[Verse 1:]
Honest where I start from
I try and impart my wisdom
A combination of truth and fear
That’s the way it’s always been
My father and his before him
At times we hurt the …
[Verse 1]
Oh, pity me
I’m so alone and so blue
My friends have all gone away
Their friendliness too
[Pre-Chorus]
It was I on my own
With no need to belong
And I wanted to die
That’s when …
[Verse 1]
Got some money, got some cash
I’m rich and now I’m sad
And I wonder if I’m sad about the money that I have
Got some boats on my plane
At the hotel …
[Intro]
Yeah
Polishin’ a goddamn sword, you know what I’m sayin’?
Polishin’ a sword (Uh, uh, uh, uh)
Concrete Family, Concrete Industries, Concrete Boys up, always, never down
(And this beat from Cash, not from …
When the only sound in the empty street
Is the heavy tread of the heavy feet
That belong to a lonesome cop
I open shop
When the moon so long has been gazing down
On …
And I’m in denial1
And it don’t take no x-ray to see right through my smile2
I know, I be on the go
And there ain’t no drink out there that can numb my soul3
Oh no
All we wanna do is take the chains off
All we wanna do is break the chains off4All we wanna do is be free5
All we wanna do is be free
All we wanna do is take the chains off
All we wanna do is break the chains off
All we wanna do is be free
All we wanna do is be free
Can you tell me why
Every time I step outside I see my niggas die6
I’m lettin’ you know
That there ain’t no gun they make that can kill my soul7
Oh no
All we wanna do is take the chains off
All we wanna do is break the chains off
All we wanna do is be free
All we wanna do is be free
All we wanna do is take the chains off
All we wanna do is break the chains off
All we wanna do is be free
All we wanna do is be free
So now it was like the officer is pulling him inside the car and he’s trying to pull away. At no time the officer said that he was going to do anything until he pulled out his weapon. His weapon was drawn and he said, “I’ll shoot you” or, “I’m going to shoot” and in the same moment, the first shot went off. We looked down and he was shot and there was blood coming from him. Then we took off running.8
Are we all alone, fighting on our own9
Please give me a chance, I don’t wanna dance10
Somethings got me down, I will stand my ground11
Don’t just stand around, don’t just stand around12
As we took off running I ducked and hid for my life, because I was fearing for my life. I hid behind the first car I saw. My friend, he kept running, and he told me to keep running because he feared for me too. So as he was running the officer was trying to get out of the car, and once he got out the car he pursued my friend but his weapon was drawn. Now he didn’t see any weapon drawn at him or anything like that, us going for no weapon. His weapon was already drawn when he got out the car. He shot again, and once my friend felt that shot, he turned around and put his hands in the air, and started to get down, but the officer still approached with his weapon drawn and he fired 7 more shots and my friend died13
All we wanna do is take the chains off
All we wanna do is break the chains off
All we wanna do is be free
All we wanna do is be free
All we wanna do is take the chains off
All we wanna do is break the chains off
All we wanna do is be free
All we wanna do is be free
J. Cole cannot believe the extent to which the moral behavior of police has plummeted.
While J. Cole is a celebrity that has to keep up appearances, he is grieved by the plight of African-Americans who are so often victimized by police brutality and gun violence.
J. Cole feels as though he cannot rest easy as the police abuse their power.
To break and take off chains is a figurative matter. J. Cole believes that African-Americans have faced particular hardships under the reign of a violent police state.
J. Cole believes that freedom includes the ability to be black without being shot or harassed for no reason.
J. Cole mourns the fact that so many African-Americans are being killed by cops.
J. Cole demonstrates exemplary resilience in the face of these injustices when he says “there ain’t no gun they make that can kill my soul.”
Dorian Johnson, an eyewitness of the murder of Michael Brown by police, tells the tale from his firsthand perspective. J. Cole uses this account to expose how reckless policemen who wield guns can be.
J. Cole asks whether society has isolated African-Americans deliberately.
By “dance,” J. Cole means “dodge the reign of terror inflicted by police.”
“Stand you ground” is a phrase that has gained popularity in the aftermath of so much gun violence committed by police. It means “don’t back down when faced with injustice.”
J. Cole calls people to action. He doesn’t want them to comply with injustice.
This audio track is a sample of an eyewitness account of Dorian Johnson, who recalls the behavior of the police officer who killed Michael Brown, a young man who came to be known far and wide as a victim of police gun violence.
2 user explanations and meanings
Anonymous
9 -11
Joe Mama
i don’t even know loll