I swear to tell the truth and nothin but the truth...
so help me GOD
I just felt like tellin the story of my life
Felt like, maybe somebody could be inspired, you know?
We all feel pain, we all go through things
But it's time to overcome all that

[Verse One: LL Cool J]

If your plane crashed in the water and everybody died
would you drown on purpose or try to survive?
I was born handicapped my arm wouldn't move
They called me a cripple pops caught an attitude
Beat my moms smoked lye drove trucks
My moms had a miscarriage, he didn't give a fuck
He sniffed some coke, come home
Beat up on my moms cause she's talkin on the phone
Come on

[Chorus: LL Cool J and singers]

(all I ever wanted)
All I ever wanted
(all I ever needed)
All I ever needed
(was a father)
was a father
(that's all)
That's all!
(all I ever wanted)
All I ever wanted
(all I ever needed)
All I ever needed... was a father
(was a father)

[Verse Two: LL Cool J]

Moms got tired of the beatings said, "Yo, we got to go"
Packed up her bags we bounced out the do'
She said, "I ain't takin these whippin's no mo'
I wanna live to see my little Todd grow"
I remember tear drops on my pops face
Lookin down at me standin on the staircase
Handsome brother with a smooth goatee
Makes me wonder why he act so ugly, you feelin me?
(I'm feelin you)

[Chorus]

[Verse Three: LL Cool J]

My pops got drunk when me and my moms bounced
Swigged some Jack Dan', sniffed up a ounce
Grabbed the shotty left Long Isle for Queens
Possesed by a demon... a devil it seemed
I was too young to understand the risk
when your moms come home off the midnight shift
She turned around heard the shotgun click
My pops said, "You think that you could leave me?"
He blasted my moms in the back
She fell down screamin I can't forget that
My grandfather tried to close the do'
He got shot ten times in the stomach yo, for real

[Chorus]

[Verse Four: LL Cool J]

My head was spinnin, I had never seen blood
Four years old, this don't feel like love
Anyway, pops dissapeared
Grandpops and moms healed up over the years
This therapist got up in her head
Led her to believe without him she'd be dead
You know, they fell in love with one another
Everything seemed right that's word to mother
until I started gettin beatings everday
Sometimes for going outside to play
Late at night on my knees I'd pray
a young child, wishin the pain would go away
Dad where was you when he made me strip
Beat with belts like a slave with a whip
Kicked me down steps outside in the snow
Punched me in the chest stomped me out on the flo'
That's just the tip of the iceberg look
It's too long for a song but perfect for a book
Word is bond, that's real baby

[Chorus]

• 4, 3, 2, 1
• Another Dollar
• Candy
• Don't Be Late, Don't Come Too Soon
• Father
• Hot, Hot, Hot
• Nobody Can Freak You
• Phenomenon
• Starsky & Hutch
• Wanna Get Paid