Manchild
Shyheim Lyrics

I'm a manchild born in the promised land
I am a young adult who was born with potential and promise

Captain of my destiny, guidin my faith through the turbulence of life
I am the one responsible for my own future and I navigate through the rough times with my faith

See, in order to be who you are, you've got to know who you are
To truly know yourself, you must be conscious of your identity and history

In order to get to where you want to go, You've got to know from where you came
To reach your goals, you must understand and acknowledge your past

Say, it was Malcolm X who said, "A man who doesn't have nothin to stand up for Will fall for any god damn thing!"
Malcolm X once said, without a strong sense of purpose, one is subject to following anything

I walk with a gat...
I carry a gun for protection

Damn, my face drop tears, it's like nobody cares
I am deeply saddened and feel alone in my struggles and pain

I swear, life ain't fair, sometimes I wanna disappear
Life is unjust and hard to bear, and I occasionally wish to vanish

Only Blahzay Blah' got mad gray hairs, I'm a young old man
Only older folks who have experienced more have gray hair while I, though young, often feel older than my years

What part of Shit Iz Real don't you understand?
Why can't you see how tough my life is?

Twin got murdered, caught one to the temple *gunshot*
My twin was killed by a gunshot to the head

You ain't been what I been through, Can It Be All So Simple?
You cannot comprehend the whole complexity of what I have been through

I got bad nerves, it's absurb, I'm disturbed
My nerves are shot and I am emotionally disturbed

So, I suggest you watch the words that you blurb Out your mouth, or it'll be a shoot out
Be careful of what you say or there may be a violent confrontation

I leave you stretched out, I'm thugged, inside and out And it ain't by choice
I often resort to violent behavior and it's not by my own decision

I'm screamin out loud for love (AHHHH!), do anybody hear my voice?
I am crying out for affection but no one seems to listen

Pardon the noise, I'm just a black ghetto boy
I apologize for being loud, but I am a young black man from the projects

Went through the rain and pain, where's the sunshine and joy?
I have gone through tough times and am searching for happiness and positivity

I can't seem to find it, trapped in the black cloud Watchin my life go down, to hide the suffer when I smile
I feel like I'm in a dark place and watch my life deteriorate. I hide my pain with a smile

Running these streets can be so... trying these trying times... Manchild in the promised land, who of you will understand?
Navigating the streets is hard, especially as a young man. Who can truly understand my struggles?

My aunt died from AIDS, I watched here deteriate
My aunt passed away from AIDS, and I saw her health decline

She told me fuckin wit drugs, was her biggest mistake
My aunt expressed that her drug use was her biggest regret

Put my moms on to it, stickin needles in her veins
My mom started using drugs too and began injecting them

Bein sons of addicts, yo, me and Cane the same
My brother and I are just like our drug-addicted parents

We used to go to the pool, just to steal kid's sneakers Rocked cut-off beepers, wore old clothes for Easter
As kids, we went to the city pool to steal others' shoes. We wore outdated clothes for Easter.

Shit was so real, we had to split a slice of pizza
We were so poor that we had to share a slice of pizza

I was born at six months, damn, premature My moms birthed a thug like, Afeni Shakur
I was born six months early, making me a premature birth. Despite this, I still became a tough man like Afeni Shakur

I'm surprised I ain't crazy, from the bug shit I saw
I'm surprised I haven't gone insane from the traumatic events I've witnessed

I caught my mother buyin crack on the first floor
I caught my mom buying crack on the first floor of our building

I never thought I'd be in a cell, smokin the NewPort With all sorts of thoughts, runnin through my mind
I never thought I'd be locked up smoking cigarettes and dealing with a whirlwind of emotions in my head

Know I ain't leavin, caught, D.A. took it, jail time
I know I'll be here for a while, the district attorney has taken action against me.

I glanced at my mom's eyes, she lookin like she wanna cry
I looked at my mom's eyes and thought she looked as though she wanted to cry

They say I'm an accident waitin to happen, G
People say I am bound to cause trouble

Miss Sand from the first floor said she gon' pray for me
Miss Sand from the first floor said she will pray for me

She had a bad dream, that they, murdered me
She had a nightmare that someone killed me

Hope is miles away, from where I stay
Hope is far away from where I live

Who knows the way? Pssshhh... should I pay For the directions?
I do not know where to go, and I wonder if I should pay for guidance

My whole family's in correction
My entire family has been in jail at some point

Fake friends half-steppin, I'm stressin, and some question Can I trust you?
Fake friends are unreliable and I am stressed, leading me to question if I can trust anyone

Uh-huh, then I love you Yea, if not, straight up and down, fuck you Bottomline, real people do real things Play your position...
If I can trust you, I love you. If not, I say it plain and simple: screw you. Ultimately, real people act authentically and everyone has their role to play.

You've got to plan your work and work your plan Cuz seein who fails the plan, plans the fail Execute your strategy and seize your goal Cuz see, persistance overcomes resistance
It is important to make a plan and follow through with it. Those who do not plan are likely to fail. Stick to your tactics and pursue your aims, knowing that persistence helps overcome obstacles.