Parents Just Don't Understand

Album: He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper (1988)
Charted: 12
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  • You know parents are the same
    No matter time nor place
    They don't understand that us kids
    Are going to make some mistakes
    So to you, all the kids all across the land
    There's no need to argue
    Parents just don't understand
    "Parents" 24 lines, 734 characters.

    I remember one year
    My mom took me school shopping
    It was me, my brother, my mom, oh, my pop, and my little sister
    All hopped in the car
    We headed downtown to the Gallery Mall
    MY mom started bugging with the clothes she chose
    I didn't say nothing at first
    I just turned up my nose
    She said, "What's wrong? This shirt cost $20"
    I said, "Mom, this shirt is plaid with a butterfly collar!"
    The next half hour was the same old thing
    My mother buying me clothes from 1963
    And then she lost her mind and did the ultimate
    I asked her for Adidas and she bought me Zips!
    I said, "Mom, what are you doing, you're ruining my rep"
    She said, "You're only sixteen, you don't have a rep yet"
    I said, "Mom, let's put these clothes back, please"
    She said "no, you go to school to learn not for a fashion show"
    I said, "This isn't Sha Na Na, come on Mom, I'm not Bowzer
    Mom, please put back the bell-bottom Brady Bunch trousers
    But if you don't want to I can live with that but
    You gotta put back the double-knit reversible slacks"
    She wasn't moved - everything stayed the same
    Inevitably the first day of school came
    I thought I could get over, I tried to play sick
    But my mom said, "No, no way, uh-uh, forget it"
    There was nothing I could do, I tried to relax
    I got dressed up in those ancient artifacts
    And when I walked into school, it was just as I thought
    The kids were cracking up laughing at the clothes Mom bought
    And those who weren't laughing still had a ball
    Because they were pointing and whispering
    As I walked down the hall
    I got home and told my Mom how my day went
    She said, "If they were laughing you don't need the,
    "Cause they're not good friends"
    For the next six hours I tried to explain to my Mom
    That I was gonna have to go through this about 200 more times
    So to you all the kids all across the land
    There's no need to argue
    Parents just don't understand

    OK, here's the situation
    "parents" 68 lines, 2662 characters.
    My parents went away on a week's vacation and
    They left the keys to the brand new Porsche
    Would they mind?
    Umm, well, of course not
    I'll just take it for a little spin
    And maybe show it off to a couple of friends
    I'll just cruise it around the neighborhood
    Well, maybe I shouldn't
    Yeah, of course I should
    Pay attention, here's the thick of the plot
    I pulled up to the corner at the end of my block
    That's when I saw this beautiful girlie girl walking
    I picked up my car phone to perpetrate like I was talking
    You should've seen this girl's bodily dimensions
    I honked my horn just to get her attention
    She said, "Was that for me?"
    I said, "Yeah"
    She said, "Why?"
    I said, "Come on and take a ride with a helluva guy"
    She said, "How do I know you're not sick?
    You could be some deranged lunatic"
    I said, "see 'mon toots, my name is the Prince
    Beside, would a lunatic have a Porsche like this?"
    She agreed and we were on our way
    She was looking very good and so was I, I must say - word
    We hit McDonald's, pulled into the drive
    We ordered two Big Macs and two large fries with Cokes
    She kicked her shoes off onto the floor
    She said, "Drive fast, speed turns me on"
    She put her hand on my knee, I put my foot on the gas
    We almost got whiplash, I took off so fast
    The sun roof was open , the music was high
    And this girl's hand was steadily moving up my thigh
    She had opened up three buttons on her shirt so far
    I guess that's why I didn't notice that police car
    We're doing ninety in my Mom's new Porsche
    And to make this long story short - short
    When the cop pulled me over I was scared as hell
    I said, "I don't have a license but I drive very well, officer"
    I almost had a heart attack that day
    Come to find out the girl was a twelve-year-old runaway
    I was arrested, the car was impounded
    There was no way for me to avoid being grounded
    My parents had to come off from vacation to get me
    I'd rather be in jail than to have my father hit me
    My parents walked in
    I got my grip, I said, "Ah, Mom, Dad, how was your trip?"
    They didn't speak
    I said, "I want to plead my case"
    But my father just shoved me in the car by my face
    That was a hard ride home, I don't know how I survived
    They took turns -
    One would beat me while the other one was driving
    I can't believe it, I just made a mistake
    Well parents are the same no matter time nor place
    So to you all the kids all across the land
    Take it form me
    Parents just don't understand Writer/s: JEFFREY TOWNES, PETER BRIAN HARRIS, WILLARD C. SMITH
    Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 3

  • John from Nashville, TnDJ Jazzy Jeff later went on to produce two platinum albums for neo-soul artist Jill Scott.
  • John from Nashville, TnThis song came from the album HE'S THE DJ, I'M THE RAPPER, the first-ever double studio album by a rap artist during the last days of vinyl.
  • Eric from Bend, OrI was 8 years old when this song came out. I always liked DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince; they were the only rap group I really liked.
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