Where Have You Been

[Verse 1: Beanie Sigel]
Damn, how am I gonna say this shit?
Hey, hey, dad, yeah, it's ya boy,
Remember me? I wanna talk to you, scrap!
I remember bein' kicked out the house,
‘Cause I looked just like you,
Said I'd be nothing but a crook
Just like you,
The niggas in the hood was shook,
Where they just like you,
‘Cause all they said was, “Little Whitey, look!”
I'm just like you.
But, dawg, I can't see it at all, shit,
We never kicked it at all,
We never pitched or kicked at a ball,
Dawg, you never taught me shit,
How to fight, ride a bike, fix a flat,
None of that sorts of shit,
Nigga, you was an abusive pops,
Fuck you left me out to dry, stuck?
Gotta teach News to box,
Gotta teach News to block,
And that ain't the half of it, man,
I gotta teach News the block.
It's about time we have a father to son, nigga, sit down,
Sit down, let me tell you 'bout your fatherless sons,
How they grew to be men and father they sons,
Father they daughters,
Nigga, you left a fatherless daughter!
I never follow your orders,
Nigga, you make me sick,
Pussy, you could, ooh...
How you gonna leave these memories in the back of my mind?
I can see it clear as day you smackin' my mom,
I 'member that day you showed me that gat, that 9,
Put it in my palm when I was young,
And said that would be mine, you turned me out.
The reason why I hit the block,
Reason why I tried to hit them cops,
Reason why I started hittin' shots,
Reason why I started gettin' licked,
And drinkin' syrup, and skippin' court,
Gingerbread Man never think of gettin' caught,
Look at your hand, man, damn, you fought!
Nigga, you left my mom,
Left us with no goodbyes,
You left us out to dry,
You left us with no letters, notes, no replies, nothing,
No digits, numbers was unlisted,
You left us with some of my loneliest night,
Nigga, some of my hungriest nights, shit!
One of the reasons for years, shit embarrasin',
Damn, we used to think money was white,
Yeah, you gave us life like fruit from a plant,
We ain't eat right from them foods from them stamps,
And to think you was my pop,
Man, I gotta stop shit!

[Chorus:]
Daddy, where have you been?
And when you come home, you got us here all alone!
Mommy, where daddy went?
You always stick up for him,
Always said you'd make up for him.
Mommy, what happened then?
What was you cheatin' on him?
Why he's always beatin' on you?
Daddy, where have you been?
Nigga, you gonna hear me out!

[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
I wanted to walk just like him, remember?
Wanted to talk just like him, word!
Often momma said I look too much,
And I thought just like him, and I'd get happy.
Wanted to drink Miller nips,
And smoke Newports just like you,
But you left me, now I'm goin' to court just like you.
I would say, "My daddy loves me and he'll never go away."
Bullshit! Do you even remember December's my birthday?
Do you even remember the tender boy
You turned into a cold young man
With one goal and one plan –
Get mommy out of some jam, she was always in one,
Always short with the income,
Always late with the rent.
You said that you was comin' through,
I would stay in the hallway waitin'
Always playin' the bench waitin',
And that day came and went.
Fuck you! Very much you showed me the worst kind of pain,
But I'm stronger and trust me, I will never hurt again,
Will never ask mommy, "Why daddy don't love me?
Why is we so poor? Why is life so ugly?
Mommy, why is your eyes puffy?
Please, don't cry, everything gon' be alright,
I know, it's dark now, but we gon' see the light,
It's us against the world,
We don't need him, right?” Right!
Mommy drivin' 6's now, yeah, I got riches now, yeah!
I bought I nice home for both of my sisters now,
We doin' real good,
We don't miss you now,
See how life twists around, fucka?

[Chorus:]
Daddy, where have you been?
And when you come home, you got us here all alone!
Mommy, where daddy went?
You always stick up for him,
Always said you'd make up for him.
Mommy, what happened then?
What was you cheatin' on him?
Why he's always beatin' on you?
Daddy, where have you been?
Nigga, you gonna hear me out!