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.
thanks
Cheryl Pepsii Riley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And even though my man has left me behind,
I don't regret a thing for having you.
Thanks for my child,
I'm really thanking you, the man above
Thanks for my child
You brought me so much joy
Thanks for my child
And though your father, He ran away free.
The love I have for you baby, Is the love I have in me
I'll stay and watch you grow, Yes I will!
I'll raise you by myself, A one woman show.
You make life worth singing a song
You make life worth singing a song'
With you right here with me,
I 'll have the strength to go on.
Thanks for my child
Here we are to today, the years have gone by
Thanks for my child
You grew before my eyes, time after time
Thanks for my child
I'll hold you in my arms, I hold you close to me
Rock a bye my baby, I'll rock you to sleep
I understand your language, Your baby talk
You forgot to crawl, Before you walked
There you are just looking so beautiful
And all the while, you are wrapped in blankets
You are my love child.
Thanks for my child
I really thanking you, The man above
Thanks for my child
You brought me so much joy, This bundle of love
Thanks for my child
And though your daddy, He ran away free
The love I have for you baby
Is the love I have in me, Inside of me
The love I have in me
I just know, I'll never let you go, no, no
No, no, no, oh yeh
Cause you're my sweet baby
Papa can't preach, Papa was a rolling stone because
He left his beautiful, Cause he left, us alone
But that's OK cause I'm you mother baby
I carried you for 9 months, And I'm gonna carry you
Until you can carry yourself On your own
I love you sweetheart, (child) I love you too mommy!
The song "Thanks For My Child" by Cheryl Pepsii Riley is a powerful expression of a mother's love for her child. The lyrics reflect the feelings of a single mother who has been abandoned by her partner but continues to cherish and look after her child. The song starts with a feeling of gratitude for the child that came into her life, bringing joy and a sense of purpose. Although the father has left them, she does not regret having the child, and is grateful to God for blessing her with this bundle of love. As the song progresses, she promises to be there to support and nurture the child, no matter what. She recognizes the sacrifice and responsibility in raising the child alone, but expresses a sense of strength and determination to carry on.
Despite the pain and disappointment caused by the father's absence, the mother resolutely declares her love for her child. She promises to watch the child grow and be there to share in the milestones of life. She listens to the child's baby talk and sings lullabies to put the child to sleep. Her devotion is complete, and her love unconditional. In the end, she reaffirms her commitment to her child and will remain steadfast in her support for the child.
Line by Line Meaning
You came into my life, You just made everything right.
Your birth brought immense joy and positivity in my life, making everything perfect.
And even though my man has left me behind,
Although your father abandoned us,
I don't regret a thing for having you.
I still feel blessed and grateful to have you in my life.
Thanks for my child,
I am giving thanks for your arrival.
I'm really thanking you, the man above
I am thanking God for sending you to me.
You brought me so much joy
Your presence in my life brings me immense happiness.
This bundle of love
You are a precious gift of love.
And though your father, He ran away free.
Although your father left us and is no longer here.
The love I have for you baby, Is the love I have in me
The love I have for you comes from within me and will never fade.
I'll stay and watch you grow, Yes I will!
I will always be here to witness and support your growth.
I'll raise you by myself, A one woman show.
I will take on the role of both mother and father in raising you.
You make life worth singing a song
You bring so much joy into my life that I can't help but sing.
With you right here with me,
Your presence by my side brings me comfort and strength.
I 'll have the strength to go on.
Your presence gives me the courage and motivation to keep moving forward.
Here we are to today, the years have gone by
Time has passed since your birth and you have grown.
You grew before my eyes, time after time
I have had the privilege of watching you grow and mature over the years.
I'll hold you in my arms, I hold you close to me
I will always cherish holding you in my arms and feeling your warmth.
Rock a bye my baby, I'll rock you to sleep
I will soothe you to sleep with my gentle rocking.
I understand your language, Your baby talk
I understand and appreciate every sound and word that comes out of your mouth, no matter how simple.
You forgot to crawl, Before you walked
You skipped crawling and went straight to walking, showing your eagerness to learn and grow.
There you are just looking so beautiful
Your beauty and wonder never cease to amaze me.
And all the while, you are wrapped in blankets
Even as you grow older, you are still my little baby, wrapped up in blankets.
You are my love child.
You are the embodiment of the love I have to give.
The love I have in me
The love I have for you comes from the depths of my soul.
I just know, I'll never let you go, no, no
I promise to always be by your side and to never let go of you.
Cause you're my sweet baby
You will always be my little baby, no matter how old you are or how much you grow.
Papa can't preach, Papa was a rolling stone because
Your father was not present in your life due to various reasons.
He left his beautiful, Cause he left, us alone
He left behind a beautiful family and abandoned us.
But that's OK cause I'm you mother baby
But I am here for you as your mother.
I carried you for 9 months, And I'm gonna carry you
I carried you in my womb for 9 months and I will continue to carry you emotionally.
Until you can carry yourself On your own
I will support you until you are able to be independent on your own.
I love you sweetheart,
I will always love you, my dear.
I love you too mommy!
And I love you too, mom!
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN P. GEORGE, CURTIS T. BEDEAU, GERARD R. CHARLES, HUGH L. CLARKE, LUCIEN J. GEORGE, PAUL ANTHONY GEORGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Black Dove Investigates
WON'T HE DO IT?!
I'm a mother of sons also.
They're all decent men just like the men who raised me.
And their father and I married but those guys tried to live up to my expectations.
So nice to emeet you!
🌹
Last Dayz
For all the strong single MOTHERS out there HOLDING IT DOWN!!
Mary Carlisle
Fa sho!
Shana-kay McDougall
Thank you so much
Luring Lady
What about the NOT single mothers? Yall salute single motherhood as if women are supposed to set out to be single mothers.
dollar not
@Luring LadyEXACTLY! I teach at an alternative middle school 6-8th grade. Students glorify being a single babies momma as if it's something to be proud of. I tell them to have a want/focus in life- college, trade school, business school or the military- not glamorizing pregnancy/prison. PRAYING FOR THIS GENERATION!
Brandon Hardin
This song speaks to your heart physically and spiritually.
Shed D
I was 14 and pregnant I use to sing this to my belly all the time.. None of my family wanted me to have my baby but my father told me that we can do this so I kept my baby than 3 months later my father died and my child father stopped claiming me or my baby but this song got me thru it ..
Janell Irving
Your father sounded like a good man.
Kyndal Killebrew
Thats so sad omg 😭
Yvette Clayton
I'm glad u kept your baby I'm sorry for your loss