“What Would You Do?”, the early 2001 hit from New Jersey-based trio City High, is told from the perspective of a man who encounters a stripper at a party who he had known in junior high, and discovers that said stripper’s occupation hides a much more tragic life than the man’s outside impressions in...
[Verse 1: Robby]
Boys and girls, wanna hear a true story?
Saturday night I was at this real wild party
They had the liquor overflowing the cup
About five or six strippers tryna work for a buck
And I took one girl outside with me
Her name was Lonni, she went to junior high with me
I said, "Why you up in there dancin' for cash?
I guess a whole a lot's changed since I seen you last."
She said
[Chorus: Claudette & Robby]
What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone on the bedroom floor
'Cause he's hungry?
And the only way to feed him is to
Sleep with a man for a little bit of money
And his daddy's gone
Somewhere smokin' rock now, in and out of lockdown
I ain't got a job now
So for you this is just a good time, but for me this is what I call life
Mmm
[Verse 2: Ryan Toby]
Girl, you ain't the only one with a baby
That's no excuse to be livin' all crazy
Then she looked me right square in the eye
And said every day I wake up hopin' to die
She said, "[Nigga], I know about pain 'cause
Me and my sister ran away so my daddy couldn't rape us
Before I was a teenager
I done been through more [shit] that you can't even relate to"
[Chorus: City High (Ryan)]
What would you do if your son was at home (Oh)
Crying all alone on the bedroom floor (Woahh, woah)
'Cause he's hungry?
And the only way to feed him is to
Sleep with a man for a little bit of money (Yeah, woah)
And his daddy's gone
Somewhere smokin' rock now, in and out of lockdown
I ain't got a job now
So for you this is just a good time, but for me this is what I call life
Mmm (Yeah)
[Breakdown: Ryan]
Yo, wait, hold up, hold up, hold up
Hold up, stop the record, yo
Stop the record
You should you ain't gonna be going out
Like this man
[Bridge: (Claudette) Ryan and Toby]
Hold up!
(What would you do?)
Get up on my feet and let go of every excuse
(What would you do?)
'Cause I wouldn't want my baby to go through what I went through
(Come on, what would you do?)
Get up on my feet and stop making tired excuses
(What would you do?)
Girl, I know if my mother can do it, baby, you can do it
[Chorus: City High (Ryan)]
What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone on the bedroom floor (Crying all alone, yeah)
'Cause he's hungry?
And the only way to feed him is to (Only way to feed him)
Sleep with a man for a little bit of money
And his daddy's gone (Nooo)
Somewhere smokin' rock now, in and out of lockdown (Yeah)
I ain't got a job now (Yeahhh)
So for you this is just a good time, but for me this is what I call life
Mmm
[Chorus 2: Robby & Ryan rap-singing]
What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone on the bedroom floor
'Cause he's hungry?
And the only way to feed him is to
Sleep with a man for a little bit of money
And his daddy's gone
Somewhere smokin' rock now, in and out of lockdown
I ain't got a job now
So for you this is just a good time, but for me this is what I call life
Come on
[Chorus: City High]
What would you do if your son was at home
Crying all alone on the bedroom floor
'Cause he's hungry?
And the only way to feed him is to
Sleep with a man for a little bit of money
And his daddy's gone
Somewhere smokin' rock now, in and out of lockdown
I ain't got a job now
So for you this is just a good time, but for me this is what I call life
Mmm
What Would You Do? was written by Snoop Dogg & Ryan Toby & Bryan Bailey & Robby Pardlo & Dr. Dre.
What Would You Do? was produced by Robby Pardlo & Ryan Toby & Jerry Duplessis & Wyclef Jean.
City High released What Would You Do? on Tue Feb 27 2001.