Been Thru The Storm
The Roots Feat. Stevie Wonder Lyrics

Been through the storm, through the cold and rain
I've faced difficult times and challenges, struggling to get through tough situations and circumstances.

Everything's still the same
Despite going through tough times, everything remains unchanged.

Can't control how I feel
My emotions are difficult to manage and control especially during tough times.

Sometimes it's hard to keep it real
It can be difficult to stay true to oneself during trying times.

You see the luxuries in life, with the fortune and fame
Often times it's easy to become envious of those who have wealth and success.

Like them Cadillacs with sunroofs man
Luxury material items like a Cadillac with a sunroof can be alluring and desireable.

So many ways to make a dollar
There are various ways to earn money, although not all of them are legitimate.

Huh, sometimes I think about my father
I often reflect on my father, who faced similar struggles and obstacles as me.

You see my poppa was broke, and my momma was young
My father struggled financially while my mother was still young when they moved to the US.

Tryin' to blend in with them city folk
They struggled to fit into city life and its culture.

Every day landlord knockin' down my do'
My family constantly faced eviction and the stress of not knowing where they will live next.

Wonderin' where my next blessing is comin' from
My family was constantly in need and wondering where the next opportunity for help or support would come from.

My momma and poppa, moved to the U.S. as Jamaicans
My parents immigrated to the US from Jamaica.

Struggled to get visas and green cards through immigration
My parents had a difficult time trying to get approved for visas and green cards.

Though my pop was po', stayed away from crime and malice
Despite my father's poverty, he refused to resort to crime and other malicious behaviors.

Hard living gave him hard hands and callous
My father's difficult living conditions caused him to develop rough, coarse skin.

As a youngin', peep how much they loved each other's space
As a child, I observed how much my parents loved being in each other's presence.

His hard hands rubbin' against the pretty skin of my mother's face
I watched as my father rubbed his rough hands against my mother's smooth, pretty skin.

Dig for treasure 'til his hands looked like hands of a junkie
My father worked tirelessly, digging for treasure to try to provide for our family at the expense of his physical appearance.

So coarse, slap a mule and take the life from a donkey
My father's hands were so rough that they could take the life of a mule or a donkey if slapped with enough force.

On the other hand, mommy was the type to work two jobs
On the other hand, my mother worked hard trying to make ends meet by working two jobs.

Never enough money, that's why I got your whole crew robbed
My family was so desperate for money that I resorted to robbing with my crew.

Got older, developed ways of grippin' the steel
As I got older, I learned how to hold and use a gun.

Barely home for me to see her, or get a good cooked meal
My mother was often not home, leaving me without a home-cooked meal.

Seek refuge in the alleged land of the free, lookin'
We moved to America in search of a better life and the promise of freedom.

Blendin' in with city folk, down in Flat-bush Brooklyn
We attempted to blend in with the city folk, living in Brooklyn's Flatbush area.

Feel a little of my pain, follow and sing to it
I hope that others can relate and empathize with my experiences through my music.

Homey I seen it all, if you ain't knowin' I been through it
I've been through a lot of struggles and obstacles, and have seen more than most.

Got a little older, late teens, me and my crew would huddle
As I got older, I and my crew would spend our time together huddled together.

On the corner late nights, plottin' to escape struggle
We would spend late nights on street corners, planning ways to get out of our struggles.

Nights got cold and still would hustle in the same place
Even when it was cold outside, we would continue to hustle on the same street corner.

In front of Pancho Delis, now the freeze up on a nigga face
When standing in front of Pancho Delis in the cold, our faces would freeze up.

1987 Reaganomics ever curious
In 1987, Reaganomics was a curious factor in our lives.

To visit other cities, out of town kick was serious
We dreamed of visiting other cities, and were serious about making it happen.

Guyanese jeans bounce, put whatever slinger on
I would wear my Guyanese jeans and put on any shirt.

Whatever slinger came back, quickly brought me right along
Whenever my friends had any opportunity, they would take me along quickly even without giving me much details.

Nigga ran away from home
I ran away from home.

Doin different wild shit, just to put a pair of Filas on, 'Didas on
I did all sorts of wild things just to be able to wear a pair of casual shoes.

Wreck is all for the good, gettin' into shit
I risked everything for the sake of getting into trouble.

Like we innocent, actin' older than should
We acted as if we were innocent and behaving like adults even though it wasn't how it supposed to be.

Walk around broke in the hood, watchin' all the rich niggas
I walked around poor in the neighborhood, always observing people who were rich.

These younger thugs who try to choke and try to get niggas
There were thugs younger than me who would try to rob and choke us.

Thinkin' 'bout my mom and pop, while I'm monopolizin'
Even though I was out getting money, I was always thinking about my parents.

To hell with just gettin' by and economizin'
I didn't want to just get by and save money, I wanted more from life.

It's kinda hard bein' humble in the belly of struggle
It's tough to remain humble when faced with constant struggle and challenges.

Doin' things that probably get you in trouble
I was doing things that would likely get me into trouble or harm.

That's why we stay up on the block, gettin' money while we keepin' it safe
We stayed up on the street corner, earning money but also trying to stay safe.

In front of churchgoers keepin' the faith
Even when in front of churchgoers, we tried to maintain our faith and hope.

Mom and pop be worryin' for they son
My parents were always worried about me.

Despite they struggle and their honest livin' look and see just what I become
Even though my parents struggled and lived an honest life, they saw what I became.

A scavenger, in brute pursuit to be happy, another young'n that's wildin'
I became someone who scavenged and pursued happiness aggressively and chaotically.

Across the line until somebody tryin' to cap me, oh shit
I went too far and crossed a line where someone tried to harm or kill me.