Afternoon Basketball

Willie Byrd the Third I heard they clipped his wings Now he don’t fly, don’t go high Don’t know why The birds in this cage still sing Ain’t no heat on Mission St It’s beat They hardly eat all day Against the wall as all that salty soul food just gets thrown away Winters on the kitchen floor The flaming oven’s open jaw Like summer’s burning bedroom claw But not as fierce and not as raw Demo’s cool in school He plays the fool for all his mugs in class Clowns around but division’s got him down The boy is hardly passing Tries to rise but the criticizing eyes Just see another stupid kid No one takes the time to find That precious mine there in his head Willie Byrd, T. and Jerome Though the bell has rung ain’t going home Demo kicks it down to the gym He knows his boys be waiting on him to play Afternoon basketball Up and down the court Some are tall, some are short They play Afternoon basketball Hits a layup on the fly Hams it up when the girls go by You say Afternoon basketball Jerome’s daddy ain’t nowhere to be found And Willie Byrd’s just flew Demo’s brother is doing 7 for fives and dimes And that .22 he had Grandma Byrd says, “He got what he gave… The boy just ain’t no good Could’ve stayed in school but now He’s nothing but some lowly hood” Willie lies in bed at night And prays dear Jesus make it right Bring my daddy home to stay Maybe Sundays he and I could play Afternoon basketball Up and down the court Some are tall, some are short They play Afternoon basketball Shooting hoop out in the sun Nothing wrong with having fun You say Afternoon basketball Willie Byrd the Third The word I heard is that he had a Fourth Took his sweet Latisha and their baby boy To live up north Don’t know why the years all fly and suddenly His boy is ten Works real hard down at the yard Never seen his pop again But Willie Byrd done made a vow To bring that boy up good somehow Been there every single day And Sundays now they both go out and play Afternoon basketball Up and down the court Daddy’s big and his boy is short But not for long No not for long Hits a layup on the fly Hams it up with his momma watching him Afternoon basketball