What do you make of "Keep Ya Head Up"?

[Amara]

Well it started in DFL and that funny thread where a guy asked whether others would kill a guy to get to a woman ("kill for our women"). Then someone said, I think you misunderstood what 2pac meant there. Then I said, I dont think many men understand what he meant there. Then I get a PM from a male member (who I should leave nameless) asking to explain what I meant.

The thing is, I dont think it really requires much explanation, especially reading more of the verse, and not any one line in isolation. I mean, it is directed to women... and only a man that understands or has some kind of compassion for women can comprehend it.... it's about respect right? Maybe I'm just a cynic, but I just dont think that many men trully understand or have that kind of respect.... and if they do, they are pretty special.

Anyway, this is the verse in particular - the highlighted bit reflects what I am talking about. Anyone else got thoughts about that or perhaps have a different interpretation?

Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots
I give a holler to my sisters on welfare
Tupac cares, if don't nobody else care
And uhh, I know they like to beat ya down a lot
When you come around the block brothas clown a lot
But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up
Forgive but don't forget, girl keep your head up
And when he tells you you ain't nuttin don't believe him
And if he can't learn to love you you should leave him
Cause sista you don't need him
And I ain't tryin to cash up, I just call em how I see em
You know it makes me unhappy (what's that)
When brothas make babies, and leave a young mother to be unhappy
And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women, be real to our women
And if we don't we'll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies, that make the babies
And since a man can't make one
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
So will the real men get up
I know you're fed up ladies, but keep your head up

 

[Katarina]

I think it's pretty simple (maybe 'cause I'm a woman eh...) Without women there would be no men, and men needs to realize that and start treating women more respectfully instead of using them, raping them etc.

 

[liz]

I believe the bolded text means not would you kill to get a woman but would u kill to protect our women.

Great Track!

liz

 

[xmisschiefx]

^ yer thats wot i thought it meant aswell.

 

[Amara]

I think it's pretty simple (maybe 'cause I'm a woman eh...) Without women there would be no men, and men needs to realize that and start treating women more respectfully instead of using them, raping them etc.

Yeah exactly. It's not a complex message, at least like you said, from our point of view... yet, I dunno, seems to fly over some people's heads.

I believe the bolded text means not would you kill to get a woman but would u kill to protect our women.

I dont know whether to laugh or just shake my head at someone who would read it as killing to get a woman. lol.

 

[ArtsyGirl]

Its definately straight forward I'm suprised someone misunderstood that. I understand it as protecting women rather than abusing them. Also if your familiar with Tupac's interviews and even certain songs, he thinks killing over women (as in jealousy) is stupid and should stop.
I love this song, I remember years ago playing this and Dear Mama to my mum to prove rap wasnt all cussing and violence.

 

[k69atie]

I think it's pretty simple (maybe 'cause I'm a woman eh...) Without women there would be no men, and men needs to realize that and start treating women more respectfully instead of using them, raping them etc.

yeah i agree. i love this song!

 

[_carmi]

i love that song. yeah it means to protect our women cuz without women, men are nothing. hehe

 

[Helena]

This track is amazing, it's one of my favourites if im honest.
i remeber feeling upset and low and this song gave me strength.

oh and about wat that guy said, typical man! : )

 

[Missy "C"]

yeah i agree, this lyrics are wonderful, and they are an example of why I love 2pac's music so much... but I don't know what it so difficult to understand here, well, maybe like katarina said, cause we are women. I think that when he talks about killing for our women he says that people should show more respect and struggle to protect us, and that it's a very important issue cuz without women men are not as strong as they might think. Hehe, I love tupac, great lyrics

 

[ArtsyGirl]

I know its because women are smarter Oh yeah its true!

 

[_carmi]

^yes totally agree.

yeah songs like that make me love pac cuz he had some good lyrics

 

[~live2tell~]

Yup I gotta agree with Kat, it is really as simple as that for me too!

As far as the song goes this song means alot to me, it was the first Tupac song I ever heard and as crazy as this may sound but (cus of the things I was going through at that time in my life) this song, hearing it, and hearing and feeling the passion and emotion that Pac voiced, literally saved me.

This song was alot of the reason I even became a Tupac fan.

Now it was prolly 10 years ago or so now since I first heard Keep Ya Head Up, but whenever I hear it today, I can still remember (and to a certain extent feel) the way I felt back then hearing it for the first time.

 

[Lena]

It's pretty much straight forward and like others have already said..Tupac just meant that men should be willing to protect their women even if it meant killing someone. The song itself, just beautiful. Great motivation for women to let us know that there are men out there that care about our problems.

 

[Thug_Queen]

sheet.. this thread just make me wanna listen to the song.. but if I do I'll have problems readin wut y'all write..
is it really so hard to understand? "kill for our women" = kill to protect them
anyways, pac, here u go.. *turns the music louder*