What? - An Emotional Rap Song

By AdventureDad on November 30th, 2006 Print This Post Email This Post

I've had this awesome rap song in my Ipod workout play-list for a while. It's called "Happy Birthday by Flipsyde and the shocking thing is that it has a beautiful text with a nice message. Not exactly what rap songs are known for. Since I never listen to the text of any song I didn't realize how great the lyrics were until I played it for my wife. She immediately started crying which kind of shocked me. Turns out it's a rap song with a great rhythm AND emotional, well written lyrics. It talks about a young guy who gets his girlfriend pregnant and they make an abortion. He says he was young, stupid, and not ready to be a dad. Some time later he has a son, realizes he earlier made a mistake, and wonders if his son could somehow be the child from the failed pregnancy earlier. The song makes me shed a tear each time I hear it.

I'm still pro-choice but my views have changed much since I had children. My 4-year younger sister, who now has three kids, made an abortion when she was around 20 years old because she thought she was too young. I totally supported the decision then but would never in a million years agree with that now. Especially since she had a child just three years later. I guess that's one way children has changed me. I think it's alright with abortion as a last resort if there is disease, life threatening complications, very young age (like 13), or other very serious issues. Having abortion just because someone was drunk is not alright IMHO. My sister was taking precautions but they are not 100% as we found out….. Anyway, I just got back from the gym and heard the song again. I can't say the lyrics of any song has had this much impact on me ever. Except maybe Springsteen's "If I should fall behind". Especially if performed by Faith Hill. That song will be played on my funeral for sure.

If you like a soft rap song with a good rhythm and emotional lyrics, check out Flipsyde's song "Happy Birthday". Lyrics can be found below.

Happy Birthday…so make a wish

Verse 1:

Please accept my apologies, wonder what would have been
Would you've been a little angel or an angel of sin?
Tom-boy running around, hanging with all the guys.
Or a little tough boy with beautiful brown eyes?

I payed for the murder before they determined the sex

Choosing our life over your life meant your death
And you never got a chance to even open your eyes
Sometimes I wonder as a fetus if you fought for your life?
Would you have been a little genius in love with math?
Would you have played in your school clothes and made me mad?
Would you have been a little rapper like your papa da Piper?
Would you have made me quit smokin' by finding one of my lighters?
I wonder about your skin tone and shape of your nose?
And the way you would have laughed and talked fast or slow?
Think about it every year, so I picked up a pen
Happy birthday, love you whoever you would've been
Happy birthday…

Chorus:
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed (happy birthday)
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed

I made a mistake!

Verse 2:

I've got a million excuses to why you died
Bet the people got their own reasons for homicide
Who's to say it woulda worked, and who's to say it wouldn't have?
I was young and strugglin' but old enough to be a dad
The fear of being a father has never disappeared
Pondering frequently while I'm sippin' on my beer
My vision of a family was artificial and fake
So when it came time to create I made a mistake
Now you've got a little brother maybe it's really you?
Maybe you really forgave us knowin' we was confused?
Maybe every time that he smiles it's you proudly knowin' that your father's doin' the right thing now?
I never tell a woman what to do with her body
But if she don't love children then we can't party
Think about it every year, so I picked up a pen
Happy birthday, love you whoever you would've been
Happy birthday…

Chorus:
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed (happy birthday)
What I thought was a dream (yeah, make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed

I made a mistake!

And from the heavens to the womb to the heavens again
From the endin' to the endin', never got to begin
Maybe one day we could meet face to face?
In a place without time and space
Happy birthday…

From the heavens to the womb to the heavens again
From the endin' to the endin', never got to begin
Maybe one day we could meet face to face?
In a place without time and space
Happy birthday…

Chorus:
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as as it seemed (happy birthday)
What I thought was a dream (make a wish)
Was as real as it seemed

I made a mistake…!

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3 Responses to “What? - An Emotional Rap Song”

Taz on Jan 29th, 2007 at 6:37 pm

I agree that Happy Birthday is a great song and the lyrics are really emotional. There aren’t to many rap artist that can make true emotional music and still sell records.
Still the best thing about the song is that it’s a young man who talks about the parent roll and seems to take it proudly. Today there isn’t to many times you hear about the good fathers only about the fathers who left their kids.
So when I heard this song I knew that it came at the right time when hiphop had come to a place where 90% is all about money and disrespect against others.
Also they have done a good job with a sample from TATU:s Gomenisa (I think it spells like that)
Taz on Jan 29th, 2007 at 6:38 pm

I agree that Happy Birthday is a great song and the lyrics are really emotional. There aren’t to many rap artist that can make true emotional music and still sell records.
Still the best thing about the song is that it’s a young man who talks about the parent roll and seems to take it proudly. Today there isn’t to many times you hear about the good fathers only about the fathers who left their kids.
So when I heard this song I knew that it came at the right time when hiphop had come to a place where 90% is all about money and disrespect against others.
Nuno on Feb 5th, 2007 at 5:16 pm

Next sunday (11/02/2006) we will have a national vote in Portugal to decide wether abortation should be legalized or not (it’s still considered a crime in Portugal, even though no woman has ever served time in jail for it) - This song is being used in the campaign by the groups against legalization.
I’ve never been pro-choice and now that I am a father of a 2 year-old boy, much like yourself, my feelings have grown stronger.
It’s a great song and I hope it touches the heart of ones who hear it.

AdventureDad