Shades
Wale/Chrisette Michele Lyrics

Chip on my shoulder
I have a strong feeling of resentment.

Big enough to feed Cambodia
My resentment is significant in size.

See, I never fit into they quotas
I never met the standards that were set for me.

Sneakers wasn't fitting and my knees needed lotion
My physical appearance was not 'normal' and I was neglected.

Long before I knew the significance of a comb
I was not taken care of properly.

I roam like phone with no vocal reception
I feel lost or unheard.

Immigrant parents had me feeling like a step-kid
I felt like I did not belong.

And black Americans never did accept me
I did not fit in with other black people.

That's why I thrive so much, win and respect dig
I succeeded despite feeling like an outsider.

I never fit in with them light skins
I felt like I did not fit in with light-skinned black people either.

I felt the lighter they was the better that they life is
I thought that light skin was better than dark skin.

So I resented them and they resented me
I had a mutual hatred with light-skinned people.

Cheated on light-skinned Dominique when we was seventeen
I hurt a light-skinned girl because of my resentment.

I figured I'd hurt her, she'd evidently hurt me,
I hurt her as a form of revenge.

And all women who had light features
I hurt other light-skinned women too.

See, I never let a light broad hurt me
I was determined not to let light-skinned women hurt me again.

That's why I strike first and the first cut's deep
I hurt light-skinned women before they could hurt me.

All my light-skinned girls to my dark skin brothers
No matter what your skin color is, love is love.

Shades doesn't matter heart makes the lover
The color of your skin doesn't determine who you love.

Boy you're so beautiful boy
Regardless of skin color, you are still beautiful.

Just another knotty head nigga
I am seen as just another black person.

Hoping Wes Snipes make my life a bit different
I hoped to be like a famous dark-skinned actor.

In middle school, I had the right to be timid
I was allowed to be shy and unsure of myself.

I had beautiful words but girls never listened
I had inner beauty, but it was overlooked.

The blacker the berry, sweeter the product
Dark-skinned people can be just as, if not more, attractive than light-skinned people.

Walk into my room thinking how to make moves
I was thinking about how to be successful, but in the wrong way.

Ain't thinking like a student but how Ice-T do it
I was thinking like a celebrity instead of thinking about my education.

Light dudes have the girls looking there all year
Light-skinned guys are more desirable to girls.

It's not fair, the ones with the good hair
Light-skinned people are seen as better because of their straight hair.

Couldn't adapt to naps, I wavecap they naps and slept on me
They did not understand my natural hair texture.

Man, I hate black
I hated my own skin color.

Skin tone, I wish I could take it back
I wanted to change my natural skin color.

Or rearrange my status, maybe if I was khaki
I wanted to change my social status and be seen as 'better'.

Associating light skin with classy
I believed that light skin was associated with a higher social class.

The menstrual show showed and me, that was not me
I did not fit into the stereotypical portrayal of black people in media.

They say black is beautiful
People believe that dark skin can be beautiful.

But ask them beautiful light girls
However, sometimes light-skinned women are seen as more attractive.

If its black they attract to usually
People are more attracted to light-skinned people than dark-skinned people.

What if Barack skin was all black, truthfully?
Would Barack Obama have been elected president if he had a dark complexion instead of light?

Would he be a candidate or just a black in community?
Would he have been seen as a potential leader or just another black person?

Because black dudes tend to lack unity
Black men are not united and often have conflicts with one another.

And them blacker girls ain't on the tube, usually
Dark-skinned women are not often represented in media.

Right now, at 23, I ain't mad at them reds no more
I have come to accept light-skinned people and let go of my anger.

But for long time I had gone cold
I held a grudge for a long time.

Blindfolded my own insecurity was holding me back to reds,
My own insecurities were preventing me from accepting light-skinned people.

I ain't know how to act
I did not know how to handle my feelings.

They would get the cold shoulder and know it was an act
I would purposely ignore them as a way of hiding my true feelings.

A defense mechanism what I thought that I lacked
I used this as a defense mechanism because I thought I lacked other means of protection.

Confidence
I have now gained confidence in myself and my skin color.