Beautiful: Plucky Xiong
Posted on 24 December 2009
I wanted to share this song by Plucky Xiong, I am not much of a rap listener, in fact I do not listen to rap at all with some exceptions that is. But I thought this song will be very nice to share. Why, because many of us can relate to this song. Listen to the words (or read the lyrics) carefully and you’ll be able to see the picture especially if you grew up in the 90’s. I was a child then, very young, but knew enough, I too am one of the few who can really relate to this song.
Plucky painted a picture of memories in my head as I listen to this song. I remember back in California during my young and childish years, my dad had a job but it wasn’t enough to support the family therefore we were on welfare; we loved payless shoes because we couldn’t afford any of those nice shoes. My parents were afraid to let us out of the house because they were sacred we’ll be influenced by the gangster life therefore they were very strict on us. The cool kids were always at the park hanging out in baggy clothes and with the music blasting off. Every weekend someone’s home was jamming from break dancing.
I don’t know about others, but even with the low income I still had a wonderful childhood with lots of wonderful memories. Those were the days when nothing matters much
Well anyways… here is Plucky’s song “Beautiful”
Plucky Xiong – Beautiful – Lyrics.mp3
C’mon now,
I aint gotta do this song for you to realize this
c’mon, lets do this man
Baggy jeans you had to have
Rich kids with reebok class
While the payless shoe store carried the rest of us
Who knew that Pao could be in welfare
Happens to the best of us
That’s why the early 90’s created the best of thugs
Gunshots in the daylight
Bullets don’t stray right
I guess Hmong people were destined to take the test of love
I was just a shorty then, had my bangs growing
In the High Voltage era, when KLS started falling
Was a dirty little fella too ashamed to spit game
When all the Hmong kids I knew had a quiet nickname
Gangsters roll in the park, bboys had the place jumping
Anything on four wheels had the bass pumping
ESL classes, teachers pronouncing names wrong
White kids yelling, “Gook, go back to where you came from.”
Was the skin I claim wrong?
Trust me on this
Everyone I grew up with always heard the same song
If you rock the flip flops then you was a fob
If you rock a red shirt then you was a slob
And people talk their shit man
Like it was a job
And if you deep in the ride
Then you was the mob
Now you ashamed to be HMONG
I just don’t understand it
Stereotypes don’t define you
Don’t be quick to brand it
Play with the cards you’ve been handed
You ashamed to be HMONG?
YOU CRAZY
Yalls beautiful
Barbeque in a rusty barrel
Cooking was the kid’s best
Welfare reform had the Hmongs moving to the Midwest
I was a little older now
Kats started rocking dickies
And girls got cuter
Still stupidity hit me
Still ashamed of our roots
Our culture disintegrating
My teacher’s nobody
But preaches to the generations
Girls in bell bottoms
Guys started getting pretty
Seems like we’re all coming up
Making more than $5.50
At $5.75 we survived
The props you gotta give it
Cuz kids make enough money now
To drive Honda Civics
Fams stranded on projects
Young girls taking up wics
And living poor got shorty dream of making it big
Mismatches couches in homes
Sisters having chores checked
Rocking old school Camrys
And 80 shoes on doorsteps
Pluse who would believe that
Having the cousins come over
We’ll have the streets packed
Still they say
If you rock the flip flops then you was a fob
If you rock a red shirt then you was a slob
And people talk their shit man
Like it was a job
And if you deep in the ride
Then you was the mob
Now you ashamed to be HMONG
I just don’t understand it
Stereotypes don’t define you
Don’t be quick to brand it
Play with the cards you’ve been handed
You Ashamed to be HMONG?
YOU CRAZY
Yalls beautiful
Now through the hard times
We face it
Dark hours
Cold places
Harsh power
Old faces
That we once knew
Buried under in bold cases
Lost dreams in old pages
Resurrected by the ghetto
Praying for me to make it
They say it’ll never change
There’s no harvest in the heartless
But I see through the darkness
In this beauty and the rain
When I see us breaking habits
Preserving our roots
For our children’s’ sake
Like mom’s medicine cabinet
Support rules formed to promote higher education
Brotherly love, families and sister relations
I’m a grown man now since I prayed for long life
Stay sharp for all purpose like a Hmong knife
I see girls in kapris oversized belts at their waist
Vintage clothes and Mohawks
And wedges up for the chase
Our people’s beautiful even when they stray
Cuz we turn ghetto into beauty
Even when they say
If you rock the flip flops then you was a fob
If you rock a red shirt then you was a slob
And people talk their shit man
Like it was a job
And if you deep in the ride
Then you was the mob
Now you ashamed to be HMONG
I just don’t understand it
Stereotypes don’t define you
Don’t be quick to brand it
Play with the cards you’ve been handed
You ashamed to be HMONG?
YOU CRAZY
Yalls beautiful
2 responses to Beautiful: Plucky Xiong
Thanks for sharing the song.. It got me liking it a lot. I was wondering if you can send this song to me if you don’t mind..
Thanks again for sharing.
&&JenniferYANG
Nice lyrics.