Our Father

[Baptist Rev. Saul S. Williams (Saul's father) 1999:]

I just want to talk about a good father.
Now, coming from me, if you where to personally
look at my life, you would ask the question,
"What do you know about a good father?"
And that would be a fair question, because one of
the statements I have written on my notes
here today is that men need examples.
That's not holy men, all of us are helped by examples.
But it does seem that as men we feel better when
other men show us that they are man
enough to do whatever it is that we have hesitancy in doing.
Whether it is cook, sew, maybe sit or to
shout, clap our hands, cry.
We sometimes can't do it until we
see other men who have lost themselves
in the praise of God and in life.
So it would certainly be a fair question,
on this Father's Day, to ask,
"What do you know about a good father?"
Now, when I say father I am speaking of one who
is the guardian or biological male in your life.
Who takes you out with them, who teaches
you and gives you the instructions to follow.
Proverbs talks about the son or daughter following
the instructions of the father. Well, certainly there is no
equivication about that, that's
wonderful, howe'er, in order to follow one's instructions
they most know what they're doing.
We ask, sociologically, why are there so
many messed up families, what's the problem?
Well in most of those cases, those children
have no or little example to follow.
There are exceptions but in most of those cases
they have little or no example to follow.
A good father is more than one who
provides shelter, food and body coverage.
Now, I pray that those fathers who are
here and those mothers who had to
be fathers also and everyone once in a while we find
some fathers who had to be mothers also:

[Saul Williams]

Our father which art in St. Frances Hospital for hypertension
Our father which art in jumpsuits and prisons, federal detention
Our father which art in dark bars and alleys, lethal injection
Our father which art in denial and delusion
This cannot happen again

Hallowed be thy
State your name for the record
Hallowed be thy
State your name for the record
Hallowed be thy
State your name for the record
Hallowed be thy
State your name for the record
Hallowed be thy
State your name for the record
Hallowed be thy
State your name for the record
Self's Disraeli end

Dear Goddess,
We made this break beat just for you
As an offering
Can you hear us now?
Dear Goddess,
We made this break beat just for you
As an offering
Can you hear us now?
Dear Goddess,
We made this break beat just for you
As an offering
Can you feel us now?
Dear Goddess,
We made this break beat just for you
As an offering
Can you heal us now?

When I was young I cried when I found out I couldn't have children
Soon after I started rhyming
No one was nicer than me
I mean it, up state New York
I learned to beat box in my tree house
Sounded good up there
Would you rather hear about guns fear
Or broken glass in the tenement
Should I rob to make you fear me now?
Dear Goddess, can you hear me now?
Clear the way and prepare me now
Dear Goddess, can you hear me now?

Dear Goddess,
We made this break beat just for you
As an offering
Can you hear us now?
Dear Goddess,
We made this break beat just for you
As an offering
Can you heal us now?

I'm supposed to be less of an emcee ‘cause I never sold a key
I sold my homework but
y'all nigger's were to busy hustling to do
The dome work now you can only rhyme about
How you're stealing chrome work or your cell phone, jerk
Change your topic, damn I'm suppose to be praying
I got to stop it

Dear Goddess,
We made this break beat just for you
As an offering
Can you hear us now?
Dear Goddess,
We made this break beat just for you
As an offering
Can you hear us now?

Dear Goddess,
We made this break beat just for you
As an offering
An offering