Lyrics & Translation
[English]
Well, I ain't picked up a pen in a whileHow you been, DeJ?
So, you straight?
You get it now?
Yeah
Couple things, you know, I figured out
I know you see me peeking in and peeking out (In a minute, in a minute)
I don't show myself off no more
Don't pay attention to the cost no more
Gained a lot, still feel like I lost more
'Cause my friends back home, they can't figure it out
And sometimes I feel guilty like it's really my fault
I mean, we all grew up the same, we ain't have much
You remember TV dinners?
Breakfast, we went to steal it
No cable, nigga, fix the antenna
I guess nobody see how I see it, I got heart
It's time to light this shit up, all my life have been dark
You know they think a nigga left and lost my spark
'Bout to score with my left hand
Like, watch me have a couple, triple of 'em up on them charts
Hit, bitches want me gone, they tryna strike me out
But I think not, just box me out
Can't count if you ever tried to count me out
My accountant just hit me, said, "Calm it down"
So I hit my jeweler, told him, "Ice me out"
Go on, wipe me down, yeah
Niggas love our style
Niggas love our style
Come and walk with me (Come on, walk with me)
That's two thou' (Yeah)
I mean, I spent a thousand dollars, two times
Shit, 'cause I remember when I ain't have two dimes
And that shit right there make you wanna crucify them
But I'm too cut like two knives, yeah
Thought about it a few times (A few times)
I see right through red and blue lines
Police wars, kids dyin'
I think I started writing you that big guide
Mack out, that's that Eastside
Fairview, green, yeah, street sign
Jeff, boy, word to God
Free all them boys from the Riverside
Right wrist, left side
So chillin', feelin' like T-Boz
Ain't picked up the phone in a minute
Cussin' me out like, "Why I ain't came to visit?"
Really ain't no reason, I really don't like prison
But, shit, I'ma come see you, I promise, nigga, I miss you
I'm gettin' back to my rappin', remember that basement flow? (Yeah)
Yeah, I don't really be rappin' like that no more
Time to start showin' all the shit that they ain't know (They ain't know)
When you tell it like it is, it be hard to expose
Who knows? Who knows?
Yeah, I spit fire and blow
I know you pressed to hear my album, you hopin' I fall
But, no, no
No, no (Uh-uh)
Uh-uh, no way
Uh-uh
Key Vocabulary
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Key Grammar Structures
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Well, I **ain't picked up a pen in a while**
➔ Present Perfect Continuous (Negative)
➔ Uses "ain't" (a contraction of "am not/is not/are not/have not/has not") and the present perfect continuous tense "have/has not been + verb-ing" to describe an action that started in the past and continues up to the present.
-
**Don't** pay attention to the cost **no more**
➔ Negative Imperative with "no more"
➔ Uses the negative imperative ("Don't") followed by the verb, and "no more" which indicates that the action is no longer performed.
-
Gained a lot, **still feel like I lost more**
➔ Contrast/Concession
➔ Using "still" to express a contrast, despite having gained a lot, the speaker feels like they have lost more.
-
'Cause **my friends back home, they can't figure it out**
➔ Relative Clause (Reduced)
➔ The phrase "back home" acts as an adjective phrase describing the friends, which modifies "friends". Technically, this is a reduced relative clause, though the reduction is not a standard one. The phrase works to provide context about the location of her friends.
-
I **mean, we all grew up the same, we ain't have much**
➔ Informal Speech/Ellipsis
➔ Uses the phrase "I mean" as a conversational filler, common in informal speech, and the use of "ain't" and the omitted verb in the second part of the sentence, indicative of a more conversational and less formal tone.
-
I think I **started writing you that big guide**
➔ Past Tense Verbs and Object Pronouns
➔ Uses the past tense verb "started" and the object pronoun "you", in this sentence she refers to someone who has passed away, hence the past tense is applicable.
-
I **really don't like prison**
➔ Emphasis with "really"
➔ Uses "really" to emphasize the dislike for prison.
-
Time to start **showin' all the shit that they ain't know**
➔ Slang/Informal and Reduced Relative Clause
➔ Uses the slang term "shit" and a reduced relative clause "that they ain't know" (that they didn't know). The reduction is less standard. "Ain't" is also used instead of "didn't" because of the informal tone.
