2trangers

Two strangers 1969, that's when I arrived Little farm in the country, I'm the youngest of five Mom and dad was always fighting, they couldn't see eye to eye My sister's joked, said it's cause she's short and he was 6'5 Sadly it's true, they just couldn't get along But as far as I remember, he never do me no wrong I don't know about my sisters, could they all say the same All I know is I can't let my father's image bring pain Mom and daddy split, she couldn't take it no more She packed up all her shit, said she gon' file for divorce We left the crib, my momma put her foot to the floor I was just a kid, ain't know if I'd see daddy no more By the time I was seven, we all moved out to the city Southside, Minneap-, you know these trenches is gritty Only white family on the block had to adapt to a change Paranoid of my new surroundings, would they see me the same By the time I'm in high school, I had friends of all races I ain't care if they was white, black, Latino, or Asian Always judged by they heart, never judged by they faces Can't say the same about my sisters, hate to say it, they racist See my father had died when I was 22 Sent me into depression, I ain't know what to do So I started thinking back, tracing my memories I guess I thought that somehow it would better me That's when I realized, I never liked being touched By my friends or by guys, it didn't matter to I I was never sure why, I always struggled with trust Then I thought maybe I was a child victim to lust See I thought about my father, then I thought about my sisters Then I thought about my mother and how we made them all victims He would beat on my mother, take to his raping my sisters Then the thought made me sick, what if I was his victim See my whole life, I have always sang in the choirs I even sang in my school, I always sang in the shower I even sang in the band, I sang my soul would recoup At 25, I went to South Africa with my church group Started off as church business, I would manage the choir Doing shows and concerts to the next church that would hire Stayed with a friend in the ghetto, I was tired Slowly over time, some new friends I would acquire While I was there, I met a man, he stood about 5 foot 5 He was nervous around me, I saw the fear in his eyes I always stayed around him, I wanted to be his friend Started off as his friend, to fall in love we ain't planned Two strangers 1973, that's when I came to be A small child in a shack with no shoes on my feet 4th child of 6, it's 5 boys and a girl At a young age, I knew that it's a lot of pain in this world As I got older, had pent up anger inside Always exploded in rage, my family never knew why Did I have anger issues? Was I the problem child I ain't know how to tell him that I was just traumatized Grew up in South Africa during apartheid Racial segregation, we suffered from hard times Family was piss-poor in a colored community I would do anything just to make sure my family eat I remember me and my homies was playing a game in the street A three-man game of cricket, I swear I couldn't be beat When we saw a few policemen walking over to we They killed my best friend for none, they left him laying at my feet I started pacing in anger by what they did to my brother Why can't we live in a world where we all love one another Why them crackers always thinking that they above someone other We need some reconciliation in this nation called mother I remember when I was five, I was hungry and broke Looking for a meal or some rand, I suppose The man next door yelled out his door and he spoke He offered me a meal and I thought it was a joke Welcomed me in his home and set some food on the table Sat and watched me eat, I ain't know his mind wasn't stable After I finished eating, he grabbed me by my arms As a child, I ain't really know what was just going on As I got older, I started to understand Every single day, I had been raped by that man Offering me meals and disguising his plans Stripped me of my pureness, I felt the devil's hands See, my whole life, I have had a love for music My voice was a tool, I released pain when I used it Gathered up some friends and we would start a band Gospel rap and R&B, that's when ambition began Made us some music and we had put out an album Started doing shows and I ain't talking about no Malcolm Going gig to gig and then repeat the cycle One of us had even opened up for Michael While doing a show one night, I ran into a woman Scared of her paleness, but no admitting to it She stuck around with me, she wanted to be my friend Started off as her friend, to fall in love, we ain't planned Two strangers As the time passed, the two became a couple They would make it work, they'd get through all the trouble Married in 2000, moved back to Minnesota Had a couple of kids and watched them both grow older Son was born in 02, he felt the weight of the earth Grew up without no money, he putting his pain in a verse Hustling through music, trying to make it out first It was that or go to jail for the drugs being dispersed Daughter born in 05, she was the polar opposite Living the Disney life and trying to ignore the obvious Also had a dream of music, that'd be pretty cool Always went to show choir to pave the way through school Two strangers See if my mama never took that trip I don't even think my father would reach 26 Cape Town, a dark place deep behind his beauty It makes all our toughest hoods look all sweet and fruity So who are we to say who struggled Look around you nigga, everybody here has struggled Everybody got they problems and they situations Everybody got they feelings, got they aspirations So before you start to judge the next man Ask yourself, would I survive the shit he been in Ask again, would I live 20 minutes in they skin Pass the gin, cause we all survived our struggles nigga, bask it in