Artist: Royce Da 5'9" Album: Book of Ryan Song: Power Typed by: Nickolye16@aol.com [Intro] You want what for Christmas? Hell no... What you mean "Is this all we got?" That's it [Interlude: Royce Da 5'9" singing] It's Christmastime in the Montgomery home Daddy's actin all crazy again Momma got herself a bloody nose Daddy slapped her in the face again [Royce Da 5'9"] Why they always gotta fight so much? Damn! Momma face swole Me and my bros in a panic state, if that's the case, yo I can't just stay around this Everything was fine, we just had dinner, we got all the He-Mans, Battle Cat Adam and Cringer, even Castle Greyskull, and Snake Mountain Now we sit and listen to y'all argue about how y'all planned this day And y'all just admitted to us Santa fake, so Kid Vishis just ran away poutin Now I gotta go and console him, he wasn't nothin but a spoiled little boy then Little naive with an innocent cry, all he ever wanted to do was fit in with us And y'all bought him a pair of fake Timberlands and put 'em in a real Timberland box I'll never forget them boots, they was called Rugged Outbacks Momma went and found them at Payless and made us promise not to say nothin Then Pop came in like he ain't know nothin about it Like, "Judy you gon' send that boy out in public like that?" "He'll be just fine, these kids ain't 'bout to be lookin down at his feet for no tree" And she really meant that; meanwhile, this little arrogant nigga called himself stuntin on me and Greg with him talkin 'bout, "Where y'all Timbs at?" But he was too young to detect sarcasm so we was like, "Nigga where yo' Timbs at?" Haha [Interlude: Royce singing] It's Thanksgiving in the Montgomery home Greg just came in here drunk again Now momma tryna cover for him She afraid my daddy gon' punch him again [Royce Da 5'9"] Why you gotta get drunk so much? Damn! I wish you would just stay where you was at instead of comin home all rude and dis- -respectin all our father rules and shit, man, the mood done switched Me and Vishis playin Connect Four, our favorite movie just came on the tube and it's ironic it's "Bloodsport" and I'm lookin at Frank Dux and shit thinkin you should split before Daddy come down these stairs of this basement and see you wasted But he just cut me off like, "That nigga ain't gon' do shit!" But the truth is this He couldn't whoop my dad even if he was sober, I know cause he tried once Ended up unconscious, a broke arm and a tooth was chipped My big bro got a lot of emotional problems, he feel that we was all abused as kids He saw momma get dragged down all kind of stairs like a ragdoll when he was two and this is back when Daddy used to sniff cocaine, po' thang, he had to be subjected to this when he gets drunk, he gets to losin it, he gets the illusion that he gon' protect us all from the Big Bad Wolf, stand up to him and prove some shit But all he really doin is stressin mom out, got her goin, "Boy you know your daddy up there sleep The food is ready, why don't you stop makin all this noise and just let him stay sleep?" [Interlude: Royce singing] The turkey's done in the Montgomery home Dad has just been awakened again (uh-oh) Greg is makin all kinds of noise Daddy's on his way angry again [Royce Da 5'9"] "Who is that makin all that goddamn noise?! (Not me) Greggy! Get up here! You been out there drinkin again? What the fuck I tell you about comin in my house with this disrespectful shit? Nigga where the fuck you done been?" I'm thinkin to myself "Greg, please don't say nothin stupid, man" Every time my daddy in his drawers and he standin in the hallway mad at somebody I swear to God he got the same strength as Superman, my brother turned around and just walks in the kitchen Without even givin an answer with his back to him like, "I ain't gotta talk to you nigga" "Nigga, you don't hear me talkin to you?" Next thing my brother did is somethin that when it comes to my father is somethin you just don't do He looked him right in his eyes and he asked him, "What the fuck is you gon' do?" (Mm, mm, mm) My father hit him so hard his body hit the stove, the oven do' hit the fuckin flo' The turkey fell out the oven hole and landed near the stairs; now Daddy's standin over Greg Talkin 'bout, "Nigga you ain't hurt! Get up, get up!" Then here come Vish' talkin 'bout, "Dad, I don't think he gon' get up" Then momma went damn near hysterical She called the police, the police came, neighbors is all in the street watchin the cops takin my father out in handcuffs, damn man that shit was real embarassing To all my friends I grew up with, who grew up fatherless, I know through me you live vicariously I want you to know that we ain't know better than you and yours, we all needed therapy We care about each other more than we care about if anybody understands us What I'm tryna say is fuck you and Happy Holidays from the Montgomery family [Interlude: Royce singing] Every man reaches that point in life where he don't wanna make excuses no more more Life took me on a rollercoaster ride I've been up, I've been down, all the whippings that my daddy gave Took me on highs Turned around and then took me on lows (this is how the story goes) Ohhhhh, then I think about it I use that shit as fuel Then I changed it into power Now can't you feel it? (Can't you feel it? Can't you feel it?) Can't you feel it? (Can't you feel it?) That I'm a grown man with power, yeah (yeah) Let me hear you say yeah (yeah) If you was raised in a strict home like me, felt alone like me and it gave you power, oooooooooh You can do it too, just look at me See I'm a grown man with power, yeah (yeah) Everybody say yeah (yeah) If you don't know the meanin of abusive You've been through so much ain't nothin nobody can do to you Now can't you feel it? I'm a runaway This is how I became, a grown man with power Oooooooooh, you can do it too, if I can do it Use it as power I was a runaway, I was a runaway There's nothin none of y'all can do to me, do to me [Outro: Royce's son] + (Royce Da 5'9") When you were a child growing up with Grandad and Granny Did you really feel like Grandad was a good father to you? (Absolutely, absolutely All my friend's daddies was walking out on them left and right Y'know, he never left us, he was always there for us Y'know, there was a lot of things that happened that I didn't understand Maybe I might not have answered the question the same way when I was a teenager But, I understand and appreciate him so much more now, as a man Y'know cause he taught me respect and discipline and consequences for your acts So yeah, of course) Do you think his approach as a father really shaped the type of father that you are today? Or do you in some ways think it had negatives to it and if so, what kind of negative traits do you try to avoid having as a father right now, to me? "When you have your own, you'll understand"