[Black thought]

My grandmother suits was tailor made, sundays mahalia played

Simple familiar ways, like how she kneeled and prayed

Willin, master forgive us, our trust pastors had us real afraid

I never listened yet I still obeyed

I got to see how philly played at such an early age

What my father was into sent him to his early grave

Then moms started chasin that base, like willie mays

My childhood was all of 40 nights and 40 days

Trouble was my ball and chain, shorties would call me names

Humble beginnings but a star is what it all became

My journey from a dirty hallway, to the hall of fame

Music my therapeutic way to cope with all this pain

Was headed for the drain, soakin before the rainwater came

And chaos, into the order came

I started doin what I'm 'sposed to do in life

Tryin to move out of the dark, and closer to the light

They say if you get a chance to do it, overdo it right

Tomorrow isn't promised every time, you say goodnight

Knahmtalkinabout? uhh, yo

Story of a little ghetto boy, check it out

[John legend - overlapping bt's last two lines]

Yeah yeahhh

Little ghetto boy, ohhh

Playin in the ghetto street, ay-ayyyy!

What'chu gonna do when you grow up

And have to face responsibility?

Yeah yeahhh

Will you spend your days and nights in a pool room?

Will you sell caps of madness, to the neighborhood

Little ghetto boy

You already know, how rough life could be

Hard to see, so much pain and misery

Yeahhhhhhh, yeahhhh

Little ghetto boy, yeah

Your daddy was blown away

Heyyyy yeahhh

He robbed that grocery store yeah

Don't you know that was a sad sad day?

Eyyyyy-yeah

All your young life you've seen such misery and pain

The world's a cruel place to live in, it ain't gonna change yeahh

You're so young, and you've got so far to goooooo

Don't think you'll reach your goal young man

Talkin 'bout the ghetto boy

Yeah yeah yeahhhh

Yeah, yeahhh little ghetto boyyyyy-oyyyy

When when you become a maaaaan, yeahhhh

You can make things change

Oh if you just take a stand, yeah yeahhhh

You've got to believe in yourself, in all that you doooo

You've got to fight to make it better, better

And you will see, that others will start believin too

Then my son, things will start to get better

Hey yeahhhh yeah

"Everything has got to get better" - [repeat in background]

Ohhh

Everything has got to get better

Yeahhh yeahhhhh yeah

Don't you know it's gonna get better

Heyyyyyy yeah yeah

Got to believe that everything

Yeahhhhh yeah yeah yeah

Whooahhh ho oahhh oahhh oahh

Whoa yeah

Whoah ho oahhh oh ohhhhhhh

Ohhhhhhhh yeah yeahhhh

Yeah, yeahhhhh, little ghetto boy

Mmmmmm yeah yeahhhhhhhhh