[?] [?] to the black roses crackin' the concrete I love you and I miss you so much My love for you Is like a angel flyin' through the sky, like a bird in the winter And your love for me Is so deep and sorta like a black rose crackin' the cement My love for you Lives on like the memory of Aaliyah singin' a last song And your love for me Will never die, like a black child strugglin' the ghetto to survive My heart goes out to the beautiful woman that raised me Twenty years after the Watts riots, early 80s Pops on drugs, moms couldn't take me in Had a daughter, already said she was too young to feed another baby and Shit got crazy, then two years came and went Baby's just growin' away, we can't even pay the rent, no hot water I reminisce tears runnin' down my face as I hold my daughter You spent years by the fire place I was in the garden, every Sunday at the church Bible study at the Carters, I was hard head Back then I was sellin' crack When your hard-earned money paid for basketball practice Always at the game on time, yellin' at the coaches Wondering why your baby boy's sittin' on the pine Even though life gets hard sometimes, I keep my head up And I can make the Sun shine in just one rhyme Walk with me My love for you Is like a angel flyin' through the sky, like a bird in the winter And your love for me Is so deep and sorta like a black rose crackin' the cement My love for you Lives on like the memory of Aaliyah singin' a last song And your love for me Will never die, like a black child strugglin' the ghetto to survive In and outta lanes in that 57 Lincoln Continental Pedal to the floor, lookin' for the highway to Heaven Remember when your baby boy was seven? We had good times like I was Jay Jay and you was Fleur, the Evans I should have listened to the reverend Now I drain my pain in this forty ounce and these born-ass records Disrespectin' your house, livin' reckless, look at me Inside your jewelry box, 'bout to pawn your necklace Every night you were in the window, lookin' But what you do when your grandson's crooked and he too old for whoopin'? Used to tell me I was smarter than that Took me down to the Compton, swapt me, bought my first starter hat Pulled over, Raider jacket to match a pair of Levi's A number 8 Jordans' with the all black straps When you died, my soul cracked, can I get a soul clap? I'm walkin' without a heart, can somebody hold that? My love for you Is like a angel flyin' through the sky, like a bird in the winter And your love for me Is so deep and sorta like a black rose crackin' the cement My love for you Lives on like the memory of Aaliyah singin' a last song And your love for me Will never die, like a black child strugglin' the ghetto to survive I gotta a lot of things I wanna ask the Lord Like why I can't see my grandmother face no more And why I can't seem to live without her And if I pray, could He send her back to me one day? 'Cause Heaven too crowded Every time I think about it, I'm missin' your smile, can barely cope My angel is gone, I'm heartbroke Drownin' in my own tears, somebody throw me a rope Or spread my wings so I can fly, I'm ready to die Might cry, but I'm still a man Might be a man, but I still cry Big mama, my angel in the sky If you wanna feel my pain, then close your eyes Hold your breath, now that's too close to death Open your eyes, see the light now And if you love your grandmother like I love mine Go tell her right now, I know how this might sound But my plan is to show you that I understand You are appreciated My love for you Is like a angel flyin' through the sky, like a bird in the winter And your love for me Is so deep and sorta like a black rose crackin' the cement My love for you Lives on like the memory of Aaliyah singin' a last song And your love for me Will never die