[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 …
I had a lady once stop me on the street.
I was wearing white shoes.
And she says, “I’m glad you’re sticking with the white shoes.”
She says, “It makes me feel good.”1
Take this good advice
If they’re gonna judge you for life
Say we can’t always be fly2
We gon’ be good long as them sneakers white3
You’ll be alright
Said you’ll be alright4
Said you’ll be alright
Said you’ll be alright
Gucci iced out, whole hood had ’em5
Ice cream ‘fore the hypebeasts that’s into fashion6
Being forreal, yo try being Pharrell
When your black ass in a back class,7 the fronting was real
No Lauren London, we was on a budget8
You know, sharin’ Old Navy so the army could be fresh in public9
Where the sneaker stores and laundromats get all the money
Cause it ain’t ’bout what you’re doin’, ’bout how you’re lookin’10
When they love you for your status and your catalog11
And everybody got a jersey to play along12
Back then the hoes checkin’ for your zapatos13
So even dirty niggas had the foams
Take this good advice
If they’re gonna judge you for life
Say we can’t always be fly
We gon’ be good long as them sneakers white
You’ll be alright
Said you’ll be alright
Said you’ll be alright
Said you’ll be alright
Biotech trainers on the way to work
And we would quietly complain while Eric would lurk14
That was the PG Plaza manager, managin’ us15
Yeah I’m standin’ in Lucky 7s but slingin’ them Lugz16
Still have them Js for the low, low, and I could get ’em early
But I’m not without a conscience, I see people out there hurtin’17
Got ’em for Penny Foams that was bought at this very store
And I think that was my shift, then again I’m not very sure
And that’s a lot that can get to ya18
When you’re not sellin’ drugs but the outcome is similar
Cause out come them niggas with pistols, tellin’ you give ’em up19
Now out come the moms with tissues cause you ain’t give a fuck20
Free lunch21 for everyone, income was very uh22
On the second and 16th everyone would have every one
And Reebok would carry pump, and that’s not the scary part
These niggas love white shoes so much they’d be buried in them23
You’ll be alright
You’ll be alright
You’ll be alright
You’ll be alright
Take this good advice
If they’re gonna judge you for life
Say we can’t always be fly
We gon’ be good long as them sneakers white
You’ll be alright
Said you’ll be alright
Said you’ll be alright
Said you’ll be alright
No matter how good or lavish us niggas got it
We just a bunch of ravenous addicts living for fancy haberdashery24
Wale’s opening stanza describes a dialogue between a woman and him. She compliments his style, which is slang terms can be described as “fresh.”
Wale says that some people judge others by their outer appearance while others judge according to others’ actions. To “be fly” means to wear trendy things.
“Long as them sneakers white” means “not a long time.” No white sneaker remains white for very long before it is scuffed up from walking or stepping in a dirty place.
Wale says “you’ll be alright” to show that even if one’s inner or outer life is “scuffed up” by the world, he will still endure the circumstances, realize it’s not the biggest worry in life, and move on.
Wale describes designer attire and flashy jewelry.
Wale describes himself as trendy, even for those who are fashion gurus.
Wale describes the racism in the education system and how it holds black people back.
Wale says that African-Americans are not always able to easily wear clothes that celebrities wear. Being “on a budget” means one is “strapped for cash.”
Wale conveys the injustice of having under-clothed people in a society that prioritizes going to war for the benefit of the rich.
Wale points out to African-Americans that if they are prioritizing their outward appearance without considering their actions in life, they are not on the right path.
“Your catalog” means “your wardrobe.”
Wale describes the way some people behave when they just want to look like their favorite celebrity.
“Zapatos” means “shoes” in Spanish.
Wale describes employees griping about their bosses.
Wale describes the racial inequality in the job market, noting that African-Americans are usually supervised by non-black people.
Wale describes African-Americans doing menial, fruitless labor for someone else while sporting fancy clothes. He is trying to show that some people have bad priorities in life.
Wale means to say that he has access to hot items on the fashion market, but his conscience won’t allow him to purchase such things when he knows others are suffering.
Wale describes the life of his former self as he worked dead-end jobs for companies that didn’t care about him.
Even when people earn money in honest ways, Wale says that others take advantage of them.
Wale describes the mourning of African-American mothers who grieve at the street violence their children regularly face.
“Free lunch” means that the government would subsidize lunch costs.
“Uh” means “bad” in this context.
Wale concludes this stanza by noting how preoccupied with fashion African-Americans have become.
Wale concludes by criticizing his own African-American demographic as being too preoccupied with fashion.
No user explanations or meanings