Strength of a Nation Vol. 1

Track: 2
Title: Keep Your Head Up 2
Artist: CoalMann

“Yeah, keep your head up!

I know it seems hard sometimes
But remember one thing, through every dark night
there is a bright day after that, so no matter how hard it get, stick your chest out
keep your head up and handle it

Hey let me talk to my youngins in the street for a minute
Cause I ‘m try to reach this world before I’m finished.
I know it is hard for you to live in these rough conditions
Or make smart decision when you in this position
Cause most of the time we take the wrong way out
but it is time for us to take the strong way out
I know that is seems like people don’t care but Coalman cares
if nobody else care

But don’t cry dry your eyes and keep on praying
and just try to hold on to these words I'm saying
Cause this world is going to get worse before it gets better
But I’m going to keep writing you love letters
And now lets take a quick look at what happened on 911
God said it and now thy shall be done
And in the words of Tupac Shakur
they got money for war but can’t feed the poor
Keep your head up

Chorus
To all my youngins in the street, now, how they packin heat,
how I see you on the creepBefore you get wet up,
I know people look down and they always frown,
and they tryin to keep you down, I know you get fed up,
I know things are looking, bad now, got ya real mad now
but if you let it get down, you got to get on up.
Stand up tall, straight up you back, stick out your chest.

And little girl people might ask what’s wrong with you cause they don’t understand the things that you’ve been through,
and they don’t know that your mama was broke and she would take the welfare check and blow it up in smoke.
And they don’t know that you didn’t eat dinner last night, no bath, no bedtime stories, no hugs tonight.
And they don’t know that you didn’t eat breakfast this morning except cracker and cheese to calm your stomach,
and they don’t know that you put on the same panties, the same socks , the same pants the same shirts with spots,
and then sent off to school, shoved out the door,
nappy head and clothes from the day before,
and when the teacher don’t understand why you keep being rude.
Why your homework ain’t done and why you in a bad mood.
Cause baby that don’t have a hunch and why you feel sick
cause you ain’t got money for lunch.
And I know this is gonna shock ya, but when she get home
mommy’s boyfriend is gonna wanna play doctor.
Penetrating her frail body its evident
that she’s screaming out for help but y’all keep missing it,
destroying everything inside that was innocent,
suicide notes from a nine year old cause she’s pregnant.
But little girl it ain’t your fault, so please stop looking down at the asphalt
and keep your head up.

Chorus

To all my youngins in the street, now, how they packin heat, how I see you on the creep Before you get wet up, I know people look down and they always frown, and they tryin to keep you down, I know u get fed up, I know things are looking ,bad now, got ya real mad now but if you let it get down , you got to get on up.
Stand up tall, straight up you back, stick out your chest.

I remember James Brown made me say it loud,
put my fist in the sky and be black and proud.
And suddenly the ghetto didn’t seem so bad
because we was all glad with the things we had.
Mamma used to be hate for me to be on the block,
because she thought I get shot or either locked up.
I realized mama really paid the price
working one job 36 years of her whole life.
And where was my father when I needed one,
the ghetto is a father to so many fatherless sons,
I know some of y’all wanna be fathers
but it aint you fault all the time, sometimes it your baby’s mama.
And girlfriend you know you wrong for that,
don’t keep your child from their Pops like that, now stop that.
To the ladies having babies on their own
daddies long gone, you gotto be strong it time to move own…
and if he aint giving you child support,
then girl that when you take him to court.
but be patient. Because I think we can survive through this set-up,
ride and keep your head up and stop getting fed up.
Cause I still got hope for the youth and the truth is still I got hope for the future.
So will my real men get up. And stop being thugs, let’s put down the guns and keep your head up.