Wife 4 Life

Not for this year or next, but for her whole life: the speaker hopes she heard him on that night when he asked her to become his wife. Wife 4 Life is headed “Dedicated 2 April” in the book and belongs to a small series of poems in the second part of The Rose That Grew from Concrete that all revolve around the same person. Who April was is not documented; the book gives only her first name.

Not a Perfect Man, but a Pure Heart

He asks her to accept him when he sins and to understand him when he fails. She should also endure the rain that falls as hard as hail.

Remarkable is the self-description at the end: he is not the best man and his faults could scare the night, yet his heart remains pure for his wife for life. As in many poems in the book, Tupac offers no ideal figure, but a flawed person who promises loyalty.

Four Poems Tell a Love Story

In the book, the April poems follow closely upon one another. The sequence opens with 1 for April, an infatuation after their first meeting. Next comes Wife 4 Life. After that, Tears from a Star, “4 Me & April”, depicts an uncovered infidelity. The conclusion is formed by March 1st, The Day After April, dedicated “2 the Divorce of Me & April”, about the breakup.

Together, the four poems tell a complete love story from initial fascination to farewell. The word “Divorce” is likely meant figuratively here; no marriage is documented.

Set to Music on the 2000 Album

On the album The Rose That Grew from Concrete (2000), 4th Avenue Jones and K-Ci interpret the poem Wife 4 Life. There is no exact date; according to the preface by Afeni Shakur, the poems date from the years 1989 to 1991.

More about the book and all poems in the introduction.