Yo My Youth

Yo my youth, your grandparents want, your parents want
Your aunts and uncles even your siblings want
That smooth black collective brethren …but still got enough ragamuffin within
That he can prowl these streets without haters mugging him
Yeah…that hating thing
Right back at you it swings
For what goes around comes around
Soon you’ll be head to toes underground
How many times in life have you heard that sound?
“What goes around…comes around”
“What goes around…comes around”
And yo my youth, the sistas want, the ladies want
The princesses want, even mistresses want
That smooth black collective brethren…but still got enough ragamuffin in you
To cry on your shoulders knowing she isn’t bugging you
Listen to her, she’s just trying to unwind
“Cause you got her back in a relationship that’s hard for her to find.
Yo my youth, your other brethrens want, the other youths want
Your main-man want, for you to stick to your name and win
Like that smooth black collective brethren…but still got enough ragamuffin within
To keep it real in this world where we all struggling
We may have falling outs, may swing fist and shouts
But we all can hug again.
You hear me my youth, you hear me?
Or are you going to dare me?
This smooth black collective brethren…but still got enough ragamuffin within
To show you how to love my friend?
You better hope God don’t send Moses again
With Jesus this time coming from the other end.

Jomo O. Adams
Copyright 2004