And 2morrow

It is about survival and waiting for a better day. When Leila Steinberg, Tupac’s first manager and leader of his writing circle, wrote the introduction to The Rose That Grew from Concrete, she explicitly named one poem: And 2morrow. The piece appears in the fourth and most political section of the book, “Liberty Needs Glasses”. The title is often written as And Tomorrow, with the text given in normalized spelling.

Three Steps from Anger to Hope

The structure follows a clear three-step pattern. Today is full of anger and hidden hatred, built on tragedies no one wants to face. Night brings violence: children grow up ruthless because nobody at home cares, and the pressure keeps the speaker from sleeping.

Only tomorrow reverses the direction. It brings the chance to build anew on spirit, honest intent, and truth. The speaker wakes with a second wind, knowing that he fought with all his heart to keep his dream alive.

The poem does not conceal the hardship, but it does not end in it. This movement from diagnosis to hope is typical of Tupac, who in later songs often said both in the same breath.

From the Writing Circle into Schools and the Arc to “Changes”

After Tupac’s death, Steinberg used his writings as teaching material in schools, youth facilities, and prisons. And 2morrow was an example for her of what these poems can say to young people.

Thematically related is Changes: there, too, Tupac describes violence and poverty while still banking on change. The comparison is an interpretation, not a documented connection.

Like the remaining poems, And 2morrow was written between 1989 and 1991 according to the preface by Afeni Shakur. A more precise date is not known.

The introduction provides an overview of the entire book and all the poems.