Featuring lauryn hill
Yo we gotta start respectin life more yand'all
You look at your brother man you gotta see yourself
Gotta see the god within him
Brothers gettin changed real quick over nothin
We losin too many of ours
Gotta recreate yand'all
Yo check it
Knowin you the best part of life do i have the right to take yours
Cause i created you irresponsibly
Subconciously knowin the act i was a part of
The start of somethin, iand'm not ready to bring into the world
Had myself believin i was sterile
I look into motherand's stomach, wonder if you are a boy or a girl
Turnin this womanand's womb into a tomb
But she and i agree, a seed we donand't need
You wouldand've been much more than a mouth to feed
But someone, i woulda fed this information i read
To someone, my life for you i woulda had to leave
Instead i lead you to death
Iand'm sorry for takin your first breath, first step, and first cry
But i wasnand't prepared mentally nor financially
Havin a child shouldnand't have to bring out the man in me
Plus i wanted you to be raised within a family
I donand't wanna, go through the drama of havin a babyand's momma
Weekend visits and buyin jand's ainand't gonand' make me a father
For a while bearing a child is somethin i never wanted to do
For me to live forever i can only do that through you
Nerve i got to talk about them niggaz with a gun
Must have really thought i was god to take the life of my son
I could have sacrificed goin out
To think my homies who did it i used to joke about, from now on
Iand'ma use self control instead of birth control
Cause $315 ainand't worth your soul
$315 ainand't worth your soul
$315 ainand't worth it
[lauryn hill (two layers of vocals, same words)]
I, never dreamed youand'd leave, in summer
You said you would be here when it rained
[common] yo
Why didnand't you stay
Seeing you as a present and a gift in itself
You had our child in you, i probably never feel what you felt
But you dealt with it like the strong black woman you are
Through our trials and tribulations, childand's elimination
An intergration of thoughts i feel about the situation
Back and forth my feelings was pacin
Happy deep down but not joyed enough to have it
But even thatand's a lie in less than two weeks, we was back at it
Is this unprotected love or safe to say itand's lust
Bustin, more than the sweat in somebody you trust
Or is it that we donand't trust each other enough
And believe, havin this childand'll make us have to stay together
Girl i want you in my life cause you have made it better
Thinkin we all in love cause we can spend a day together
We talkin spendin the rest of our lives
Itand's too many black women that can say they mothers
But canand't say that they wives
I wouldnand't chose any other to mother my understanding
But i want our parenthood to come from planning
Itand's so much in my life thatand's undone
We gotta see eye to eye, about family, before we can become one
If you had decided to have it the situation i wouldnand't run from
But iand'm walkin, findin myself in my god
So i can, discipline my son with my writin
Not have a judge tellin me how and when to raise my seed
Though his death was at our greed, with no one else to blame
I had a book of afrikan names, case our minds changed
You say your period hasnand't came, and lately iand've been sleepy
So quit smokin the weed and the beadies and letand's have this boy
[lauryn hill]
I, never dreamed youand'd leave in summer
You said you would be here when it rained
You said you would be here when it rained
Ohh i, never dreamed youand'd leave in summer
Now the situationand's made things change
Things change
Why, didnand't you stay
Why didnand't you stay...
I, never dreamed youand'd leave, in summer
In summer
You said you would be here when, it rained
When it rained, it rained
Ohhhohh i, never dreamed, youand'd leave in summer
You said you wouldnand't leave
Now the situationand's made things change
Things change, why didnand't you stay?
Stay, stay stay stay stay stay stay
Mmmmm, stayyy
Uh-uh
Ohh why didnand't you stay..
