I know sometimes things may not always make sense to you right now.
But hey, what does mama always tell you?
Straighten up little soldier, stiffen up that upper lip.
What you crying about?
You got me.

Nova, I know you miss your mommy and I know you miss me too.
Well I'm gone but I'm trying to 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 want to cry.
Cause you're scared, I ain't there?
Well I'm always with you in your prayers, no more crying, wipe them tears.
Mama's here, no more nightmares.
We're gonna pull together through it, we're gonna do it.
Riley, mama's crazy ain't she?
Yeah, but she 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, looking puzzled in a daze.
I know it's confusing you, mama's always on the move and your mommy'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, growing up, her daddy that she had to see.
Mama don't want you to see, but you see just as much as I did.
We did not plan it to be this way, your mother and me.
But things have gotten so bad between us; I don't see us ever being together ever again, like we used to be when we were teenagers.
But then of course everything always happens for a reason.
I guess it was never meant to be, it's just something we have no control over and that's what destiny is.
But sweetie, 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 you, mama's here to hold you 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, mommy's gonna be alright.

It's funny.
I remember back one year, when mama had no money.
Mommy wrapped the Christmas presents up and stuck them under the tree and said some of them were from me.
Cause mama couldn't buy them, I'll never forget that Christmas, I sat up the whole night crying.
Cause mama felt like a bum, see mama had a 9-5 job.
And that job was to keep the food on the table for you and mom.
At the time, every single house that we lived in, either kept broken into and robbed, or shot up on the block.
And your mom, was saving money for you in a jar.
Trying to start a piggy bank for you, so you could go to college.
She almost had a thousand dollars, till someone broke in and stole it.
And I know it hurt so bad, it broke you mommy's heart.
And after that, it seemed like everything was just starting to fall apart.
We were arguing a lot so mommy moved back into our old flat, one bedroom apartment.
I moved back to the side of town called, Lima Heights Adjacent.

And that's when mama went to California with her CD and met Lady Gaga and then flew you guys out to see me.
But mama had to work, you and mommy had to leave me.
Then you started seeing me all over TV.
And you and Riley were too young to understand it.
Mama was a rollin' stone, and your mommy developed a habit.
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 to make you proud.
Now I'm sitting in this empty house, just reminiscing.
Looking at your baby pictures, it just trips me out, to see how much you two have grown.
You're both big girls now.
But mama's still here, never forget that.
I like the sound of that, yeah, it's got a ring to it, don't it?
Shhh, mama's only gone for the moment.

And if you ask me to.
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird, I'm gonna give you the world.
I'm gonna buy a diamond ring for you, I'm gonna sing for you, I'll do anything for you to see you smile.
And if that mockingbird don't sing and that ring don't shine, I'm gonna break that birdies neck.
I'll go back to the jeweler who sold it to you and make him eat every carat, they should know better than to fuck with me :)

Love always, mama Santana Pierce-Lopez