Father LL Cool J

[00:01.99] I swear to tell the truth and nothin but the truth
[00:05.35] So help me God
[00:12.70] I just felt like tellin the story of my life
[00:15.15] Felt like, maybe somebody could be inspired, you know
[00:20.09] We all feel pain, we all go through things
[00:26.57] But it's time to overcome all that
[00:28.78] If your plane crashed in the water and everybody died
[00:31.38] Would you drown on purpose or try to survive?
[00:33.91] I was born handicapped my arm wouldn't move
[00:36.23] They called me a cripple pops caught an attitude
[00:39.58] Beat my moms smoked lye drove trucks
[00:41.26] My moms had a miscarriage, he didn't give a fuck
[00:44.16] He sniffed some coke, come home
[00:46.11] Beat up on my moms cause she's talkin on the phone
[00:48.55] Come on
[00:49.12] All I ever wanted
[00:50.58] All I ever needed
[00:51.61] Was a father
[00:56.45] That's all!
[00:58.78] All I ever wanted
[01:01.54] All I ever needed
[01:04.10] Was a father
[01:07.75] Moms got tired of the beatings said Yo, we got to go
[01:10.57] Packed up her bags we bounced out the do'
[01:13.01] She said, I ain't takin these whippin's no mo'
[01:15.68] I wanna live to see my little Todd grow
[01:17.87] I remember tear drops on my pops face
[01:20.19] Lookin down at me standin on the staircase
[01:23.12] Handsome brother with a smooth goatee
[01:24.60] Makes me wonder why he act so ugly, you feelin me
[01:27.13] I'm feelin you
[01:28.39] All I ever wanted
[01:30.57] All I ever needed
[01:33.33] Was a father
[01:35.53] That's all!
[01:37.56] All I ever wanted
[01:40.11] All I ever needed
[01:42.92] Was a father
[01:46.35] My pops got drunk when me and my moms bounced
[01:49.41] Swigged some Jack Dan', sniffed up a ounce
[01:52.15] Grabbed the shotty left Long Isle for Queens
[01:54.02] Possesed by a demon... a devil it seemed
[01:56.97] I was too young to understand the risk
[01:58.91] When your moms come home off the midnight shift
[02:01.84] She turned around heard the shotgun click
[02:03.62] My pops said, You think that you could leave me bitch
[02:06.44] He blasted my moms in the back
[02:08.81] She fell down screamin I can't forget that
[02:11.34] My grandfather tried to close the do'
[02:13.19] He got shot ten times in the stomach yo, for real
[02:16.51] All I ever wanted
[02:19.39] All I ever needed
[02:21.88] Was a father
[02:24.15] That's all!
[02:26.44] All I ever wanted
[02:29.29] All I ever needed
[02:31.85] Was a father
[02:35.51] My head was spinnin, I had never seen blood
[02:37.89] Four years old, this don't feel like love
[02:40.66] Anyway, pops dissapeared
[02:42.62] Grandpops and moms healed up over the years
[02:45.52] This therapist got up in her head
[02:47.74] Led her to believe without him she'd be dead
[02:50.28] You know, they fell in love with one another
[02:52.15] Everything seemed right that's word to mother
[02:55.49] Until I started gettin beatings everday
[02:57.24] Sometimes for going outside to play
[03:00.25] Late at night on my knees I'd pray
[03:01.10] A young child, wishin the pain would go away
[03:04.60] Dad where was you when he made me strip
[03:06.76] Beat with belts like a slave with a whip
[03:09.85] Kicked me down steps outside in the snow
[03:11.51] Punched me in the chest stomped me out on the flo'
[03:14.44] That's just the tip of the iceberg look
[03:16.47] It's too long for a song but perfect for a book
[03:20.55] Word is bond, that's real baby
[04:39.05]