What would you do? By City High
This was played by City High. This R&B song narrates a reality story. It’s about a young girl that takes exotic dancing as a career because she is in need of money. She has a child that needs to be fed and she doesn’t want him to suffer what she suffered in her infancy. So the story develops in a bar where a high school friend saw her dancing there, he takes her outside and asks her why she is working there. When she explains what were her experiences he decides to encourage her to keep working for the money and let go of any excuse.
This son as you can hear is a conversation. Because of this they change the melody, so we can see what part belongs to the woman and what part belongs to the man. As the story goes on he talks to her trough rap, and she responds with a more melodic song. The verbal sounds in this song variety a lot in the introduction of the story we can hear four different combinations.
Boys and girls wanna hear a true story?
Saturday night was at this real wild party
They had the liquor overflowin’ the cup, about
5 or 6 strippers tryin to work for a buck
and I-took one girl outside wit me, her name
was Loni, she went to Junior High wit me,
I said, Why you up in there dancin for cash?,
I guess a whole lots changed since I seen you last
She said..
[Chorus:]
What would you do?, if your son was at home
crying all alone on the bedroom floor, cuz he’s hungry
and thee only way to feed him is ta sleep wit a man
for a little bit of money, and his daddy’s gone
somewhere smokin’ rock now, in and out of lock down,
I aint gotta job now, so for you this is just a good time
but for me this is what I call life
[2nd verse:]
Girl you aint thee only one wit a baby,
that’s no excuse to be livin all crazy
then she looked me right square in the eye
and said everyday I wake up hopin’ to die,
she said- nigga I know about pain cuz,
me and my sista ran away, so my daddy
couldn’t rape us, before I was a teenager
I done been through more shit, you can’t even
relate ta!
[Chorus]
Ooooo
Then she said, What would you do? if….
Get up on my feet and let go of every excuse
What would you do? if….
Cuz I wouldn’t want my baby, to go through what
I went through
What would you do? if….
Get up on my feet, stop makin tired excuses
What would you do? if…
Girl I know if my mother can do it, baby you can do it
Oooo, oooo, oooo-(yea, yea, yea, yea)
[Chorus]
What would you do? if yo son was at home,
crying all alone on the bedroom floor, cuz he’s hungry
and the only way to feed him is to sleep wit a man
for a little bit of money, and his daddy’s gone
somewhere smokin rock now, in and out of lock down,
I aint gotta job now, so for you this is just a good time
but for me this is what I call life (Come on)