Retrospect for Life [Album Version]

Yo we gotta start respecting life more y'all You look at your brother man you gotta see yourself Gotta see the God within him Brothers getting changed real quick over nothing We losing too many of ours Gotta recreate y'all Yo check it, Knowing you the best part of life do I have the right to take yours Cause I created you irresponsibly Subconsciously knowing the act I was a part of The start of something, I'm not ready to bring into the world Had myself believing I was sterile I look into mother's stomach, wonder if you are a boy or a girl Turning this woman's womb into a tomb But she and I agree, a seed we don't need You would've been much more than a mouth to feed But someone, I would of fed this information I read to someone, my life for you I would of had to leave Instead I lead you to death I'm sorry for taking your first breath, first step, and first cry But I wasn't prepared mentally nor financially Having a child shouldn't have to bring out the man in me Plus I wanted you to be raised within a family I don't want to, go through the drama of having a baby's momma Weekend visits and buying J's ain't gon' make me a father For a while bearing a child is something I never wanted to do For me to live forever I can only do that through you Nerve I got to talk about them niggas with a gun Must have really thought I was God to take the life of my son I could have sacrificed going out To think my homies who did it I used to joke about, from now on I'ma use self control instead of birth control Cause $315 ain't worth your soul $315 ain't worth your soul $315 ain't worth it [Lauryn Hill] I, never dreamed you'd leave, in summer You said you would be here when it rained [Common] Yo Why didn'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, child's elimination An integration of thoughts I feel about the situation Back and forth my feelings was pacing Happy deep down but not joyed enough to have it But even that's a lie in less than two weeks, we was back at it Is this unprotected love or safe to say it's lust Busting, more than the sweat in somebody you trust Or is it that we don't trust each other enough And believe, having this child'll make us have to stay together Girl I want you in my life cause you have made it better Thinking we all in love cause we can spend a day together We talking spending the rest of our lives It's too many black women that can say they mothers but can't say that they wives I wouldn't chose any other to mother my understanding But I want our Parenthood to come from Planning It's so much in my life that'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 wouldn't run from But I'm walking, finding myself in my God So I can, discipline my son with my writing Not have a judge telling 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 African names, case our minds changed You say your period hasn't came, and lately I've been sleepy So quit smoking the weed and the beadies and let's have this boy [Lauryn Hill] I, never dreamed you'd leave in summer You said you would be here when it rained You said you would be here when it rained Oh I, never dreamed you'd leave in summer Now the situation's made things change Things change Why, didn't you stay Why didn't you stay I, never dreamed you'd leave, in summer In summer You said you would be here when, it rained When it rained, it rained Oh I, never dreamed, you'd leave in summer You said you wouldn't leave Now the situation's made things change Things change, why didn't you stay? Stay, stay stay stay stay stay stay Stay Oh why didn't you stay