Just heard my brotha in Uganda got bludgeoned to death
Got a father from Nigeria who's supposed to love me to death
Living as a queer in fear got me thinking about death
Imagine if they came upstairs and I was found dead
Whether I pump myself with lead or stay confined to my bed
I'm dying, I'm tired of living, so depressed
To kill those who speak on behalf of the oppressed
Is like killing one of God's angels, a saint's been laid to rest
I'm nowhere near perfect, but my spirit lives inside
Same body, same flesh...we all bleed, we all die
But there are some among us, so conflicted inside
Homophobia eats away at you, then you want me to cry
To cry cuz I love her in spite of my mother
To lie about boyfriends--undercover coworker
To smile in the face of such an oppressive system
To talk to my mother about my lover, even though she won't listen
A down low sista, too short to be a mister
In East Africa, I'd be killed as your mother or your sister
And all this because we can't accept our differences
There are kids who have to witness this
Priests who will not mention it;
Pride parades of people who will stand up
And not just sit with this
That international outcry has to start at home
It could be me, you, or someone you don't even know
This person may not have one good place to go
But if you lead them in the right direction, they just might find their way home
To all the LGBTQ kids who found freedom by leaving
Whose parents and family call them nothing but "heathen"
Who go to bed sometimes without even eating
Keep your head up, you will not be defeated.
