Shining Through
Fredro Starr & Jill Scott Lyrics

I see your true color, shinin through
I see the real you, your true character shining brightly through your actions and words.

I see your true color, an' that's why I love you
I love you for who you really are, with all of your strengths and weaknesses.

Yo, father forgive, we all tryin to survive where we live
Dear God, forgive us for our sins, as we all struggle to survive in our difficult circumstances.

I'd rather feed the homeless eight times than talk to da kids
I prioritize helping those in need, like the homeless, over simply talking to kids without taking action to help them.

Show 'em life ain't no walk on the bridge
Teach them that life is tough and full of challenges, not an easy walk on a bridge.

Damn as hard as it is, when I be dreamin I be talkin to B.I.G
Despite how difficult life can be, I still have hope and dreams, and even talk to the late rapper B.I.G in my dreams.

In my hood it ain't no yellow brick road, we hear the shots echo
My neighborhood is far from the idealized Yellow Brick Road, as gunfire echoes in the streets.

Sneakers hangin from a telephone pole
An indication of gang violence in my neighborhood, where it's not uncommon to see sneakers hanging from a telephone pole.

In my ghetto aint no rainbow wit pots a gold
The ghetto has no illusions of rainbows and pots of gold, there are no easy paths to success in this impoverished environment.

but tha was love from tha family when tymes are cold
Despite the hardships, love from family is what keeps everyone warm when times are cold and harsh.

I seen n analyzed tha world from my project roof
I have observed and thought critically about the world from my perspective on the roof of my building in the projects.

An' seen the hope in tha eyes of a troubled youth
Even among the troubled youth in my neighborhood, I can still see the glimmer of hope in their eyes.

A good kid, I kept this burna in dis motha goose
I was a good kid, but I still kept a gun hidden in a Mother Goose book for protection in my dangerous neighborhood.

A motherless child,lost in these streets loose
Without a mother and often left to my own devices in the dangerous streets.

in the waterworlds away these are rainy days
In the midst of tough times and struggles, the world seems far removed and distant.

My man got poped at an early age
My friend was shot and killed at a young age.

These cowards run n say he flipped into his early grave
These cowardly individuals try to justify his death by saying he brought it upon himself.

They say the good die young, we're headed for dem early gates
There's a saying that the good die young, and we're all headed towards death eventually.

Yo, they say this love wasn't meant to be
People may say that our love wasn't meant to be because we come from such different worlds.

2 people from 2 different worlds, we wasn't meant to be
As two people who come from vastly different worlds, it may seem like our love was never meant to be.

it musta been fate you were sent to me
Despite the odds, I believe it was fate that brought us together.

we'll make it through these hard tymes, eventually
We'll get through these tough times together, eventually.

tha standard fight,walk by faith n not by sight
Our standard is to fight, to keep going despite hardships, and to follow our faith rather than what we see with our own eyes.

we're all tha same color when you turn off tha lights
We're all the same inside, regardless of our skin color, when you turn off the lights and focus on our shared humanity.

i take tha sunshine with tha pain
I try to find the good in life, even in the midst of pain and hardship.

wear my Saraguards sad,dats when it rains
When I'm at my lowest point and feeling sad, it's like the universe is crying with me through the rain.

no fridge, kept tha food on tha window payne
I had no refrigerator growing up, so we had to keep our food cool by placing it on the windowsill.

we all breathe tha same air so we all tha same
We're all connected in this world, and we're all the same when it comes to breathing the same air and sharing a planet.

im trapped in this ghetto maze tryna make it out
I feel stuck in the ghetto, like a maze with no clear exit, but I'm trying to find a way out.

if you dont know me dont judge me, wuthcu talkin bout
If you don't know me or my struggles, don't be so quick to judge me or say hurtful things.

im far dividable of ard of tha broken dreams
I'm tired of the broken dreams and shattered hopes that I see in my community.

single mothas yall my heroes, yall my queens
I have the utmost respect and admiration for single mothers, who are my heroes and like queens in my eyes.

to get my moms out tha hood, thats my hope n dreams
My biggest hope and dream is to get my mother out of the dangerous neighborhood we live in.

to raise my son to be a soldier by any means
I want to raise my son to be tough and resilient like a soldier, no matter what it takes.