This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
I can see you're losing hope,
Your smile's not the same,
Don't try to deny it.
I can hear it when you speak,
Your voice gives you away,
So why try to hide it?
And I made you feel broken,
But I will never leave you alone.
Keep believing, just keep on breathing.
Don't give up, there's so much that you should be seeing, you wouldn't believe it.
I know you've had enough, but there's a world outside that's been waiting,
Life's what you make it so don't throw it away.
I know it's hard to get back up when the world has turned on you, you can't find a reason,
Just reach out and take my hand, I swear we'll make it through.
Your smile's not the same,
Don't try to deny it.
I can hear it when you speak,
Your voice gives you away,
So why try to hide it?
And I made you feel broken,
But I will never leave you alone.
Keep believing, just keep on breathing.
Don't give up, there's so much that you should be seeing, you wouldn't believe it.
I know you've had enough, but there's a world outside that's been waiting,
Life's what you make it so don't throw it away.
I know it's hard to get back up when the world has turned on you, you can't find a reason,
Just reach out and take my hand, I swear we'll make it through.
Lyrics submitted by thewakebehindyou
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