Horace Andy, or Horace Hinds ( ⋆ 19 Feb 1951 in Kingston, Jamaica) is lege… Read Full Bio ↴Horace Andy, or Horace Hinds ( ⋆ 19 Feb 1951 in Kingston, Jamaica) is legendary reggae artist and roots reggae singer and songwriter. He is also Rastafarian. His first single, "This is a Black Man's Country," was released 1967 Andy is one of the most respected and influential singers in Jamaica, known for his distinctive falsetto vocal style and songs as Skylarking, Government Land, Angel, Five Man Army and for his work with English Massive Attack. He is famous for a covers as Ain't No Sunshine and Papa Was A Rolling Stone. Andys first studio albums were Skylarking (1972), You Are My Angel (1973) and Earth Must Be Hell (1974) . His latest, Broken Beats, was released 2013.
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Horace Andy is a legendary roots reggae singer, notable for such tracks as Government Land, You Are My Angel and Skylarking.

Born Horace Hinds on 19 February 1951 in Kingston, Jamaica, he made his earliest recordings in the late 1960s. Known for his distinctive falsetto vocal style, he sung on many classic production for reggae producers, including Phil Pratt, King Tubby and Prince Jammy. He is a devout Rastafari and, like many reggae singers, much of his material deals with themes of religion and social justice.

Andy found a new generation of fans in the 1990s, thanks to his work with trip hop pioneers Massive Attack. He continues to record new music, with an album called Living in the Flood released in 1999 on Massive Attack's Melankolic record label.

Child of the Ghetto
Horace Andy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

* originally appeared on P. Diddy's "The Saga Continues..."

Yo, yeah, yo
Uhh, uhh, yeah, yo
Uhh, uhh, yeah, yo
Uhh, uhh, G. Dep!

[G. Dep]

A child of the ghetto, nobody explain it to me
Livin the scripture the picture they painted for me
Rippin it runnin and gunnin and aimin for me
Yo.. (yeah, uhh, yeah)

I guess you niggaz told me right and exact
Shak, shak, right in his back
I might just crack while I'm writin this rap
From even, a tire that snap, I'm light in the sack
I tell you how I feel and that's part of the deal
I'm like, Seagal with the steel but "Harder to Kill"
It's real, big Beans up for lettin me know
Fifteen bet and you blow, better get dough
Won't be a second we won't; they lettin me go
Since pays wisen your ways, allow me to grow
Aiyyo (yo) swing yeah back to the scene
Seven-four-eight-oh, can't recall in between
Whole state pulsate, we can wrinkle the town
Park jams dark shams niggaz breakin it down
Niggaz rock the heaters, my clique rocked Adidas
Didn't know the blocks were where the spots would lead us
But hey..

[Chorus]
A child of the ghetto, nobody explain it to me
Livin the scripture the picture they painted for me
Knew what it wasn't, it wasn't the game or the greed
Rippin it runnin and gunnin and aimin for me
A child of the ghetto, nobody explain it to me
Livin the scripture the picture they painted for me
Niggaz is gamin they ain't who they claimin to be
Niggaz that know me they told me the game it could be - CRAZY

[G. Dep]
I take you back to the scene of the stunt
Scene of that rhyme and you can think what you want
And if you.. and if you tell me you can get it from here
Got boom got boom, put shit in the air (yeah yeah yeah)
Get us some gear to get us in here
Waited years to get a premier and did it from here
Harlem - citizen where the kid is in gear, guard him
Niggaz in here, who get it in here, we are them
Take you back to the 80's around
Polo Grounds, Uptown, eight-eighty a pound
Niggaz hit the rooftop, y'all was roofin the rocks
Other niggaz shoe tops, only youth on the block
You dig me - movin in tops and movin these rocks
You get it - we movin them blocks to move in them drops
Skiddin - I guess the niggaz told me right and exact
When they said stop fightin and stack it - get the money nigga

[Chorus]

[G. Dep]
Eighty-one I had fun, eight-two I was new
Eight-three I did me, eight-four I had grew
Eighty-five it got live, eight-six in the mix
Eighty-seven in the kicks, eighty-eight in the whips
Eighty-nine I had the grind, now I know it was flow
Ninety-one we got guns, ninety-two it was dough
Nine-three was the key, nine-four was sure
Nine-five took a dive, nine-six I was poor
Nine-seven did eleven now I'm made out the gate
Nine-nine spit rhymes two-thousand and straight..
Shit, I thought I'd give housing a break
Sit back, countin the cake, and lounge in estates, but yo

[Chorus] - 2X {*to fade*}

Overall Meaning

In the song “Child of the Ghetto,” Horace Andy takes a deep dive into living life in the ghetto, and G. Dep raps about living in Harlem in the 80s and early 90s. The chorus emphasizes being a child of the ghetto, nobody explaining anything to them and living the scripture that was painted for them. G. Dep takes us to the scene of the story, emphasizing that from a young age, they knew what it wasn’t, that it wasn’t the game or the greed, and ripping and running, aiming for the future along the way. This song emphasizes growing up in the ghetto and finding a path through the music industry, understanding that the ghetto is a place where, unfortunately, people play games and act in ways that are not real.

The lyrics, in general, aim to challenge young people to be aware of their surroundings and where they come from, pointing out the intensity of growing up in certain areas and how it can shape people in different ways. It warns to be careful of the people you choose to associate with and reminds them to stay true to their roots. Overall, this song is about acknowledging where you came from and pushing beyond the limits that the ghetto imposes.

Line by Line Meaning

A child of the ghetto, nobody explain it to me
I was raised in the ghetto and no one ever taught me about it

Livin the scripture the picture they painted for me
I live the life that has always been portrayed to me

Rippin it runnin and gunnin and aimin for me
My life is full of violence and I'm trying to survive

Knew what it wasn't, it wasn't the game or the greed
I knew what life in the ghetto wasn't, but not what it was

Niggaz is gamin they ain't who they claimin to be
Many people in the ghetto are pretending to be someone they're not

Niggaz that know me they told me the game it could be - CRAZY
People who know me warned me that life in the ghetto can be very dangerous

I might just crack while I'm writin this rap
I might lose control while writing this song

From even, a tire that snap, I'm light in the sack
When even a tire snaps, I feel like I am worthless

I'm like, Seagal with the steel but "Harder to Kill"
I am very skilled with a gun, and very difficult to kill

Whole state pulsate, we can wrinkle the town
The entire state is pulsing with energy, and we can create a stir in our own town

Didn't know the blocks were where the spots would lead us
We never realized that staying in our neighborhood would take us to new places

Eighty-one I had fun, eight-two I was new
In 1981 I had fun, but by 1982 I was in a new situation

Nine-seven did eleven now I'm made out the gate
In 1997 I did a criminal act and now I am successful

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group
Written by: TREVELL COLEMAN, ERIC MATLOCK, DERRICK TROTMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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