Ghetto Tears
Silkk The Shocker Lyrics

Dear God can ya save me
Asking for divine intervention in the midst of hardship

If you can't save me, save our babies
If no help is available, at least protect the innocent

We trying to keep it real, so many ghetto tears my people cry
Life in the ghetto is full of struggle and pain, and many people suffer

Life is hard and I see that every day, just so many ghetto tears
The reality of life in the ghetto is a constant source of sadness

In the ghetto
A repetitive statement of the song's main theme

Age 11 looking out of a ghetto building
Growing up in a poor neighborhood with limited options from an early age

Mom and 5 of us little ghetto children
Coming from a large, struggling family in a poverty-stricken area

I ain't never knew wrong from right
Growing up without clear moral guidance

Growing up off my life, thinking Adidas had 4 stripes
Being unaware of the real world outside of the ghetto growing up, mistaking even simple things

So my uncle tried to warn us
Receiving advice from someone with life experience and wisdom

Told us not to do drugs, but yesterday I saw him on it
Being disappointed and disillusioned by the failings of those who should be role models.

See in my hood it ain't no love
Living in a harsh environment where people are not supportive and caring towards one another

Age 13, seen my auntie o.d. on drugs
Personal experience with the devastating effects of drug use

The neighborhood hoe only 15 and everybody wants to bang her
Young girls being exploited and objectified in unhealthy ways

Found her dead, gave herself and abortion with a clothes hanger
Tragic consequences of lack of education, resources, and access to medical care

I seen on of my neighbors try everything but couldn't make it
Witnessing the difficulties neighbors and people around go thorough and the lacking of resources to climb out of poverty

Came home one day killed his whole family
Desperation and hopelessness leading to extreme violence and tragedy

I guess he couldn't take it
Acknowledging the unbearable amount of stress and suffering people in the ghetto endure

I give back, even if it ain't nothing big
Contributing in any small way possible to try to help those around

Look at my grandma, terminal disease only got months to live
Witnessing the suffering of loved ones with limited resources available to help them

They tell us we ain't gonna be nothin
Facing a lack of encouragement and support from those who should be helping to uplift people in the ghetto

Gave my homie 25 years
Personal experience with the criminal justice system, which often targets people from the ghetto

I shed tears for all my peers
Compassion and empathy for others in similar situations

The ghetto's like a headache, one big ol migrane
Metaphor to describe the overwhelming difficulty of living in the ghetto

Tryin to stay high till I die
Using drugs to escape the pain and struggle of life

Tryin to like hide the pain
Trying to keep suffering invisible to the outside world to avoid judgment or punishment

My homey mama died and didn't know it
A sense of detachment and numbing to tragedy and loss after experiencing too much of it personally

When she died he committed suicide
Feeling that life is unbearable without loved ones who have died

Maybe it's too late for me
A sense of hopelessness and despair that it's too late to change one's own life or the life of the ghetto

Since I'm still here, I'm kinda glad to be
A feeling of gratitude and relief for still being alive despite the hardships

Been in and out of jail since I was 12
Getting caught in the cycle of poverty, crime, and punishment that is prevalent in the ghetto

Life been hectic since mama had me
Recognizing that the hardships of life in the ghetto began at birth and have continued since then

I have to ask myself the simple question why
Reflecting on the injustices and difficulties of life in the ghetto and questioning why they exist

It's so hard to live but yet so easy to die
The high risk of death and the low quality of life in the ghetto

With this simple question Lord can you help me
Appealing to a higher power for assistance in the face of overwhelming struggle

Just tryin to live large and wealthy
Aspiration for financial success and stability, as a way out of poverty and struggle

From these card that you dealt me
Acknowledging that life in the ghetto is heavily influenced by factors out of one's control

I used to ask ???, but now they ask me
From asking questions for guidance to becoming the perceived role model

Life passed em up, I wonder will life pass me
Feeling stuck and excluded from the limited opportunities available to those from the ghetto

Cause it really ain't no love for us ghetto kids
A sense of being unwanted, ignored, and unloved by the world outside of the ghetto

For all the dirt that I did
Acknowledging past mistakes and wrongdoings

I don't think I'll find where heaven is
Feeling far from hope and redemption from a life of struggle and hardship

I wonder why they won't panic and try to ban it
Feeling that outsiders do not understand or care about the problems in the ghetto

Probably cause they scared of it
Speculating that others avoid engaging with the issues of the ghetto because they are fearful or naive

I just don't understand it
A sense of confusion and frustration with the difficulty of life in the ghetto and the lack of support from others

How could you carry a kid for 9 months black
Questioning the actions of those who harm and neglect their children

She had a baby boy
Acknowledging the gender of the child affected by an unhealthy pregnancy

But while she she was pregnant she was smoking crack
A graphic example of how drug abuse can cause lasting harm to the developing baby, continuing the cycle of poverty and neglect

How could you rape and abouse your kids
Expressing disgust and horror at those who commit such heinous acts against their own children

How could you committ incest and say you love your kids
Recognizing the deep flaws and contradictions in those who use love to justify harmful and traumatic behavior

They ain't ask to be here, they ain't ask to see here
Acknowledging that children do not choose their circumstances, and they should not be punished for the life they are born into

Slipped here by 15 minutes of pleasure
Lamenting the fleeting joys and lasting consequences that result from irresponsible sexual behavior

From the cradle to the grave
Highlighting the inescapable reality that life in the ghetto can start and end in poverty

Or from the cemetery to the penatentary
Further emphasizing the limited options and tragic outcomes that many face in the ghetto