Doing Better

I gotta do better Gotta speak better, gotta live better I gotta do better Gotta love better, gotta give better I gotta do better So much better than what I am doing I gotta do better Better better better, better, better, better It's crazy when reality is much more frightening than your dreams What happens in this world hits much different When your skin's pigmented, he asked me what I mixed with I said I'm black and black, he scrunched his face up I'm like what's wrong with that Love who you love it don't matter to me But what irks a sister, nah what really hurts a sister Is when you get with them snow bunnies And exotic queens to sit up on your throne And look down at me The one who birthed you The one who raised you The one who mourn you The one who is left to raise all your little kids Sometimes it takes so much to be a black woman When we're happy we're too loud We got standards were too proud When we say how we feel it comes off as aggressive Now everybody in the spot thinks we're so offensive So now we gotta dim our light and become submissive But Lord I'm so tired I'm so sick and tired Of this muzzle why every word I speak Sounds muffled Now tell me how can I fulfill my destiny If I can't even open up my mouth and say my piece Can somebody please explain this to me I gotta do better Gotta speak better, gotta live better I gotta do better Gotta love better, gotta give better I gotta do better So much better than what I am doing I gotta do better Better better better, better, better, better Why is this cold world inhabited by so much evil Why do we post naked pictures with positive affirmations Knowing dag on well that we're capping in them captions Why can't we choose love and learn how to watch our actions Why can't we support each other like the people who hanged us Why we just can't be ourselves without them thinking we're dangerous She says she's been raped why her mama don't even believe her This trauma has opened up the door for the deceiver To deceive her he shames her and tells her that she's nothing The lies he filled her head with are now on her arms and wrists She could've been someone done something special Or off to college to make an effort to be a high achiever Give it her all and never let up but the world ain't let her Instead like an evil beast ready to feast It consumed her flesh and soul Kinda like Hannibal Lector There it was taking all she had like a debt collector I gotta do better Gotta speak better, gotta live better I gotta do better Gotta love better, gotta give better I gotta do better So much better than what I am doing I gotta do better Better better better, better, better, better