Father

I swear to tell the truth and nothin but the truth...

so help me GOD

I just felt like tellin the story of my life

Felt like, maybe somebody could be inspired, you know?

We all feel pain, we all go through things

But it's time to overcome all that

[Verse One: LL Cool J]

If your plane crashed in the water and everybody died

would you drown on purpose or try to survive?

I was born handicapped my arm wouldn't move

They called me a cripple pops caught an attitude

Beat my moms smoked lye drove trucks

My moms had a miscarriage, 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: LL Cool J and singers]

(all I ever wanted)

All I ever wanted

(all I ever needed)

All I ever needed

(was a father)

was a father

(that's all)

That's all!

(all I ever wanted)

All I ever wanted

(all I ever needed)

All I ever needed... was a father

(was a father)

[Verse Two: LL Cool J]

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 standin on the staircase

Handsome brother with a smooth goatee

Makes me wonder why he act so ugly, you feelin me?

(I'm feelin you)

[Chorus]

[Verse Three: LL Cool J]

My pops got drunk when me and my moms bounced

Swigged some Jack Dan', sniffed up a 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]

[Verse Four: LL Cool J]

My head was spinnin, I had never seen blood

Four years old, this don't feel like love

Anyway, pops dissapeared

Grandpops and moms healed up over the years

This therapist got up in her head

Led her to believe 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 everday

Sometimes for going outside to play

Late at night on my knees I'd pray

a young child, wishin 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]