Yeah, I know sometimes
Things may not always make sense to you right now
But hey, what’d daddy always tell you?
Straighten up, little soldier
Stiffen up that upper lip
What you cryin’ about?
You got me

Hailie, I know you miss your mom, and I know you miss your dad
When I’m gone, but I’m tryna give you the life that I never had
I can see you’re sad even when you smile, even when you laugh
I can see it in your eyes, deep inside, you wanna cry
‘Cause you’re scared, I ain’t there? Daddy’s with you in your prayers
No more crying, wipe them tears, daddy’s here, no more nightmares
We gon’ pull together through it, we gon’ do it
Lainie, uncle’s crazy, ain’t he? Yeah, but he loves you, girl, and you better know it
We’re all we got in this world, when it spins, when it swirls
When it whirls, when it twirls, two little beautiful girls

Lookin’ puzzled, in a daze, I know it’s confusing you
Daddy’s always on the move, mama’s always on the news
I try to keep you sheltered from it, but somehow, it seems
The harder that I try to do that, the more it backfires on me
All the things growin’ up as daddy that he had to see
Daddy don’t want you to see, but you see just as much as he did

We did not plan it to be this way, your mother and me
But things have got so bad between us
I don’t see us ever being together ever again
Like we used to be when we was teenagers
But then, of course, everything always happens for a reason
I guess it was never meant to be
But it’s just something we have no control over, and that’s what destiny is
But no more worries, rest your head and go to sleep
Maybe one day, we’ll wake up, and this will all just be a dream

Now hush, little baby, don’t you cry
Everything’s gonna be alright
Stiffen that upper lip up, little lady, I told ya
Daddy’s here to hold ya through the night
I know mommy’s not here right now, and we don’t know why
We feel how we feel inside
It may seem a little crazy, pretty baby
But I promise mama’s gon’ be alright

Huh, it’s funny
I remember back one year when daddy had no money
Mommy wrapped the Christmas presents up and stuck ’em under the tree
And said some of ’em were from me, ’cause daddy couldn’t buy ’em
I’ll never forget that Christmas, I sat up the whole night crying
‘Cause daddy felt like a bum, see, daddy had a job
But his job was to keep the food on the table for you and mom

And at the time, every house that we lived in
Either kept gettin’ broken into and robbed
Or shot up on the block
And your mom was savin’ money for you in a jar
Tryna start a piggy bank for you so you could go to college
Almost had a thousand dollars ’til someone broke in and stole it
And I know it hurt so bad, it broke your mama’s heart
And it seemed like everything was just startin’ to fall apart

Mom and dad was arguin’ a lot
So mama moved back on to Chalmers in a flat one-bedroom apartment
And dad moved back to the other side of 8 Mile on Novara
And that’s when daddy went to California with his CD
And met Dr. Dre, and flew you and mama out to see me
But daddy had to work, you and mama had to leave me
Then you started seeing daddy on the TV, and mama didn’t like it
And you and Lainie were too young to understand it
Papa was a rolling stone, mama developed a habit
And it all happened too fast for either one of us to grab it

I’m just sorry you were there and had to witness it first-hand
‘Cause all I ever wanted to do was just make you proud
Now I’m sittin’ in this empty house
Just reminiscin’, lookin’ at your baby pictures, it just trips me out
To see how much you both have grown, it’s almost like you’re sisters now
Wow, guess you pretty much are, and daddy’s still here
Lainie, I’m talkin’ to you too, daddy’s still here
I like the sound of that, yeah, it’s got a ring to it, don’t it?
Shh, mama’s only gone for the moment

Now hush, little baby, don’t you cry
Everything’s gonna be alright
Stiffen that upper lip up, little lady, I told ya
Daddy’s here to hold ya through the night
I know mommy’s not here right now, and we don’t know why
We feel how we feel inside
It may seem a little crazy, pretty baby
But I promise mama’s gon’ be alright