Daddy's Crew

(Note: the hyphens are used to emphasize the beats in each line, in order to make it easier to visualise from paper where the beat would fall. This was written with a rap melody in mind. Like many rap songs, the rhythm changes for different parts quite dramatically- and once there is even a complete mix up in the middle.)





I’m eating dinner here with my -baby -boy
He knows that he is Daddy’s little -pride and -joy
Every time he gets some food to go in-side his –mouth
I feel no shame in cooing, that’s what -I’m -about.
Meanwhile your crew sittin’ is over -there, I –see
Your snickering and making jokes -about –me
You think a man that’s doing this is –un -cool
You’re making jokes at the expense of –this –fool.



*
I have, something to ask you, I wonder if you’ll humour me -just a -sec

When you’re, hangin’ with your ladies, what do you guys do –after-sex?
*


Do you stay and give your ladies all the -care they -need
Do you think about the consequences -when you-breed
Do you know there will be lots of little -mouths to -feed
After you are finished playin, spreadin’ -all your –seed


Do you stay around and see your dirty -deeds -through
Do you let your little boy -know about -you
And I even gotta ask you, then, -if you –do
Does he get enough affection coming –from –you?



*
Does he know Daddy loves him
Does he know you can hug ‘im?
Does he know, that you’re there
Does he know that you care?

Does he have Daddy feed him
Are there books Daddy reads him?
Does he know, that you’re there
Does he know that you care?

*



My little boy I’m teachin’ him –how to –walk
And even though he doesn’t yet know –how to –talk
He knows that he’s the guy that I -hang -with
Don’t care where I -go,
-no,
-not
go-nna play –fifth
I’m confident about my mascu-lini-ty
I don’t need to prove to anyone I’m –man-ly
The most important thing about –how I –act
Is to think about the way it’s gonna –im-pact


*
I think, lots about my anger, doing all I can to keep it –in –check
I want, my baby to grow up, living in a house full of –re -spect
*


You think its fun to joke about a-fec-tion
So I’m askin’ you to use your recol-lec-tion
I wonder when you think about your -young -life
How your Daddy treated you and -his -wife?
Cause the things you’re doing now with –your –son
Start a chain that rarely breaks once its –be-gun
You see I want to love all over my -little -guy
That’s the legacy I’ll leave behind when -I -die.
*



Does he know Daddy loves him
Does he know you can hug ‘im?
Does he know, that you’re there
Does he know that you care?

Does he know Daddy loves him?
Does he know you won’t cuff ‘im?
Does he know, you’re aware

That he is even still there.
("there" echoes off)






*Final Comments*
This was written after a personal experience of sitting in a restaurant with my eleven month old boy, keeping him entertained, kissing his head, and loving him while his mother was getting food from the buffet. In the table right infront of me was a group of several young men, obviously trying to look cool and as I was talking to him and praising him they began to snicker about it, making quiet comments. Later when Mom began to teach him to drink from a straw for the first time, and was cooing "Good job!" they snickered and said "goooood job" jokingly to each other. I may be caucasian, and they might have been African American- but I live in a neighbourhood with plenty of loving, and great African American dads that could probably teach them a thing or two. I really like good raps, and as white as I am I just got inspired to write one- in my mind, it was an older black rapper singing to these young guys who thought me kissing and hugging him, praising him and playing with him in public was something to joke about.

I'm a full time, stay home Dad and I'm damn proud of it.