JoyBoy Lyrics

To my little boy

The young child I once was

Who tried to be perfect

Who felt like he wasn't quite good enough

Who was silenced and quietly made universes to inhabit

Who was loved but always felt there was something wrong

Who wondered if he was ever wanted

Who had been selfish

Who wanted someone to play with

Who cried in secrecy because boys weren't supposed to shed tears

Who rubbed his hands raw trying to unravel the braid of his confusion

Who wanted to be friends with other boys

Who liked other boys and had no one to tell

Who was afraid of the men in barbershops

Who played dress-up and wore masks more often than he wanted

Who poured his heart into everything except himself

Who never knew if it would get better

Who planned to leave his legacy at 25

To my little boy

I am so proud of you

I am so proud of you

I am so proud of you

I am so proud of you

You are a child of the Most High

You are a precious work of God

You are a product of your ancestors' wildest dreams manifesting

You are immersed in the grace of the Divine

You are your mother's child

You are your grandmother's grandchild

You are your Memama's and Pepapa's great-grandchild

You are your uncle's nephew

You are your best thing

You are the warmth of the Sun

You are the brilliance of the Moon

You are the comfort of a hug

You are a writer of stories

You are a builder of characters and worlds

You are the reason I exist

Your tears have watered the seeds of our garden

Your words are the lyrics to our songs of freedom

Your heart plays the drums of our liberation

And your imagination birthed the roads we will travel

I learned to speak loudly and with confidence because of you

I learned to dream limitlessly because of you

I discover the fight left in me because of you

And I've learned to love and live because of you

Before you were Rev

Before you were the Cool Nerd

Or the Renaissance Man

To my little boy

To the child I once was

I love you

And I will love you forever and always

To my little boy my Joyboy

Keep smiling and keep going