By My Lonely – English Lyrics

• By: Kevin Gates
• Album: I'M HIM

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the raw and unfiltered storytelling of Kevin Gates in 'By My Lonely.' This track offers a powerful lesson in self-reliance and the importance of trusting your own path. Through its candid lyrics about overcoming adversity, you can learn authentic street slang and gain insight into the mindset of a survivor, making it a compelling song for understanding the nuances of modern hip-hop.

[English]

Killers in my hood, they know me by my first name

You know 'em by their work name, I know 'em by their birth name

Type of weight make a man stand on principle

Kill yourself but get your whole fam slammed on principle

I had to make a couple bands by my lonely (lonely)

I had to make a couple bands by my lonely (by my lonely)

I had to make a couple bands by my lonely (by my lonely)

Fuck nigga, I don't wanna be your homie (for real)

Yeah, Speaker Knockerz, I just ordered up, I got a hundred in

Keep the mop, watch how you talk to me, bitch, I'm not one of them

General for real, g-give a decree, the streets salute me

Sweaty sheets, jumpin' up outta my sleep, this how we gotta go eat

Safety pin apiece, cocaine resin stuck on the side of the scale

Watchin' the cameras

If you can deal with the smell, dealin' with paraphernal'

Weight in the pale, keepin' 'em off of the trail

Texture up under my nails

Storm comin', bond money, inevitable that you sit in a cell

I had to make a couple bands by my lonely (lonely)

I had to make a couple bands by my lonely (by my lonely)

I had to make a couple bands by my lonely (by my lonely)

Fuck nigga, I don't wanna be your homie (for real)

Sick and tired of my phone ringin'

Workin' that bitch, I'm takin' a call (hello)

Workin' with bricks, I'm drivin' a car, (killer) got my body hard

Big ol' stepper with a rod, shop in the mall, no bodyguard

Heavy metal in my section, I'm controllin', I'm in charge

It's the heavily respected, I'll take a bitch to war

Bitch, I got steppers in my section, bodies on their firearms

Blow the clothes off your back, boom, boom, set off car alarms

C-C-Carbon with a drum, tiger, you no try to run

Give a fuck 'bout your Chanel (I don't)

I'm tied in with the mayor (achoo)

Go sit down, went to jail

I'm part of the cartel

I'm a Breadwinner don and we came up from nothin'

And we prayed off crumbs, I was raised in the slums

I had to make a couple bands by my lonely (lonely)

I had to make a couple bands by my lonely (by my lonely)

I had to make a couple bands by my lonely (by my lonely)

Fuck nigga, I don't wanna be your homie (for real)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
kill /kɪl/ B1	verb - to cause the death of
principle /ˈprɪnsɪpl/ B2	noun - a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior
bands /bændz/ A2	noun - large sums of money
homie /ˈhoʊmi/ A2	noun - a close friend
general /ˈdʒenərəl/ B2	noun - a person with high rank in the armed forces adjective - relating to the whole of something
sleep /sliːp/ A1	noun - the natural state of rest verb - to rest
scale /skeɪl/ B1	noun - an instrument for weighing
texture /ˈtekstʃər/ B2	noun - the feel, appearance, or consistency of a surface or substance
storm /stɔːrm/ A2	noun - a violent disturbance of the atmosphere
cell /sel/ A2	noun - a small room where people are kept as prisoners
tired /ˈtaɪərd/ A1	adjective - needing rest
work /wɜːrk/ A1	verb - to exert effort noun - activity involving mental or physical effort
drive /draɪv/ A2	verb - operate a vehicle
metal /ˈmetl/ A2	noun - a solid material
charge /tʃɑːrdʒ/ B1	verb - to take control
respected /rɪˈspektɪd/ B2	adjective - admired by people
war /wɔːr/ A2	noun - a state of armed conflict
cartel /kɑːrˈtel/ C1	noun - an association of manufacturers or suppliers with the purpose of maintaining prices at a high level and restricting competition

Key Grammar Structures

• Kill yourself but get your whole fam slammed on principle

  ➔ Causative construction with "get" + past participle

  ➔ The verb "get" is used as a causative verb followed by the past participle "slammed" – "get" + "slammed" means "cause the family to be slammed". The sentence also starts with the imperative "Kill".

• I had to make a couple bands by my lonely

  ➔ Past modal "had to" + infinitive (obligation in the past)

  ➔ "had to" expresses a past obligation. It is followed by the infinitive "make" – "I had to make" = "I was forced/required to make".

• Fuck nigga, I don't wanna be your homie (for real)

  ➔ Negative present simple with "do not" + infinitive (colloquial "don't wanna" = "do not want to")

  ➔ "don't wanna" is the informal contraction of "do not want to". The structure is "do not" + infinitive "be" – "I don't wanna be" = "I do not want to be".

• If you can deal with the smell, dealin' with paraphernal'

  ➔ First conditional (if + present simple, ... )

  ➔ "If you can" uses the present simple after "if" to talk about a possible situation. The second clause also uses the present participle "dealin'" to show a concurrent action.

• I'm tied in with the mayor (achoo)

  ➔ Passive voice (present simple) – "am tied"

  ➔ "am tied" is the present simple passive of "tie". The subject "I" receives the action: "I am tied in with the mayor" = "I am connected/associated with the mayor".

• Workin' that bitch, I'm takin' a call (hello)

  ➔ Present continuous (progressive) – "am takin'"

  ➔ "I'm takin'" is the contracted form of "I am taking", the present continuous used for actions happening now or around the moment of speaking.

• Heavy metal in my section, I'm controllin', I'm in charge

  ➔ Present continuous with stative meaning – "am controllin'"

  ➔ "I'm controllin'" uses the present continuous to express a current state or role rather than a temporary action: "I am in control".

• General for real, g-give a decree, the streets salute **me**

  ➔ Imperative mood – "give a decree"

  ➔ "give" is an imperative verb, a direct command without a subject. The implied subject is "you": "(You) give a decree".