[Intro]
Yeah
What a blessing
Look
[Verse 1]
Little boy
Big dreams
Baggy jeans
Scraped knees
Mama praying over me
“Baby
Stand up when you speak”
Uncle said
“Own your name
Not just wins
Own the pain”
Learned to shake a real hand
Look ’em in the eyes
That’s how you stand
[Chorus]
What makes a boy wanna be a man?
(Yeah, yeah)
Honesty
Responsibility in his hands
(Say it, say it)
Integrity
Respect
That trust
That honor
(Female vocals: oh, what a blessing)
Love built him up
That love made him stronger
(Female vocals: oh, what a blessing)
What makes a boy wanna be a man?
He was given that love
What a blessing
Yeah
[Verse 2]
East side summers on the stoop
West side cousins on the roof
Same story in a different view
Tryna choose the truth over the crew
I done seen those easy lies
Take a good kid
Twist his mind
Had to learn to say “that ain’t me”
Walk away
Keep my dignity
[Chorus]
What makes a boy wanna be a man?
(What makes him, makes him)
Honesty
Responsibility in his hands
(Stand tall, stand tall)
Integrity
Respect
That trust
That honor
(Female vocals: oh, what a blessing)
Love built him up
That love made him stronger
(Female vocals: oh, what a blessing)
What makes a boy wanna be a man?
He was given that love
What a blessing
Yeah
[Bridge]
It’s in the late-night talks
It’s in the “sorry
I was wrong”
It’s in the way you keep your word
Long after the feeling’s gone
From the East Coast corners
To the palm trees in the sand
Same truth
Same heart
That turns a boy into a man
[Chorus]
What makes a boy wanna be a man?
(Yeah, yeah)
Honesty
Responsibility in his hands
(Say it, say it)
Integrity
Respect
That trust
That honor
(Female vocals: oh, what a blessing)
Love built him up
That love made him stronger
(Female vocals: oh, what a blessing)
What makes a boy wanna be a man?
He was given that love
What a blessing
Yeah