Father by LL Cool J

I swear to tell the truth and nothin' but the truth
so help me God
I just felt like telling the story of my life
felt like maybe somebody could be inspired
we all feel pain we all go through things
but it's time to overcome all that
if your plane crashed in the water and everybody died
would you drown on purpose or try to stay alive
I was born handicapped my arm wouldn't move
they called me a cripple pops caught an attitude
beat my moms smoked lie drove trucks
my moms had a miscarraige he didn't give a fuck
he sniffed some coke come home
beat up on my moms cause she's talkin' on the phone
come on

Chorus:

all I ever wanted
all I ever needed
was a father
that's all
all I ever wanted
all I ever needed
was a father

moms got tired of the beatings said yo we got to go
packed up her bags we bounced out the do'
she said I ain't takin' these whippin's no mo'
I wanna live to see my little Todd grow
I remember tear drops on my pops face
lookin' down at me standing on the stair case
handsome brova with a smooth goatee
makes me wonder why he act so ugly
you feeling me

Chorus

my pops got drunk when me and my moms bounced
swigged some jack day and sniffed up an ounce
grabbed the shotty left Long Isle for Queens
possesed by a demon a devil it seemed
I was too young to understand the risk
when your moms come home off the midnight shift
she turned around heard the shotgun click
my pops said you think that you could leave me
he blasted my moms in the back
she fell down screamin' I can't forget that
my grandfather tried to close the do'
he got shot ten times in the stomach yo
for real

Chorus

my head was spinning I had never seen blood
four years old this don't feel like love
any way pops dissapeared
grandpops and moms healed up over the years
this therapist got up in her head
led her to beleive without him she'd be dead
you know they fell in love with one another
everything seemed right that's word to mother
until I started gettin' beatings every day
sometimes for going outside to play
late at night on my knees I pray
young child wishing the pain would go away
dad where was you when he made me strip
beat with belts like a slave with a whip
kicked me down steps outside in the snow
punched me in the chest stomped me out on the flo'
that's just the tip of the iceberg look
it's too long for a song but perfect for a book
word is bond
that's real baby

Chorus