2Pac – Keep Ya Head Up (Guitar)

A
  Little something for my godson Elijah

                              G#m
And a little girl named Corin

A
Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice

G#m
I say the darker the flesh, then the deeper the roots (Oh)

A
I give a holla to my sisters on welfare

G#m
2Pac cares if don't nobody else care (Oh)

A
And, uh, I know they like to beat you down a lot

G#m
When you come around the block, brothers clown a lot

A
But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up

G#m
Forgive, but don't forget, girl, keep ya head up

A
And when he tells you you ain't nothin', don't believe him

G#m
And if he can't learn to love you, you should leave him

A
'Cause, sister, you don't need him

G#m
And I ain't tryin' to gas you up, I just call 'em how I see 'em (You don't need him)

A
You know what makes me unhappy? (What's that?)

G#m
When brothers make babies and leave a young mother to be a pappy (Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah)

A
And since we all came from a woman

G#m
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman (Yeah, yeah)

A
I wonder why we take from our women

G#m
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?

A
I think it's time to kill for our women

G#m
Time to heal our women, be real to our women

A
And if we don't, we'll have a race of babies

G#m
That will hate the ladies that make the babies (Oh, yeah-yeah)

A
And since a man can't make one

G#m
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one

A
So will the real men get up

G#m
I know you're fed up, ladies, but keep ya head up

A
(Keep ya head up) Ooh, child, things are gonna get easier

G#m
(Keep-keep ya head up) Ooh, child, things'll get brighter

A
(Oh-oh, keep ya head up) Ooh, child, things are gonna get easier

G#m
(Keep-keep ya head up) Ooh, child, things'll get brighter

A
Ayo, I remember Marvin Gaye used to sing to me

G#m
He had me feelin' like black was the thing to be

A
And suddenly the ghetto didn't seem so tough

G#m
And though we had it rough, we always had enough

A
I huffed and puffed about my curfew and broke the rules

G#m
Ran with the local crew and had a smoke or two

A
I realize Mama really paid the price

G#m
She nearly gave her life to raise me right (Oh, yeah-yeah)

A
And all I had to give her was my pipe dream

G#m
Of how I'd rock the mic and make it to the bright screen

A
I'm tryin' to make a dollar out of fifteen cents

G#m
It's hard to be legit and still pay your rent

A
And in the end, it seems I'm headin' for the pen'

G#m
I try to find my friends, but they're blowin' in the wind

A
Last night, my buddy lost his whole family

G#m
It's gonna take the man in me to conquer this insanity (Oh, no, no, no)

A
It seems the rain'll never let up

G#m
I try to keep my head up and still keep from gettin' wet up, huh

A
You know, it's funny, when it rains it pours

G#m
They got money for wars, but can't feed the poor

A
Said it ain't no hope for the youth

G#m
And the truth is it ain't no hope for the future

A
And then they wonder why we crazy, huh

G#m
I blame my mother for turnin' my brother into a crack baby

A
We ain't meant to survive 'cause it's a set-up

G#m
And even though you're fed up, huh, you got to keep ya head up

A
(Keep ya head up) Ooh, child, things are gonna get easier

G#m
(Keep-keep ya head up) Ooh, child, things'll get brighter

A
(Oh-oh, keep ya head up) Ooh, child, things are gonna get easier

G#m
(Keep-keep ya head up) Ooh, child, things'll get brighter

A
And, uh, to all the ladies havin' babies on they own

G#m
I know it's kinda rough and you're feelin' all alone

A
Daddy's long gone and he left you by your lonesome

G#m
Thank the Lord for my kids even if nobody else don't want 'em

A
'Cause I think we can make it, in fact, I'm sure

G#m
And if you fall, stand tall and come back for more (Oh-oh)

A
'Cause ain't nothin' worse than when your son

G#m
Wants to know why his daddy don't love him no mo'

A
You can't complain, you was dealt this hell of a hand

G#m
Without a man, feelin' helpless (I know you were)

A
Because there's too many things for you to deal with

G#m
Dyin' inside, but outside you're lookin' fearless

A
While the tears is rollin' down your cheeks

G#m
You're steady hopin' things don't all fall this week (Yeah)

A
'Cause if it did, you couldn't take it (Yeah)

G#m
And don't blame me, I was given this world, I didn't make it (Oh, yeah)

A
And now my son's gettin' older and older

G#m
And cold from havin' the world on his shoulders

A
While the rich kids is drivin' Benz

G#m
I'm still tryin' to hold on to survivin' friends (Oh, yeah)

A
And it's crazy, it seems it'll never let up

G#m
But, huh, please, you got to keep your head up