A Long Time Ago
U-God Lyrics

My mother said my father was a real livewire
My mother told me my father was a very dynamic and unpredictable person

Hustled on the avenue of Lennox
He made a living by selling drugs and other illegal activities on Lennox Avenue

That he was a don, shot dope in his arm
He was a powerful figure in the drug dealing scene, and was addicted to injecting himself with drugs

Paid visits to the methodon clinic
He would go to a clinic to get methadone, a medication used to help people who are addicted to opioids

A straight womanizer, no religion
He was a promiscuous man who did not follow any religious beliefs

He just leaned on bitches
He relied on women for support and as a source of income

His name rung in the slums, niggaz run for they gun
His reputation was well-known in the poor areas of the city, and people would run for their guns when they heard he was around

Blood thirsty, he was so vicious
He had a strong desire for violence and was very cruel

Poppa was a rolling stone (he left a long time ago)
My father was a man who was always on the move, and left us a long time ago

Poppa was a rolling stone (he never ever was at home, no, no)
My father was always traveling and never spent time at home with us

Momma said daddy's dead (stop messing with the baby's head)
My mother told me that my father had died, and asked me to stop talking about it around the children

One day he'll grow up strong (one day he'll be a man)
My mother hopes that I will grow up to be a strong and capable man, despite not having a father figure around

Momma said father was a mean muthafucka
My mother described my father as a very cruel and violent person

A clean muthafucka, a lean muthafucka
Despite all his negative qualities, my father always took care of his appearance and was very fit

Got money in the pot, got his pops in the block
He had a lot of money from selling drugs, and also provided for his father who lived on the same block

For sellings rocks, a dope fiend, muthafuckas
He made his money by selling drugs and was himself an addict

He struggled all his life, got blood on his knife
My father faced many difficulties throughout his life, and was involved in violent situations that resulted in him getting blood on his knife

Light skinned, he had your eyes
My father had light-colored skin and eyes that are similar to mine

But my mother couldn't handle him
Despite having children together and being in a relationship, my mother couldn't handle my father's negative qualities

The liquor, the gambling, plus he had four wives
My father had problems with alcohol and gambling, and also had multiple wives

My mother said my father had a real bad temper
My mother told me that my father had a strong tendency to become angry and lose his temper

Loud, wild, he was too foul
He was a very loud and uncontrolled person, and also had a bad attitude

With no hesitation, he would kill you
He was a very violent person and would not hesitate to kill someone if he felt it was necessary

With no education, he was still proud
Despite not having much formal education, my father was still very proud of himself and his accomplishments

With his brother Big Harvey, he did a bank robbery
He and his brother committed a robbery at a bank

A car flipped, all the money spilled out
During their escape, the car they were driving crashed and all the money they had stolen fell out of the car

Before it was done, police caught him with some
The police arrested him before he was able to successfully complete the robbery

Riddle of bullets, he died in a shootout
He was shot and killed by the police during a confrontation

Poppa was a rolling stone (he left a long time ago)
My father was always on the move and left our family a long time ago

Poppa was a rolling stone (he never ever was at home, no, no)
My father never spent time at home with our family

Momma said daddy's dead (stop messing with the baby's head)
My mother told us that our father had died, and asked us to not talk about it around the children

One day he'll grow up strong (one day he'll be a man)
My mother hopes that I will grow up to be a strong and capable man, despite not having a father figure around