Marvin Sapp - What About the Children Lyrics
Lyrics
Chorus
What about the children?
How can they play?
No place safe
It s gotta be a better way
People (oh-oh-ay) in the street (yeah, yeah, yeah)
No place to sleep
No food to eat, oh, oh
Verse
As I look out the windell, what do I see?
I see poverty
People living in the streets, how could this be?
Whatever happened to humanity, yeah?
Why can't we live in peace and harmony?
It s such a sad reality, it's killing me
Chorus
What about the children? (Oh, oh, yeah)
How can they play? (Oh, my)
No place safe
It's gotta be a better way (tell me how)
People (talk about the people, yeah) in the street
No place to sleep
No food to eat (oh, well, well, wow) oh, oh
Verse
What s the purpose of war
They keep the rich separate from the poor
It s just a game, and it's a shame, oh, oh
Missing father, he s not in the home
Little girl, which means the child's alone
Here the baby crying through the night
Because the mama s not doing right
Chorus
What about the children? (What about the children?)
How can they play? (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
No place safe (nowhere, nowhere)
It's gotta be a better way (oh my, oh my)
People (what about the people?) in the street
No place to sleep
No food to eat, oh, oh
Verse
Well, well, well, well, ah
Oh, oh, hmm, my, my
Chorus
(What about?) What about the children? (What about the children?)
How can they play? (How can they play?)
No place safe (nowhere seems to be safe)
It s gotta be a better way (I gotta know)
People (tell me 'bout the people dying) in the street (dying in the streets)
No place to sleep (no food to eat)
No food to eat (tell me) oh, oh
(What about?) What about the children? (My babies are dying)
How can they play? ('Cause, I hear them crying)
No place safe (oh, oh, oh)
It s gotta be a better way (oh, yeah, what about )
People (talk about the people) in the street (they re living in the streets)
No place to sleep (there is no place to sleep)
No food to eat, oh, oh (there is no food)
What about the children?
How can they play? (Oh my, oh my)
No place safe (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
It's gotta be a better way (oh, oh)
People (tell me bout the people some money) in the street (earn money)
(Everybody, let's go) no place to sleep (yeah, yeah)
No food to eat (hmm) oh, oh
What about the children (Let s talk about the children)
How can they play? (We gotta change the world)
No place safe
It's gotta be a better way
People (gotta be a better way, gotta be) in the street
Video
What About the Children
Meaning & Inspiration
"What About the Children," a powerful track from Marvin Sapp's 1999 album, "Nothing Else Matters," stands as a poignant cry for compassion and a call to action. This song doesn't just sing about societal issues; it embodies them, offering a stark reflection of the struggles faced by the most vulnerable among us. Sapp's message, deeply rooted in a desire for justice and a concern for the future, challenges us to look beyond our own immediate concerns and consider the well-being of the next generation. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of children unable to experience the simple joys of childhood due to circumstances beyond their control – a lack of safety, security, and even basic necessities like food and shelter. This resonates with the biblical principle found in Proverbs 22:6, which states, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it," implying a responsibility to provide a nurturing environment for their development.
The song directly confronts the realities of poverty and homelessness, questioning the humanity that allows such conditions to persist. Sapp asks, "Whatever happened to humanity?" a question that echoes through scripture, reminding us of our call to love our neighbor as ourselves, as commanded in Leviticus 19:18 and echoed by Jesus in Matthew 22:39. The imagery of people on the street, with no place to sleep and no food to eat, is a profound illustration of the suffering that occurs when empathy and action are absent. This hardship is further compounded by the song's exploration of societal ills like war, which the lyrics suggest perpetuates divisions between the rich and the poor, a stark contrast to the biblical vision of a unified community. The mention of absent fathers and single mothers struggling to provide also touches upon the fragility of family structures and the ripple effect it has on children, a concern that finds its roots in the Old Testament's emphasis on caring for the fatherless and the widow, such as in Deuteronomy 10:18.
Sapp's earnest delivery urges listeners to acknowledge that "It's gotta be a better way," a sentiment that aligns with the prophetic calls for righteousness and justice found throughout the Bible. The repeated question, "What about the children?" serves as a constant reminder of our moral obligation to safeguard their innocence and provide them with a foundation for a hopeful future. This plea for a better way is not just an emotional appeal but a spiritual imperative. It compels us to consider the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 18:6, where he warns against causing even the smallest of his followers to stumble, underscoring the profound significance of protecting children from harm and hardship. The song challenges us to move from passive observation to active engagement, embodying the active faith that James describes in James 2:17: "faith without works is dead." "What About the Children" is an enduring anthem, calling for a reawakening of our collective conscience and a commitment to building a world where every child has the opportunity to thrive.