HUMBLE. – English Lyrics

• By: Kendrick Lamar
• Album: DAMN.

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the powerful message of Kendrick Lamar's "HUMBLE.," a call for humility and self-awareness in an age of excess. By studying the lyrics and context of this iconic track, you'll gain insights into themes of authenticity, ego, and the importance of staying grounded. Discover how Lamar's unique blend of lyrical prowess and cultural commentary made this song a generation-defining anthem.

[English]

♪ ♪

♪ WICKED OR WEAKNESS, ♪

♪ YOU GOTTA SEE THIS, WAAAAAY (YEAH, YEAH!) ♪

♪ AYE, I REMEMBER SYRUP SANDWICHES AND CRIME ALLOWANCES ♪

♪ FINESSE A NIGGA WIT SUM COUNTERFEITS ♪

♪ BUT NOW I'M COUNTIN THIS ♪

♪ PARMESAN WHERE MY ACCOUNTANT LIVES IN FACT I'M DOWN AT THIS ♪

♪ DUSSE WIT MY BOO BAE, TASTES LIKE KOOL AID FOR THE ANALYSTS ♪

♪ GIRL, I CAN BUY YOUR ASS THE WORLD WIT MY PAYSTUB ♪

♪ OOH THAT PUSSY GOOD, WON'T YOU SIT IT ON MY TASTE BLOODS ♪

♪ I GET WAY TOO PETTY ONCE YOU LET ME DO THE EXTRAS ♪

♪ PULL UP ON YOUR BLOCK, THEN BREAK IT DOWN WE PLAYIN TETRIS ♪

♪ A.M. TO THE P.M., P.M. TO THE A.M. FUNK ♪

♪ PISS OUT YOUR PER DIEM YOU JUS GOTTA HATE EM, FUNK ♪

♪ IF I QUIT YOUR BM I STILL RIDE MERCEDES, FUNK ♪

♪ IF I QUIT THIS SEASON I STILL BE THE GREATEST, FUNK ♪

♪ MY LEFT STROKE JUST WENT VIRAL ♪

♪ RIGHT STROKE PUT LIL BABY IN A SPIRAL ♪

♪ SOPRANO C, WE LIKE TO KEEP IT ON A HIGH NOTE ♪

♪ IT'S LEVELS TO IT, YOU AND I KNOW...BITCH BE HUMBLE ♪

♪ (HOL' UP BITCH) SIT DOWN, ♪

♪ (HOL' UP LIL BITCH, HOL' UP, LIL BITCH) BE HUMBLE ♪

♪ (HOL' UP BITCH) SIT DOWN (SIT DOWN HOL' UP LIL BITCH) ♪

♪ BE HUMBLE (BITCH) ♪

♪ (HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP) BITCH SIT DOWN ♪

♪ LIL BITCH (HOL' UP LIL BITCH) BE HUMBLE ♪

♪ (HOL' UP BITCH) SIT DOWN ♪

♪ (HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP) BE HUMBLE ♪

♪ (HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP LIL BITCH) SIT DOWN ♪

♪ (HOL' UP LIL BITCH) BE HUMBLE ♪

♪ (HOL' UP BITCH) SIT DOWN (HOL' UP SIT DOWN LIL BITCH) ♪

♪ (SIT DOWN LIL BITCH) BE HUMBLE ♪

♪ (HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP LIL BITCH) BITCH, SIT DOWN ♪

♪ (HOL' UP LIL BITCH) BE HUMBLE ♪

♪ (HOL' UP BITCH) SIT DOWN ♪

♪ (HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP) ♪

♪ WHO DAT NIGGA THINKIN THAT HE FRONTIN ON MAN MAN (MAN MAN) ♪

♪ GET THE FUCK OFF MY STAGE, I'M THE SANDMAN (SANDMAN) ♪

♪ GET THE FUCK OFF MY DICK, THAT AINT' RIGHT ♪

♪ I MAKE A PLAY FUCKING UP YOUR WHOLE LIFE ♪

♪ IM SO FUCKEN SICK AND TIRED OF THE PHOTOSHOP ♪

♪ SHOW ME SOMETHING NATURAL LIKE AFRO ON RICHARD PRYOR ♪

♪ SHOW ME SOMETHING NATURAL LIKE ASS WIT SOME STRETCHMARKS ♪

♪ STILL WILL TAKE YOU DOWN RIGHT ON YOUR MOMMA'S COUCH IN POLO SOCKS AYE ♪

♪ THIS SHIT WAY TOO CRAZY AYE ♪

♪ YOU DO NOT AMAZE ME AYE ♪

♪ I BLEW COOL FROM AC AYE ♪

♪ OBAMA JUST PAGED ME AYE ♪

♪ I DON'T FABRICATE IT AYE ♪

♪ MOST OF YALL BE FAKIN AYE ♪

♪ I STAY MODEST BOUT IT AYE ♪

♪ SHE ELABORATE IT AYE ♪

♪ THIS THAT GREY POUPON, THAT EVIAN, THAT TED TALK AYE ♪

♪ WATCH MY SOUL SPEAK, YOU LET THE MEDS TALK AYE ♪

♪ IF I KILL A NIGGA IT WON'T BE THE ALCOHOL AYE ♪

♪ I'M THE REALEST NIGGA AFTER ALL BITCH BE HUMBLE ♪

♪ (HOL' UP BITCH) SIT DOWN, ♪

♪ (HOL' UP LIL BITCH, HOL' UP, LIL BITCH) BE HUMBLE ♪

♪ (HOL' UP BITCH) SIT DOWN (SIT DOWN HOL' UP LIL BITCH) ♪

♪ BE HUMBLE (BITCH) ♪

♪ (HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP) BITCH SIT DOWN ♪

♪ (LIL BITCH) (HOL' UP LIL BITCH) BE HUMBLE ♪

♪ (HOL' UP BITCH) SIT DOWN ♪

♪ (HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP) BE HUMBLE ♪

♪ (HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP LIL BITCH) SIT DOWN ♪

♪ (HOL' UP LIL BITCH) BE HUMBLE ♪

♪ (HOL' UP BITCH) SIT DOWN (HOL' UP SIT DOWN LIL BITCH) ♪

♪ (SIT DOWN LIL BITCH) BE HUMBLE ♪

♪ (HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP LIL BITCH) BITCH, SIT DOWN ♪

♪ (HOL' UP LIL BITCH) BE HUMBLE ♪

♪ (HOL' UP BITCH) SIT DOWN ♪

♪ (HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP, HOL' UP) ♪

♪ ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sit /sɪt/ A1	verb - to rest on your buttocks with your back upright
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move quickly on foot
hate /heɪt/ A2	verb - to dislike someone or something very much
play /pleɪ/ A1	verb - to take part in games or other recreational activities
good /ɡʊd/ A1	adjective - of high quality
blood /blʌd/ A2	noun - the red liquid that circulates in the arteries and veins of humans and other vertebrate animals
life /laɪf/ A1	noun - the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death
natural /ˈnætʃrəl/ B1	adjective - existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind.
couch /kaʊtʃ/ A2	noun - a long upholstered piece of furniture for several people to sit on
crazy /ˈkreɪzi/ B1	adjective - mentally deranged; mad
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
humble /ˈhʌmbəl/ B2	adjective - having or showing a modest or low estimate of one's own importance.
weakness /ˈwiːknəs/ B2	noun - the state or condition of lacking strength
crime /kraɪm/ B1	noun - an action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law.
stage /steɪdʒ/ A2	noun - a platform in a theatre or hall on which performers stand

Key Grammar Structures

• FINESSE A NIGGA WIT SUM COUNTERFEITS

  ➔ Informal language, AAVE (African American Vernacular English): Use of "wit" instead of "with" and "sum" instead of "some."

  ➔ This line uses AAVE, a dialect of American English. "FINESSE" means to skillfully manipulate someone. The line describes scamming someone with counterfeit money.

• BUT NOW I'M COUNTIN THIS PARMESAN WHERE MY ACCOUNTANT LIVES IN FACT I'M DOWN AT THIS

  ➔ Present Continuous tense used for current activity (I'm countin), Informal use of "where" instead of "in which" or "at which".

  ➔ "I'm countin this parmesan" is a metaphor for counting money. The use of 'where' is grammatically incorrect in formal English, but acceptable in informal speech. This line is saying that he has so much money, his accountant lives in a luxurious place.

• GIRL, I CAN BUY YOUR ASS THE WORLD WIT MY PAYSTUB

  ➔ Informal language. Omission of 'for' (buy your ass the world = buy the world for your ass). Use of 'wit' instead of 'with'.

  ➔ This line is braggadocious. The speaker is saying he's rich enough to buy someone the world with his paycheck. The grammar is intentionally casual to emphasize his confidence.

• I GET WAY TOO PETTY ONCE YOU LET ME DO THE EXTRAS

  ➔ Use of "too" as an intensifier (way too petty). Implied conditional clause: Once you let me do the extras, I become very petty. The word Petty describes the speaker being trivial, or insignificant.

  ➔ The line suggests that the speaker can be overly sensitive and vengeful if given the opportunity to take things further in a relationship or situation.

• PISS OUT YOUR PER DIEM YOU JUS GOTTA HATE EM, FUNK

  ➔ Informal. Use of "jus" (just) for emphasis. Ellipsis: You just gotta hate them.

  ➔ Per diem is a daily allowance for expenses. The speaker suggests others are wasting their money and creating reasons to hate them. The "funk" at the end might just be an ad-lib.

• MY LEFT STROKE JUST WENT VIRAL

  ➔ Past Simple tense (went viral) to describe a completed action. Use of 'Just' as an adverb to describe that the action happened recently.

  ➔ This is a metaphor. "My left stroke" refers to a sexual act (possibly related to dancing moves). "Went viral" means it became very popular and spread rapidly online.

• SHOW ME SOMETHING NATURAL LIKE AFRO ON RICHARD PRYOR

  ➔ Imperative sentence: "Show me..." . Use of "like" as a preposition to make a comparison.

  ➔ The speaker is requesting to see something authentic and unedited, comparing it to Richard Pryor's natural hairstyle.

• STILL WILL TAKE YOU DOWN RIGHT ON YOUR MOMMA'S COUCH IN POLO SOCKS AYE

  ➔ Use of “will” twice for emphasis. Prepositional phrases: "on your momma's couch", "in polo socks". Slang use of "aye" at the end of the sentence for emphasis.

  ➔ The line is vulgar and aggressive, emphasizing the speaker's power and lack of concern for social norms. The “aye” adds a confident affirmation to the statement.