Pray For Me

[Hook] Somebody pray for me (Bless his, bless his heart) Somebody please pray for me (Bless his, bless his heart) Somebody pray for me (Bless his, bless his heart) What more could you say to me? (Bless his, bless his heart) [Verse 1] The first day of third grade Topic of discussion at the kick ball game Is who's the new student why he look that way? A eight-year-old expert determined I've got AIDS A vote must've been taken, it became my name I mean literally AIDS is my name okay It made its way around the school and eventually I heard a teacher try to catch herself as she yelled it to me I tried to be invisible honestly Wishing that the ground would just open up, swallow me What kind of crime did I commit for this mockery? Guess I must've lost some kind of cosmic lottery How am I processing this at a baby's age? It felt like I had a gut full of razor blades I fantasized someone else would come take my place Because they taught me to hate my face [Hook] Somebody please pray for me (Bless his, bless his heart) Somebody pray for me (Bless his, bless his heart) Somebody please pray for me (Bless his, bless his heart) What more could you say to me? (Bless his, bless his heart) [Verse 2] Imagine how my mama felt Obviously she want to offer me some kind of help Pretty white lady never probably dealt With this particular type of hell If she dyed my hair blonde maybe I can blend Get a better response maybe even a friend She took me to the salon, put chemicals in my head When they took the towel off, it was purple in the end Lot of money spent just to get me presentable Message that it sent, the real you ain't acceptable I knew what she meant, what else could she expect to do? That was just the lens that she viewed protection though And so eventually I began to see that What grows out of me is my dirty little secret Had to go back every few weeks to keep it I think that part depressed me the deepest [Hook] Somebody please pray for me (Bless his, bless his heart) Somebody pray for me (Bless his, bless his heart) Somebody please pray for me (Bless his, bless his heart) What more could you say to me? (Bless his, bless his heart) [Verse 3] Thank God for the grown ups That roll up when they know it's time to hold us The elder queen showed so much homegrown love She said "hair doesn't die but your soul does" She said "Elvis wore his hair in a pompadour So he could try to look like Muddy Waters more" But he would fry his crown so that he could lay it down Like a white boy they called it a conk before Until James Brown came kicked down the door Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud my boy That's the meaning behind the afros and all Get free being what it is that you know you are She said "Beauty's the splendor of truth You will never cut loose 'til you're suitable to you And your living is the proof just let it do what it do Now watch them follow suit and try to catch up to you" [Hook] Somebody musta prayed for me (Bless his, bless his heart) Somebody prayed for me (Bless his, bless his heart) Somebody musta prayed for me (Bless his, bless his heart) What more could you say to me? (Bless his, bless his heart)