Keep Ya Head Up
Webbie Lyrics

Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
Black skin represents deep rootedness and natural beauty.

I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots
The darker the skin, the greater the cultural roots and understanding of the struggle.

I give a holler to my sisters on welfare
A shoutout to the struggling sisters who haven’t been given the fair wages they deserve.

Tupac cares, if don't nobody else care
In the absence of widespread support, Tupac offers his own support and love.

And uhh, I know they like to beat ya down a lot
Addressing the fact that black women are constantly beaten down and undermined.

When you come around the block brothas clown a lot
Men sometimes disrespect women when they are walking on the street.

But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up
Don't cry, persevere, and never give up.

Forgive but don't forget, girl keep your head up
Even though life can be hard, it’s important to forgive and move on with respect for oneself.

And when he tells you you ain't nothin' don't believe him
Don’t believe the lies that others say about you.

And if he can't learn to love you you should leave him
If someone doesn’t love and respect you, it’s not worth staying with them.

Cause sista you don't need him
The singer reminds black women that they don’t need a man to validate them.

And I ain't tryin to gash up, I just call em how I see em
The artist conveys that he is being honest and he’s not trying to cause trouble in the community.

You know it makes me unhappy
The singer is unhappy with the way black men treat black women.

When brothas make babies, and leave a young mother to be a pappy
The singer recognizes the harsh reality that men often abandon their children and their mothers.

And since we all came from a woman
Men should show love and respect to women since we all came from a woman.

Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
Women have been the backbone of the black community and have been instrumental in shaping the culture.

I wonder why we take from our women
The artist wonders why black men steal from and disrespect the women in the community.

Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
The singer is outraged that black men rape women in the community and questions why this is happening.

I think it's time to kill for our women
The singer believes that it’s time for men to stand up and fight for their women’s rights and safety.

Time to heal our women, be real to our women
Men should work towards healing women’s emotional traumas and being genuine and empathetic towards women.

And if we don't we'll have a race of babies
If men don’t work towards changing this negative cycle, it’ll continue down to future generations.

That will hate the ladies, that make the babies
If men continue raping and neglecting women, future generations will learn to hate the women who make and raise the babies.

And since a man can't make one
Men can’t physically carry and give birth to a child.

He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
If men don’t have the physical ability to have a child, they don’t have the right to tell a woman where or when they can have a child.

So will the real men get up
Real men stand up and fight for the rights of women.

I know you're fed up ladies, but you gotta keep your head up
The singer acknowledges that black women are tired and frustrated, but reminds them to stay strong and push through.

Keep ya head up, oooo child things are gonna get easier
The singer encourages black women to keep their head up and stay positive, as things will eventually get easier.

Ooooo child things are gonna get brighter
The artist reassures that the future holds hope for black women.

Aiyyo, I remember Marvin Gaye, used to sing ta me
The artist looks back to a time when he found solace in Marvin Gaye’s music.

He had me feelin like black was tha thing to be
Marvin Gaye helped the singer feel proud to be black.

And suddenly tha ghetto didn't seem so tough
Music helped the singer feel like life in the ghetto wasn’t so harsh as he had originally perceived it to be.

And though we had it rough, we always had enough
Even though life was hard, black communities always made do with what they had.

I huffed and puffed about my curfew and broke the rules
The artist broke the rules as a youth and didn’t always adhere to curfew.

Ran with the local crew, and had a smoke or two
The artist got involved with the local crew and tried smoking a few cigarettes.

And I realize momma really paid the price
The singer recognized that their mother gave up a lot to make sure they grew up in a good home.

She nearly gave her life, to raise me right
The artist recognizes the sacrifices and hard work their mother put in to make sure the artist was raised well.

And all I had ta give her was my pipe dream
The singer had only a dream of becoming a rapper to offer his mother in return for all her love and sacrifice.

Of how I'd rock the mic, and make it to tha bright screen
The singer’s pipe dream was to become a successful rapper.

I'm tryin to make a dollar out of fifteen cents
The singer recognizes that making a living is hard and he’s doing his best to make ends meet.

It's hard to be legit and still pay tha rent
It’s hard to make a living and be a law-abiding citizen.

And in the end it seems I'm headin for tha pen
Despite best efforts, it seems like the artist is on a path to end up in jail.

I try and find my friends, but they're blowin in the wind
The singer tries to find his friends but they never stay in one place long enough.

Last night my buddy lost his whole family
The singer’s friend suffered the devastating loss of his entire family.

It's gonna take the man in me to conquer this insanity
The artist recognizes that it will take a lot of strength and growth to overcome life’s obstacles.

It seems tha rain'll never let up
It seems like it’s always raining and life is always hard.

I try to keep my head up, and still keep from gettin wet up
The artist tries to stay optimistic but it’s hard to stay dry and happy when life is always tough.

You know it's funny when it rains it pours
It’s ironic how life’s hardships always come in bunches.

They got money for wars, but can't feed the poor
The government makes funding available for wars, but doesn’t prioritize helping the impoverished and needy.

Say there ain't no hope for the youth and the truth is
People say there’s no hope for young people but the singer acknowledges this isn’t true.

It ain't no hope for tha future
Hopelessness seems to persist throughout society, especially for the seemingly bleak future.

And then they wonder why we crazy
Some wonder why people in the black community react to their situations violently and irrationally.

I blame my mother, for turning my brother into a crack baby
The artist blames their mother for his brother’s drug addiction and the situation it put the artist in, which could have been prevented.

We ain't meant to survive, cause it's a setup
The system is rigged against people of color, setting them up for failure and systemic oppression.

And even if you're fed up
Even if you’re tired and frustrated,

Huh, ya got to keep your head up
You still need to stay strong and persevere through difficult times.

To all the ladies havin babies on they own
The artist sends a message to all the single mothers out there.

I know it's kinda rough and you're feelin all alone
The artist acknowledges the difficulties of raising a child on your own.

Daddy's long gone and he left you by ya lonesome
The father of the child is no longer around and the mother is alone.

Thank the Lord for my kids, even if nobody else want em
The singer is grateful for having children in their life, despite others not wanting them.

Cause I think we can make it, in fact, I'm sure
The artist believes that single mothers can successfully raise their children on their own.

And if you fall, stand tall and comeback for more
If you fail, learn from the experience and come back even stronger.

Cause ain't nuttin worse than when your son
It’s one of the most painful experiences when your son

Wants to kno why his daddy don't love him no mo
Asks why his father doesn’t love him anymore.

You can't complain you was dealt this
The artist reminds single mothers that they can’t complain about the hand they were dealt with.

Hell of a hand without a man, feelin helpless
It’s a hard hand to be dealt with when you don’t have a man’s help and guidance.

Because there's too many things for you to deal with
It’s hard for single mothers who have to take care of everything.

Dying inside, but outside you're looking fearless
Single mothers put on a brave face even though they are struggling inside.

While tears, is rollin down your cheeks
While tears are rolling down your face.

Ya steady hopin things don't all down this week
You’re hoping things don’t get worse this week.

Cause if it did, you couldn't take it, and don't blame me
If things got worse, you wouldn’t be able to handle it and the artist is not at fault.

I was given this world I didn't make it
The singer didn’t create the challenges of this world, but is doing their best to navigate it.

And now my son's getten older and older and cold
The artist’s son is getting older and more disconnected from the world.

From havin the world on his shoulders
The singer’s son is taking on too much responsibility in a world that can be harsh.

While the rich kids is drivin Benz
Rich kids have a much easier life, driving luxurious cars.

I'm still tryin to hold on to survivin friends
The singer is struggling to maintain relationships with surviving friends and family members.

And it's crazy, it seems it'll never let up, but
Life feels insane and unforgiving but the artist again reminds us to persevere.

Please... you got to keep your head up
You must keep a positive attitude and never give up.