Parents Just Don't Understand (w/ Dj Jazzy Jeff) Lyrics - Greatest Hits - Will Smith

You know parents are the same 

No matter time nor place 

They don't understand that us kids 

Are gonna make some mistakes 

So to you, all the kids all across the land 

There's no need to argue 

Parents just don't understand 

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 

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She said, "What's wrong? This shirt cost 20 dollars" 

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!" 

Photos 

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 them 

'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 

Oh okay, here's the situation 

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, "C'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 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 from me, parents just don't understand