and despair for the younger generations. The song points out how the world is a cursed place and how people should strive to see the light before it is ruined completely. The second verse speaks about the struggles of old ladies living out of bags and how crack addiction makes people crazy. The song also talks about how people go from one form of slavery to another.


The song talks about taking control of one's life and making mistakes and learning from them. It emphasizes the need for peace and an end to the war on the streets. The song also questions the notion of being holy and points out that smoking a blunt or drinking a beer doesn't make one less holy. The song ends on a note of hope where the artist speaks to God and asks for his guidance to pay the price of being hellbound.


Line by Line Meaning

Uh, hit em with a little ghetto gospel
Starting with a humble notice, presenting my little gospel, in a style that belongs to my hood


Those who wish to follow me
The ones who want to come with me to my gospel journey


My ghetto gospel
My gospel journey belongs to my hood and I want to share it with you.


I welcome with my hands
I welcome you with open hands, with no judgment or discrimination.


And the red sun sinks at last
As the metaphorical red sun sets, so does the day, symbolizing the end of violence and war.


Into the hills of gold
Going towards peace and tranquility, represented by hills of gold.


And peace to this young warrior
A wish for peace to everyone, especially the young people who suffer the most.


Without the sound of guns
The end of violence and war, where peace would finally reign.


If I could recollect before my hood days
Thinking back to the past, before our hood days, to a time when life was simpler and carefree.


I sit and reminisce
Remembering the good old days with fondness and longing.


Thinking of bliss and the good days
Remembering the happy moments when everything was filled with joy.


I stop and stare at the younger
Looking at the youth of today with concern and empathy.


My heart goes to em
Feeling deep emotions of compassion for the struggles that young people face today.


They tested with stress that they under
They are going through hard times and facing overwhelming stress.


And nowadays things change
The world is moving at a fast pace and things are changing constantly.


Everyone's ashamed of the youth cause the truth look, strange
The truth is hard to accept, and people are ashamed of how the youth are struggling.


And for me it's reversed
But for me, it's different. I believe that the world has failed the youth.


We left em a world that's cursed
We have left them in a world that's full of problems.


And it hurts
It hurts to see them struggling and going through so much.


Cause any day they'll push the button
The world is at risk of falling apart at any moment.


And all come in like Malcolm X or Bobby Hutton died for nothing
The thought of losing important civil rights leaders in the fight for justice being in vain is painful.


Don't it make you get teary
Doesn't it make you emotional when you think about all of this?


The world looks dreary
The world seems dark and depressing.


When you wipe your eyes see it clearly
But when you remove the tears from your eyes, you can see the truth.


There's no need for you to fear me
There's no reason to be afraid of me or my message.


If you take your time and hear me
If you listen to me carefully, and take your time to understand my message.


Maybe you can learn to cheer me
Perhaps you could learn to appreciate and support me.


It ain't about black or white cause we human
There is no difference between black and white, we are all human beings living in the same world.


I hope we see the light before it's ruined, my ghetto gospel
My final wish is for us to find hope and light, before it's too late and the world is destroyed.


Tell me do you see that old lady
Asking the listener if they see the old lady struggling in poverty.


Ain't it sad
It's heartbreaking to see someone living in such conditions.


Living out of bags
Living a life of homelessness, always on the move with all her belongings in bags.


Plus she's glad for the little things she has
Despite her struggles, she is grateful for what little she has.


And over there there's a lady
There is another woman struggling nearby.


Crack got her crazy
She is struggling with the addiction of a dangerous drug.


Guess who's giving birth to a baby
She is also pregnant, about to bring a life into a world full of struggles and hardship.


I don't trip or let it fade me
I don't let these struggles and hardships affect me or bring me down.


From out of the fryin' pan
From one difficult situation to another.


We jump into another form of slavery
We move from one hardship to another, like jumping from one form of slavery to another.


Even now I get discouraged
Even I, who try to stay positive, sometimes lose hope.


Wonder if they take it all back
I wonder if things could ever go back to the way they used to be.


Will I still keep the courage
But no matter what, I will always have the courage and strength to keep going.


I refuse to be a role model
I am not trying to be a role model for anyone.


I set goals, take control, drink out my own bottles
I set goals for myself, take control of my own life, and don't rely on others.


I make mistakes but learn from every one
I am not perfect, I make mistakes, but I learn from them.


And when it's said and done
When everything is over and done with.


I bet this brother be a better one
I know I will be a better person in the end.


If I upset you don't stress never forget
If I ever make you upset, don't worry, and don't forget.


That God isn't finished with me yet
I still have a lot of growing and learning to do, with God by my side.


I feel his hand on my brain
I feel the presence of God in my mind, guiding my thoughts.


When I write rhymes I go blind and let the Lord do his thing
When I write rhymes, I let go of control and let God guide my words.


But am I less holy
But does that make me less holy or less connected to God?


Cause I chose to puff a blunt and drink a beer with my homies
Just because I choose to relax with my friends and indulge in substances does not make me any less righteous.


Before we find world peace
Before we can find peace in the world.


We gotta find peace and end the war in the streets
We need to find peace and end the violence on our streets.


My ghetto gospel
So this is my gospel, for my hood and my people.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LARRY D. GOODMAN, DERRICK MCDOWELL, TUPAC AMARU SHAKUR, LARRY TROUTMAN, ROGER TROUTMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@Oldschoolrap91

Pac was such a beautiful soul. His spirit and way through his life were so human, so aware of his existence, so consciously living until the very last breath as far as I can tell. His physical death, yet his mind and spirit live on. His message and way to take on his life no matter what he was facing, that's rare. So rare that his young body of 25 contained a soul older than the wise old man.
He said in one of his interviews " I got the whole world fear me, at 23, weighing 160 lbs and I haven't even started, I haven't even write out my plan yet."
So powerful. He had no filters, no masks, just a pure, direct, honest, open and fully real human being. And he did what he thought best with his life and was so open and pure with his feelings and emotions ...
He definitely is the closest person I've never met physically, but spiritually yes.

Poet, actor, rapper, activist, socially aware.
Thriving on so many levels with everything life threw at him. Inspirational and example for many.
He fought for what he believed in and lived. He faced all his fears and laid them bare in his life, all there in the open. His songs, acting roles, interviews, poems, the way he lived.

That recent docu series called Dear Mama is a gem on so many levels.
The name says it all. Afeni, the reason Tupac Amaru Shakur excited in the first place. And I mean him as a person, his name, and his character and power to take on life and all challenges. A combination of life, societies child that society also formed him as he said and of course such a big main part goes to his mom, Afeni. Her life, what she did and how she raised him.
There is so much to say, so let's keep their spirit and message alive and spread it.

Honor these beautiful souls and share it. Spirits like these 2 we definitely need in this world.



All comments from YouTube:

@issacissac9861

People listening to this in 2024 have seen the good times. More importantly, they know where the good music is. You’re an OG. Keep it up and have a blessed day.

@Draco7892

My brother

@smooshi.mooshi

Thank u

@barbaralife8322

Im here from morocco🇲🇦

@kylegiggly6397

Here from Ireland 🇮🇪 🎉

@mommyios

Or someone showed them this magical piece.

3 More Replies...

@jurgenmeyer1176

It's 2024 is anyone here?❤

@smooshi.mooshi

Yuhh

@jkansean1793

Yes sir we are here, This is when rap and reggae dancehall was Good.

@patriksevc5577

Of course

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