Will Smith

Released: October 25, 2002

Featuring: Tra-Knox

Songwriter: LeMar Bennett Lance Bennett Lennie Bennett C.Wilson Gregg C. Wilson Tra-Knox Will Smith

Producer: Sauce

[ Tra-Knox - Singing ]:
"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ewww"
* Sang in Intro, and picks up for the last two lines of Verse 1 *

[ Verse 1 : Will Smith ]
Yo, at 17 years old I started runnin' the streets
Man I had some fun in the streets
11, 12, sometimes 1 in the streets
By 18, I started seein' the sun in the streets
My mom started trippin' on me like "Will, you gotta choose your friends carefully
Like I trust you, but please call me
And when you have kids of your own, you'll see
I'm gonna be here when all your friends won't"
But I was busy hollerin' "Parents Just Don't Understand"
Now here I am with the family, runnin' the lines she ran on me
We ain't always see eye to eye, but Ma on your principles now I rely
You got me tastin' my toes

[ Chorus - Tra-Knox (Will Smith) ]
You go to trust in moms (haha) all day long (haha, haha)
I didn't know (didn't know but)
When my momma told me, don't go down that road (she told me don't go)
Don't go down that road, (but, but) but I gotta go, go (gotta go), where I gotta go, go
So thank you for not tellin' me I told you so

* Singing: "ew, ew, ew," goes from last line of chorus, into 1st line of Verse 2

[ Verse 2: Will Smith (Tra-Knox) ]
I used to roll hard with this dude named Chuck (Chuck)
Rollin' in my car, with this dude named Chuck (Chuck)
My mom ain't really liked this dude named Chuck (Chuck)
She thought that he was really impolite (Chuck)
Chuck and me used to roll out faithfully
Inevitably you see Chuck, you gonna see me
Like we on TV, the bosomest of buddies
Share food, clothes, and money (ewww)
And hunnies (ewww) flocked like we was players from the NBA
Still hurts to recall the day, I heard him say
To this girl named Mya, I was datin'
He told her I was a liar, joker hatin'
He told her I be cheatin' on women
Breakin' hearts and grinnin'
He told her, her life would be better with him in it
That's the friend I chose

[ Chorus - Tra-Knox (Will Smith) ]
You go to trust in moms all day long (ew)
I didn't know (but)
When my momma told me, don't go (uh) down that road (she told me don't go)
Don't go, don't go down that road, (but, but) but I gotta go, go, where I gotta go, go (uh)
So thank you for not tellin' me I told you so (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

* Solo of Tra-Knox singing: "ew, ew, ew" is mixed together with the beat *

[ Verse 3 - Will Smith ]
Momma used to say, "take your time young man
I ain't gonna always be there holdin' your hand
But you'll always know exactly where I am
And when I'm not there, in my place, the lord will stand
Will study the world, only the wise succeed
And when your eyes tell lies, your heart should leave
You gonna do dirt, we all gonna sin
But when you realize and apologize, and never do it again"
Ma told me, "don't rush to get old
If you got youth, the truth clutched in your hold
It's like possibilities too much to behold
An emotional shield, from life's blustery cold"
Ma all the stuff was hard, you said was hard
Childish disregard, because my head was hard
Now no question to pose

[ Chorus - Tra Knox ]

Will Smith is a famed actor who has so many iconic movie roles in Hollywood blockbusters under his belt you sometimes forget he’s an accomplished rapper, too.

Smith started as the MC of the hip-hop duo “DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince,” with his childhood friend Jeffrey “DJ Jazzy Jeff” Townes as turntablist and producer. They gained critical acclaim and won the first Grammy awarded in the Rap category (1988).

As a result of spending money carelessly, Smith was nearly bankrupt in 1990, when the NBC television network signed him to a contract and built a sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, around him.

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