Lyrics One for Big Lou - Greaseball

A man and a woman had a little baby
Yes, they did
They had three in the family
That's a magic number

Yo
It's like the rain
Broughtabout this man's existence
For no man could be born a man of his conviction
With no addiction and only just persistence
He met his fair lady around 1976-ish
Or '74, memory more or less escapes me
Anyways, he asked this pretty girl
Would you please date me
She said, okay, I guess you're pretty tall and handsome
I'll meet you at the sock hop, the kids will all be dancing
He replied, nah, but I'll go if what you choose
Is that, instead of hoppin' in this car, we'll take a cruise
She said, no, he said, yes, I'll even follow your directions
Cause after all his life, our man was done with the rejections
She said, okay, I guess real quick, down Madison
He could feel his stomach turn and churn within his abdomen
They cruised all night, she said, I must be leavin', mister
About a year's time later is when they had my older sister

Time went on and they were fallin' deep in love
She had his back always when push came to shove
That's why I'm holdin' out for my diamond in the rough
Cause no real woman leaves you when the goin' gets tough
Anyway, fast forward 20 years, it's 1992
And along the way they had a little boy, let's call him Lou
Well anyway, I haven't gone into it yet
With two more out on the way and all the ends that needed met
They moved from house to house, all throughout the hood
Until they found a home, a place to build and everything was good
The fire on the stove couldn't rival the brilliance
Of my mother as she devoted her whole life to her children
My father worked hard even amongst all the calamity
And smiled in '92 when I was born into the family

We didn't have much, we only had enough to grow on up
And make something out of ourselves that wasn't mucked up and damaged
Good grades and cold lunch and mom made the sandwich
Livin' in the ghetto, Mexican but lookin' white
Knowin' this, my father went and taught me how to fight
Knowin' this, my mother went and taught me how to care
But my older brother taught me how to cut my hair
My sister taught me hip-hop and how you're supposed to play it
Light up shoes on house speakers in the back of a Paseo
Drivin' out to San Berdoo, I'm only hearin' DJ Quik
Facing cigarettes smoke, never made me sick
Thankful for the lessons I was given
They helped me in those times when instrumentals get to skippin
They taught me well and kept us all away from guns
But no lesson could prepare me for the days that were to come
So on that fateful day in March, I was left feeling numb

The doctors said he'd be okay and they had all the answers
For the past two years, my pops had lived with cancer
Nobody knew exactly when or how or why it happened
Another broken family, another life subtracted
I watched my father cry in worry for his family
And since I'd never seen him shed a tear it really damaged me
I stood beside him dressed in all the clothes he bought
And told him thank you for teaching me all the lessons that he taught
I know we never talked enough or had a heart-to-heart
But I appreciate the way you taught me right from the start
The world is cold and you've just gotta be the same
Refer to Mom for any kindness that you keep up in that brain

I watched my father pass away in early March
As my brother and my sisters watched the beating of his heart
On the monitor decrease until it finally said zero
I never told our character he really was my hero
And even though he passed away our story isn't done
Because on that fateful day, my life had only just begun

How I remember days of old
And I remember growing colder and colder
And I remember being bold
Just a kid with that chip on his shoulder who
Never really found a way that he could be
Until I realized our main character lives through me
And I know it because when I speak to his parents
They look at me in tears for this resemblance that I'm bearing

My mother does the same thing
Never remarried and on that finger wears the same ring
You all taught me how to be a better man
Although even at the time I simply didn't understand
So when I feel like I don't want to live
I'm thankful for the lessons and blessings that he would give
He taught me how the world will scar you like a knife
He taught me how to act in any moment faced with strife
He had a good family, an even better wife
And taught me more in passing than he ever did in life
And I miss him
And I miss him

But he lives through me
I'm doing this every day
For you, Pop