Black Girl Pain

My momma said life would be this hard

Growin' up days as a black girl, scarred

In every way still you've come so far

Just know the name, you don't know the pain

So please hold your hands up high

Don't be ashamed of yourself, know I

Carry it forth till the day I die

Just know the name, they don't know the place

Black girl

Oh-oh

Oh, yeah

Oh-oh

Hey, hey, hey

Oh, yeah

Yeah, I do it for the people

I do it for the love

I do it for the poet

I do it for the thug

This is for victory

And this is for the slaughter

I do it for my mother

I do it for my daughter

Promise, I always love you

I love to kiss and hug you

You and your brothers should be lookin' out for one another

I'm so blessed, man

Y'all the reason I got up

Somebody put his hands on you, I'm gettin' locked up

I'm not playin' that's the prayer I'm sayin' for Diani

And if I die, they should be protected by Amani

That's her bigger brother and I love the way he love her

She a girly girl, she love to imitate her mother

But she a Gemini

So stay on the friendly side

She'll put that look on you

It's like somebody friend just died

My pretty black princess smell sweet like that incense

That you buy at the bookstore supportin' black business

Teach her what black is, the fact is apparent to thorough

She four readin' corn rows by Camille Yarborough

I keep her hair braided

Bought her a black barbie

I keep her mind free

She ain't no black zombie

This is for Aisha

This is for Kashera

This is for Khadijah

Scared to look up in the mirror

I see the picture clearer through the stain on the frame

She got a black girl name

She livin' black girl pain

This is for Makeba

And for my mamacita

I swear to God, Ma

I'll be your promise keeper

I see the picture clearer through the stain on the frame

She got a black girl name

She livin' black girl pain

My momma said life would be this hard

Growin' up days as a black girl, scarred

In every way still we've come so far

They just know the name

They don't know the pain

So please hold your hands up high

Don't be ashamed of yourself, know I

Will carry you forth till the day I die

'Cause they just know the name, they don't know the pain

Black girl

This is Beatrice, Bertha

Benjamin who gave birth to

Tsidi Azeeda for Lavender Hill for Kyalisha

Althone, Mitchell's Plain

Swazi girls I'm reppin' for the Mannesburg, Gugulethu

Where you'd just be blessed to get through

For beauty shinin' through like the sun at the highest noon

From the top of the cable car at table mountain, I am you

Girls with the skyest blue of eyes and the darkest skin

For cape colored call for realizing we're African

For all my cousins back home

The strength of mommy's backbone

The length of which she went for raisin', sacrficin' her own

The pain of not reflectin'

The range of our complexions

For rubber pellet scars on auntie Elna's back I march

Fist raised

Caramel shinin' in all our glory

For Mauritius, Saint Helena

My blood is a million stories

Winnie for Joan and for Edie

For Norma, Leslie and Diddi

For auntie Betty, for Melanie

All the same family

Fiona, Jo Burg

Complex of mixed girls

For survivin' through every lie they puttin' to us now

This world's yours and I swear I will stand focussed

Black girls, raise up your hands

The world should clap for us

My momma said life would be this hard

Growin' up days as a black girl, scarred

In every ways still we've come so far

They just know the name

They don't know the pain

So please hold your hands up high

Don't be ashamed of yourself, know I

Will carry you forth till the day I die

'Cause they just know the name, they don't know the pain

Black girl

Oh-oh

Oh, yeah

Oh-oh

Oh, yeah

Oh-oh

Oh, yeah

Oh-oh

Oh, yeah

Momma said there'll be days like this

Momma said there'll be days like this

Oh, yeah

Momma said there'll be days like this

Momma said there'll be days like this

(Oh, yeah black girl)

Momma said there'll be days like this

Momma said there'll be days like this

Oh, yeah

Momma said there'll be days like this

Momma said there'll be days like this