I was amazed to hear the lyrics to “Child of the Night” on rapper Ludacris’ new album, “Red Light District.” Why?

It’s got a positive, religious message

Ludacris, famous for having hoes in every area code, is writing about turning his life around, finding God, and being a good boy. So, here’s the lyrics–is this a turnaround for his bad-boy image? Or is just a half-baked apology for his sybaritic lifestyle, and attempt to coo a younger, more innocent audience for his records?

Child of the Night
by Ludacris & Nate Dogg

[chorus x2]

It’s gonna get in you, child of the night.
And the hood rolls on.
How do I begin to do this shit right?
And get my hustle on…

[verse 1]

Look here,
Now I’m a man of many talents and a man of my word,
But on my path to see the light sometimes my vision gets blurred.
It’s all a part of growing up and seeing life at its worst,
and trying to iron out my wrinkles, putting family first.

It seems like the whole world is out for sinking my boat,
but with God as my navigator I’ll be staying afloat.
And I admit to being caught by many foolish distractions,
Then I’m forced to pay the price as a result of my actions.

I’m battling with myself, and every day is a war:
curiosity killed the cat–why am I Curious George?
Gotta keep my nose up out of things that ain’t none of my biz,
and just because something looks good, don’t really mean that it is.

Get through the agony and anger, the pain and strife,
and take the necessary steps to try to change my life.
I’ve got some questions for you Lord, cause my mentality’s hood.
So why’s that everything that’s bad for me feels so good?

[chorus x3]

It’s gonna get in you, child of the night.
And the hood rolls on.
How do I begin to do this shit right?
And get my hustle on…

[verse 2]

Now I’m an only child, so excuse some of my selfish ways.
I got spoiled when I was young, spoil myself today.
But I feed at least a thousand stomachs,
and how I’ve done it is
from the ground up a hundred miles
and running, dodging and ducking.

Everybody trying to hammer me down,
a self-made millionaire, baby look at me now.
Can’t tell me I’m not as hungry as the day I began,
Cause all I ever really needed was a pen in my hand.

And the pad in my lap didn’t matter in fact,
Me and my mom lived in one room, what’s badder than that?
Was a young man forced to grow up at the age of twelve,
Trying to get in where I fit, streets giving me hell.

But yet I give it right back, so how you like that?
Continued doing wrong till I was on the right track.
Tell me about heavy money, I might give it a push,
But a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

[chorus x3]

It’s gonna get in you, child of the night.
And the hood rolls on.
How do I begin to do this shit right?
And get my hustle on…

[verse 3]

Now matter how much older we get,
man, we are all still children at heart,
we all make mistakes; it’s all good.

Now, I’ve tried plenty of times to get rid of my bad habits,
living life on the cutting edge, taking a stab at it.
And learning from my mistakes, try not to make them twice,
Just admit it when I’m wrong, and try to make it right.

And baby, nobody’s perfect in this world of ours.
There’s plenty of people getting stitches in this world of scars,
but over time I pray to God that he can heal your wounds.
Try and love and love again until they seal your tombs!

Life is short if you don’t notice it’ll pass you by,
That’s why my head is in the clouds trying to pass the sky.
I’m never blinking for a minute, keep my eyes on my foes,
they wanna catch me in the open, bring my life to a close.

Meanwhile that’s why I’m bringing so much life to my shows.
I’ve seen smiles; I’m making changes, turning glitter to gold.
Don’t let these devils play you down, or belittle your souls;
just be happy with yourself and it’s so simple to grow.

Come on,

[chorus x4]

It’s gonna get in you, child of the night.
And the hood rolls on.
How do I begin to do this shit right?
And get my hustle on…

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