Still i rise

Dear Lord
As we down here, struggle for as long as we know
In search of a paradise to touch (my nigga Johnny J)
Dreams are dreams, and reality seems to be the only place to go
The only place for us
I know, try to make the best of bad situations
Seems to be my life's story
Ain't no glory in pain, a soldier's story in vain
And can't nobody live this life for me
It's a ride y'all, a long hard ride

Somebody break me I'm dreamin, I started as a seed the semen
Swimmin upstream, planted in the womb while screamin
on the top, was my pops, my momma screamin stop
From a single drop, this is what they got
Not to disrespect my peoples but my poppa was a loser
Only plan he had for momma was to fuck her and abuse her
Even as a little seed, I could see his plan for me
Stranded on welfare, another broken family
Now what was I to be, a product of this heated passion
Momma got pregnant, and poppa got a piece of ass
Look how it began, nobody gave a fuck about me
Pistol in my hand, this cruel world can do without me
How can I survive? Got me askin white Jesus
will a nigga live or die, cause the Lord can't see us
in the deep dark clouds of the projects, ain't no sunshine
No sunny days and we only play sometimes
When everybody's sleepin
I open my window jump to the streets and get to creepin
I can live or die, hope I get some money 'fore I'm gone
I'm only 19, I'm tryin to hustle on my own
on the spot where everybody and they pops tryin to slang rocks
I'd rather go to college, but this is where the game stops
Don't get it wrong cause it's always on, from dusk to dawn
You can buy rocks glocks or a herringbone
You can ask my man Ishmael Ree