Riley, who worked as a nurse for handicapped children for ten years before beginning her singing career, topped the R&B charts and hit the Top 40 on the pop chart at #32 with the 1988 heart-stirring ballad, "Thanks for My Child," a song written by Full Force. The genesis of "Thanks for My Child" began with Full Force member Bowlegged Lou's experience with the complications of his wife's first pregnancy.
As pivotal as "Thanks for My Child" was for Riley's career, it was not the first song Lou offered to her. She refused his offer to record "I Wonder If I Take You Home" because she did not want to spread herself too thin, but after it became a million-selling hit for Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam in 1985, she thought she had missed her big break. She considered herself "the biggest loser ever". Then Lou offered her "Thanks for My Child". Riley still had her nurse's job when the song went to number one on the R&B chart.
"Thanks for My Child" spent just one week on the UK charts at #75. As this is the shortest time it is possible to spend in the charts at the lowest possible position to be considered a "hit", the Guiness Book of Hit Singles lists Riley as one of the UK's least successful chart acts.
The title track single to her debut LP Me Myself and I made it to number 18 on the R&B charts in early 1989. Another single, "Every Little Thing About You," peaked at number 55 on the R&B charts later that year. Her second LP, Chapters, was issued and yielded the singles "How Can You Hurt the One You Love" and a cover of Aretha Franklin's 1968 hit "Ain't No Way". Her third album All That! was released by Reprise, and featured the singles "Gimme" and "Guess I'm in Love."
After a hiatus from the entertainment industry, Riley re-emerged in the early 2000s as a star in a number of gospel plays for best-selling playwright Tyler Perry, including Madea's Class Reunion, Madea Goes to Jail, Why Did I Get Married?, and the film version of Diary of a Mad Black Woman. On June 27, 2006, she relesed her first album in 14 years called "Let Me Be Me".
She has a husband named Michael Grace and a son named Johnny.
Life Story
Cheryl Pepsii Riley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The world ain't no different now...
Never had a dime
My life a crime
Had be when I was nine
Mom drunk off of wine
Ran with all kind her mind stayed wit the stooper
Stay mad but stay fronting with smiles
Stayed on the groung once and a while
First day of school
Never had nutin to style
Mister colondre stressin I ain't comin in a while
It was a bummber
Rocking the shit I rocked all summer
On the first day I was feeling some kind of way
And she wasn't trying to do nutin
You would think for the sake of the kids she would enroll in school or
Something
Now I kno then was even harder
Especially for a single mother
Raising me with no father
Shit living up in this tentament
Eating stale m and m's
Talking wild shit to spanish imigrants
I speak in codes
Man to sivrence
Always quiet then ben dichon to my madre
Even thought she did nutin for me
Acknowledge me as I run down my life story
You don't know how crazy it is outside
I die inside
Oh I've cried oh I've cried
Do you forgive me?? do you forgive me??
Check the skit
No body never gave me shit
If anything a nigga frame me and make me get
3 to 6 my first bid
No doubt up in sparfard
Had to be 12 son had to make a profit
Remembering robbed my moms wit no guilt
Eating pork and beans or corn flakes wit no milk
In school I smacked cats in a hurry
Moms didn't care she was getting drunk wit misses berray
On the first floor
I used to thrist for greenary
Picking pockets wit seth and jay from hundred and sixth street
Yo fuck home
I'm tired of geting punched in my dome
Tired of this faggot ass nigga moan
That's when I started roaming
My hustling game is deep
Cats ya heard
Ran from san fran to manhat tan to newburg
Notorious tell ya friends spread the word
Glorious my life story is obsurd
Chorus repeat 2x
Home from elmira
Got a little writer
I'm gonna keep it real still a scheme man coniver
Recognize the struggle live it like a thug do
Hatred in my heart but inside I love you
See no matter what I will extend my arms to hug you
Knowing I am just like you, I am like the double
All I want to kno is how you pound me down
Yo this shit is real and you really jerked me around
But any way I am geting paid wit puff now
I can cop you a house I can send you some stuff now
So many levels jail take you
I appreciate jail because it made me appreciate you
I've been through fire and birth stone
Used to be ???? not I cop the gem stone
I remembered when you rushed me
The time you said you should of flushed me
I forgive you ma trust me
Chorus repeat till end
These lyrics tell the life story of Cheryl Pepsii Riley, detailing the struggles and challenges she faced growing up. The opening lines, "The world ain't no different now," emphasize that despite the passage of time, the world hasn't changed much in terms of the hardships people face.
In the first paragraph, Cheryl describes her difficult childhood, growing up without money and with a mother who was frequently drunk. She recalls her mother neglecting her responsibilities and not providing for the family's basic needs. Cheryl expresses her frustration and sadness, feeling unsupported and abandoned. She reflects on the tough circumstances of being a single mother and the impact it had on her own upbringing.
The second paragraph delves into Cheryl's experiences as a young teenager, where she faced even more challenges. She mentions not receiving any help from anyone and feeling betrayed and set up by others. She even shares her experience of being incarcerated at a young age for a crime she may have been framed for. Cheryl vividly describes the poverty and hunger she endured, eating cheap and inadequate meals. Despite all this, she still managed to assert her dominance and engage in delinquent behavior out of frustration and anger.
The third paragraph shifts to a later period in Cheryl's life when she returned from Elmira, likely referencing a prison location. She expresses her artistic side, referring to herself as a writer and a con artist. Despite the struggles she faced, Cheryl acknowledges the similarity she shares with those who caused her pain. She talks about the conflicting emotions she feels towards those who hurt her, the hatred mixed with love and understanding. Cheryl mentions her success in the music industry, indicating that she can now support and provide for her family, even offering to buy her mother a house and send her things.
The final repetition of the chorus emphasizes forgiveness as Cheryl reflects on her journey and the growth she has experienced. She acknowledges that despite the harm caused by others, she chooses to forgive and move forward. This ending suggests a sense of closure and maturity, where Cheryl has come to terms with her past and seeks to mend broken relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
The world ain't no different now
The world hasn't changed at all
Never had a dime
I was always broke
My life a crime
My life was filled with illegal activities
Had be when I was nine
I had responsibilities at the age of nine
Mom drunk off of wine
My mom was constantly drunk
Ran with all kind her mind stayed wit the stooper
My mom hung out with all kinds of people and stayed intoxicated
Till a point she paid no mind to the supper
She stopped caring about providing meals
Stay mad but stay fronting with smiles
I would be angry but pretended to be happy
Stayed on the groung once and a while
I sometimes slept on the floor
First day of school
My first day of school
Never had nutin to style
I had nothing fashionable to wear
Mister colondre stressin I ain't comin in a while
Mr. Colondre noticed my long absences
It was a bummber
It was disappointing
Rocking the shit I rocked all summer
Wearing the same clothes I wore all summer
On the first day I was feeling some kind of way
I was feeling upset on the first day
And she wasn't trying to do nutin
And she wasn't trying to do anything
You would think for the sake of the kids she would enroll in school or Something
You would expect her to enroll in school for the sake of the kids
Now I kno then was even harder
Now I know it was even harder back then
Especially for a single mother
Especially for a mother without a partner
Raising me with no father
Raising me without a father
Shit living up in this tentament
Living in this low-income housing
Eating stale m and m's
Eating old candies
Talking wild shit to spanish imigrants
Talking disrespectfully to Spanish immigrants
I speak in codes
I communicate using coded language
Man to sivrence
Man to surveillance
Always quiet then ben dichon to my madre
I was always quiet and then complained to my mother
Even thought she did nutin for me
Even though she did nothing for me
Acknowledge me as I run down my life story
She acknowledged me as I shared my life story
You don't know how crazy it is outside
You don't understand how chaotic it is outside
I die inside
I feel dead on the inside
Oh I've cried oh I've cried
Oh I've cried, oh I've cried
Do you forgive me?? do you forgive me??
Do you forgive me? Do you forgive me?
Check the skit
Listen to this story
No body never gave me shit
Nobody ever gave me anything
If anything a nigga frame me and make me get
If anything, someone framed me and made me do things
3 to 6 my first bid
Serving a three to six years sentence for the first time
No doubt up in sparfard
No doubts about that in Sparfard
Had to be 12 son had to make a profit
At the age of 12, I had to make money
Remembering robbed my moms wit no guilt
Remembering when I robbed my mom with no remorse
Eating pork and beans or corn flakes wit no milk
Eating basic meals without milk
In school I smacked cats in a hurry
I quickly fought with other students at school
Moms didn't care she was getting drunk wit misses berray
My mom didn't care, she was getting drunk with Misses Berray
On the first floor
On the ground floor
I used to thrist for greenary
I used to desire an escape
Picking pockets wit seth and jay from hundred and sixth street
Stealing from people's pockets with Seth and Jay from 106th street
Yo fuck home
I'm tired of home
I'm tired of geting punched in my dome
I'm tired of getting hit in my head
Tired of this faggot ass nigga moan
Tired of hearing this annoying guy's complaints
That's when I started roaming
That's when I started wandering
My hustling game is deep
I am deeply involved in the hustling game
Cats ya heard
People, you heard
Ran from san fran to manhat tan to newburg
I traveled from San Francisco to Manhattan to Newburgh
Notorious tell ya friends spread the word
Notorious, tell your friends to spread the word
Glorious my life story is obsurd
My life story is absurdly exceptional
Home from elmira
Returning home from Elmira
Got a little writer
I became a writer
I'm gonna keep it real still a scheme man coniver
I will remain true to myself, still scheming and conniving
Recognize the struggle live it like a thug do
Acknowledge and live through the struggle like a thug
Hatred in my heart but inside I love you
I have hate in my heart, but deep down I love you
See no matter what I will extend my arms to hug you
No matter what, I will embrace you
Knowing I am just like you, I am like the double
Knowing I am just like you, I am your double
All I want to kno is how you pound me down
I just want to know why you bring me down
Yo this shit is real and you really jerked me around
This situation is real, and you really manipulated me
But any way I am geting paid wit puff now
But anyway, I am now getting paid with Puff
I can cop you a house I can send you some stuff now
I can buy you a house and send you things now
So many levels jail take you
Going to jail takes you through so many levels
I appreciate jail because it made me appreciate you
I appreciate jail because it made me realize my appreciation for you
I've been through fire and birth stone
I've been through difficult times and have emerged stronger
Used to be ???? not I cop the gem stone
I used to be struggling, but now I have acquired wealth
I remembered when you rushed me
I remember when you rushed me
The time you said you should of flushed me
The time you said you should have gotten rid of me
I forgive you ma trust me
I forgive you, Mom, trust me
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CRAIG DAVID ROSS, GERRY DEVEAUX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind