Little girl tell me why you're scared
Why you writing in you hope soon to be dead
Is it because of the stuff that your papa did
Took your innocence, now you're taking meds
Now you're here, you don't even want to be nothing
Is it because your mama said you ain't nothing
Put that garbage in the back, skinny dirty trash
These the words that will haunt you
When you're in the cla**
How in the world you gonna study
How you do the math
But you put a smile on
Girl that's a mask, I see you moving fast
You trying to push forward but then you think about pa**
Hoping you can blast off, but the time slow, pause
And you stay rolled up, meat ball
Tears flowing Niagara falls
I pray you dream girl
I pray you stand tall
Say I dream. Say I dream forever
Lil' bro what you scared of? How you get in juvey cuz?
Here with these k**as, you the very opposite of thug
He said I'm from the hood but I never been a goon
Mamma got laid off, we was running outta food
I couldn't listen to my cryin' little sister when we
Had nothin' to give her plus we bout to get evicted
You know Chicago winter be oh so cold
Rather do wrong than to have no home
So I went to the dealer, slung that dope
Made that money, paid that note
Mama wasn't happy but she ate that soup
Until the undercover Popo came through
No words for that
He staring at me, stared right back
Had no dreams of ice and nice cars
Only bread and a bed. Now that he behind bars
The kid got both but he still can't sleep
Nightmares of his family cold and hungry
And that's a true story, I wish that it was false
I fought back tears when I shoulda' let em flow
He didn't need jail, no that brotha' need hope
A young criminal with a heart full of gold
And I ain't tryin' to say homie did the right thing
He made the wrong choice but he had the right dream
I know you hurt and you been through a lot
But be all you can be. Girl get your spell on like Akeelah the Bee
Boy go to law school, solve the mysteries. Ya hear me?
To all my dreamers who wanna go to mars, even if you're
In the hood you can see the stars
Ain't nothing wrong with wanting to get paid
But you ain't gotta k** if you wanna get by
Wanna be a cop? Go ahead then do it
As long as you don't abuse your power then lose it
Awww. You say it's crazy, is it? Yeah, life is like a monster
Sk** it. You can be a doctor, a actor, a lawyer, even a governor
In California. I know seems like you're reaching for a lot
Just keep the Lord first and He will take you to the top