Dear Mama

Dear mama, they sentenced me to death Today's my final day, I'm countin every breath I'm bitter cause I'm dyin, so much I haven't seen I know you never dreamed, your baby would be dead at 16 I got beef with a sick society that doesn't give a shit And they too quick to say goodbye to me They tell me the preacher's there for me He's a crook with a book, that motherfucker never cared for me He's only here to be sure I don't drop a dime to God bout the crimes he's commitin On the poor, and how can these people judge me? They ain't my peers and in all these years, they ain't never love me I never got to be a man, must be part of some big plan To keep a nigga in the state pen And to my homies out buryin motherfuckers Steer clear of these Aryan motherfuckers Cause once they got you locked up They got you trapped, you're better off gettin shot I'm convinced self-defense is the way Please, stay strapped, pack a gat every day I wish I woulda known while I was out there Now I'm straight headin for the chair Dear mama, Dear mama You are appreciated You are appreciated Dear mama! Dear mama! You are appreciated And dear mama Dear mama You are appreciated And dear mama Music is what hold the world together This world, the next world, and the previous world Now, ain't nobody tell us it was fair No love from my daddy, 'cause the coward wasn't there He passed away and I didn't cry, 'cause my anger Wouldn't let me feel for a stranger They say I'm wrong and I'm heartless, but all along I was lookin' for a father, he was gone I hung around with the thugs And even though they sold drugs They showed a young brother love I moved out and started really hangin I needed money of my own, so I started slangin I ain't guilty, 'cause even though I sell rocks It feels good puttin' money in your mailbox I love payin' rent when the rent's due I hope you got the diamond necklace that I sent to you Cause when I was low you was there for me And never left me alone, because you cared for me And I could see you comin' home after work late You're in the kitchen, tryin' to fix us a hot plate You just workin' with the scraps you was given And Mama made miracles every Thanksgivin But now the road got rough, you're alone You're tryin' to raise two bad kids on your own And there's no way I can pay you back But my plan is to show you that I understand You are appreciated And dear mama, you are appreciated Dear mama! Dear mama! You are appreciated Dear mama! Music is what hold the world together This world, the next world, and the previous world Dear mama, these cops don't understand me I turned to a life of crime, 'cause I came from a broken family My uncle used to touch me, I never told you that Scared what you might do, I couldn't hold you back I kept it deep inside, I done let it fuel my anger I'm down for all my homies, no mercy for a stranger The brother in my set, is 16 is wet It's hard to adapt, when you're black and you're trapped in a livin' Hell I shouldn'ta let him catch me Instead of livin' sad in jail I coulda died free and happy And my cellmate's raped on the norm And passed around the dorm, you can hear his asshole gettin' torn They made me an animal Can't sleep, instead of countin' sheep, niggaz countin' cannibals And that's how it is in the pen Turn old and cold, and your soul is your best friend My mama prayed for me Tell the Lord to make way for me, prepare any day for me (why?) Cause when they come for me they find a struggler To the death I take the breath from your jugular The trick is to never lose hope I found my buddy hangin dead from a rope, 16 on Death Row And there's no way I can pay you back But my plan is to show you that I understand You are appreciated And dear mama, you are appreciated Dear mama! Dear mama! You are appreciated