[Intro - Pharrell]
Yo, wake up, wake up, ghetto children
Wake up, wake up, ghetto children
Wake up, wake up, ghetto children
Wake up, wake up, ghetto children
Wake up, wake up, Hey, hey

[Verse 1 - Marc Dorsey + [Kelis]]
You're a ghetto boy, you're my life
And there's so much for you to protect and to save
And baby boy don't hit your wife
Cause your kids may grow up someday to be this way, yeah
You don't know what you may be
To some boy in society
There's a secret to why[There's a secret]
You must survive
So listen to what we say
Cause this type of shit happens every day

[Chorus - Kelis + Marc Dorsey]
Come for yours cause dreams come true
And this is the message that we bring through
Say hey now, hey now, now
Hey now, hey now
No matter what teachers say to you
Ghetto children are beautiful
Say hey now, hey now, now
Hey now, hey now

[Verse 2 - Kelis + [Marc]]
Baby girl you're my life
It's important that you smile
And never cry, [Don't never cry]
Study math and your sciences
Maybe you'll figure why we subtract and not multiply
You don't know what you may be
To some girl in society
There's a secret to why
We must survive
So listen to what we say
Cause this type of shit happens every day

[Chorus - Kelis + Marc Dorsey]
Come for yours cause dreams come true
And this is the message that we bring through
Say hey now, hey now, now
Hey now, hey now
No matter what teachers say to you
Ghetto children are beautiful
Say hey now, hey now, now
Hey now, hey now

[Verse 3 - N.E.R.D.]
Crack town, ghetto in the city
Buildings are abandoned but the girls are still pretty
A child looks in the mirror, yeah to see my life clearer
All I see is ghetto keys, to this jet black coke gram
Nine eleven course, of course 911 don't mean help
The only ones that need help, is them sons without wealth
It's apparent that this nation, they don't know what they facing
Young natural born killers, and these street corner masons
You want that type of money, that you see in the mob cliques
With your stashes in the drawers, yes with the lumps under my carpet
Listen to your heart, why should I listen to you
I was here from the start, but you don't bring no money through
Look I only feel capes, and to get it I kill Jakes
By the time I'm 20 wanna be the ghetto Bill Gates
You a were born to be an angel, that was in my brain too
Now the only Star Spangle's coming out my Kangol
Now that I'm out it's like the whole world flames you
Although the ghetto's nothing like the conclusion I came to
Your friends see you playing both sides, now they don't claim you
Ghetto children change the world, don't let the world change you
Come on, word, nerd, word

[Chorus x2 - Kelis + Marc Dorsey]
Come for yours cause dreams come true
And this is the message that we bring through
Say hey now, hey now, now
Hey now, hey now
No matter what teachers say to you
Ghetto children are beautiful
Say hey now, hey now, now
Hey now, hey now

[Outro - Pharrell]
Little children wanna seem part of
The whole world wants to be apart of
A little ghetto things, a little ghetto things
Ay yo, ay yo
Little children wanna seem part of
The whole world wants to be apart of
My little ghetto kings, my little ghetto queens