I Gave You Power
Nas Lyrics

Damn
Expressing disbelief and frustration at the way others use and abuse the singer, who feels powerless and voiceless.

Look how muh-fuckers use a nigga
Observing how people take advantage of the singer, treating him as a tool and object for their own purposes.

Just use me for whatever the fuck they want
Emphasizing that the singer is constantly used by others without any regard for his own desires or needs.

I don't get to say shit
Highlighting the artist's lack of autonomy and control, unable to express his own thoughts or opinions.

Just grab me, just do what the fuck they want
Describing how others can manipulate and wield power over the artist, treating him as an object to be controlled.

Sell me, throw me away
Expressing the disregard and lack of value others have for the singer, treating him as disposable and easily discarded.

Niggas just don't give a fuck about a nigga like me, right
Voicing the sense of neglect and indifference the singer feels from others, who don't care for him as an individual.

Like I'm a f-, I'm a gun, shit
Drawing a parallel between the artist and a gun, symbolizing how he is treated as a weapon, devoid of his own humanity.

It's like I'm a motherfuckin' gun
Continuing to convey the artist's comparison and association with a gun, highlighting his perceived role in violence and power dynamics.

I can't believe this shit
Expressing disbelief and astonishment at the circumstances the artist finds himself in, feeling trapped and exploited.

Word up (word up)
Sarcastically acknowledging and affirming the harsh reality described in the previous lines.

I seen some cold nights and bloody days
Reflecting on the artist's experiences witnessing violence, danger, and suffering in his surroundings.

They grab me, bullets spray
Describing the singer being forcefully taken and used in acts of violence, where bullets are fired from him.

They use me wrong, so I sing this song 'til this day
Asserting that despite being used and abused, the singer uses his voice and music to express his experiences and pain.

My body is cold steel, for real
Comparing the singer's physical existence to that of a cold, hard weapon, emphasizing his perceived lack of warmth and humanity.

I was made to kill, that's why they keep me concealed
Recognizing the purpose for which the artist was created, to be a tool of violence, explaining why he is often hidden or kept out of sight.

Under car seats, they sneak me in clubs
Describing how the artist is often concealed and transported in hidden places, such as under car seats, to be used in illegal activities like bringing guns into clubs.

Been in the hands of mad thugs
Acknowledging that the singer has been handled and used by dangerous individuals involved in criminal activities.

They feed me when they load me with mad slugs
Referring to the bullets that are loaded into the singer, highlighting how he is 'fed' his ammunition and prepared for violence.

Seventeen precisely, one in my head
Specifying that the artist can hold seventeen bullets, with one already chambered, signifying the potential for lethal force.

They call me Desert Eagle, semi-auto with lead
Revealing that the artist is a specific type of handgun known as a Desert Eagle, designed for rapid-fire and equipped with lead bullets.

I'm seven inches, four pounds, been through so many towns
Providing physical dimensions of the artist, indicating his compact size and portability, while also referencing the various locations he has been taken.

Ohio to Little Rock to Canarsie, livin' harshly
Listing specific places where the singer has experienced the harsh realities of violence and crime, highlighting his involvement in dangerous environments.

Beat up and battered
Describing the physical condition of the artist, who has been mistreated and damaged through use and neglect.

They pull me out, I watch as niggas scattered
Depicting a situation where the singer is drawn out and revealed, causing fear and chaos among those present.

Makin' me kill, but what I feel, it never mattered
Acknowledging that while the singer is used as a tool to cause harm and take lives, his own emotions and well-being are disregarded and insignificant.

When I'm empty, I'm quiet
Explaining that when the singer runs out of ammunition and can no longer fire, he becomes silent and inactive.

Finding myself fiendin' to be fired
Expressing the artist's desire to be used and discharged, seeking the release of fulfilling his purpose in acts of violence.

A broken safety, niggas place me in shelves, under beds
Illustrating how others mishandle and neglect the artist, leaving him in unsafe conditions like shelves and under beds, with a broken safety mechanism that could potentially cause accidents.

So I beg for my next owner to be a thoroughbred
Expressing the singer's hope to be possessed and wielded by someone skilled and responsible, who understands the dangers and responsibilities associated with owning a weapon.

Keepin' me full up with hollow heads
Referring to the bullets that fill the singer, emphasizing their deadly nature with the mention of 'hollow heads,' which expand upon impact and cause more damage.

How you like me now? I go blaow
Asserting the artist's power and impact, asking others to see and recognize his influence and destructive potential.

It's that shit that moves crowds, making every ghetto foul
Describing the artist's music and presence as captivating and influential, affecting and altering the atmosphere of urban neighborhoods, often associated with poverty and crime.

I might've took your first child
Implying that the artist's existence and role in violence may have led to the loss or death of someone's child, emphasizing the devastating consequences of his power.

Scarred your life, or crippled your style
Highlighting that the singer's influence and actions can have long-lasting negative effects, leaving emotional and physical scars, as well as impacting one's way of life.

Always I'm in some shit
Expressing the artist's perpetual involvement in dangerous situations and conflicts, as he is constantly sought after and used.

My abdomen is the clip, the barrel is my dick
Metaphorically comparing the singer's body to the components of a gun, solidifying his association with violence and demonstrating the objectification and dehumanization he experiences.

Uncircumcised, pull my skin back and cock me
Using a graphic metaphor, describing how the singer is prepared for use by pulling back his 'skin' to arm him and prepare him for firing.

I bust off when they unlock me
Describing how the singer discharges bullets when he's released or unlocked, indicating his readiness to cause harm.

Results of what happens to niggas shock me
Expressing the artist's surprise and disbelief at witnessing the consequences and aftermath of the violence he is used for, being aware but unable to stop the harm.

I see niggas bleedin', runnin' from me in fear
Observing the terror and panic that ensues when the artist is used to harm others, causing them to bleed and flee in terror.

Stunningly, tears fall down the eyes of these so-called tough guys
Highlighting the irony and vulnerability of those who are typically seen as tough and fearless, shedding tears when confronted with the singer's power and the violence it brings.

For years I've been used in robberies
Revealing that the singer has been a key tool in numerous robberies, emphasizing his close association with criminal activities.

Givin' niggas heart to follow me
Implying that the artist's presence and influence can motivate individuals to commit acts of violence and crime, leading them astray and fueling their destructive actions.

Placin' peoples in graves, funerals made 'cause I was sprayed
Acknowledging the artist's role in causing deaths, accompanying funerals, and leaving families and communities grieving due to his use in violent encounters.

I was laid in a shelf, with a grenade
Describing a moment when the artist is kept alongside a grenade, representing the potential for even more drastic and lethal violence.

Met a wrecked-up TEC with numbers on his chest that say
Encountering a damaged and worn-out TEC-9 firearm, which has identification numbers on its surface, signifying a history of violence and crime.

Five-two-oh-nine-three-eight-five and zero
Providing the specific identification numbers on the TEC-9, adding an element of authenticity and detailing the firearm's unique history.

Had a serial defaced, hopin' one day police would place
Indicating that the identification numbers on the TEC-9 have been altered or erased, suggesting an attempt to avoid tracing the weapon back to its original owner or crime scene.

Where he came from, a name or some sort of person to claim him
Speculating on the TEC-9's origins and the desire for law enforcement to connect the firearm to a specific individual or crime, seeking justice and accountability.

Tired of murderin', made him wanna be a plain gun
Describing the TEC-9's weariness and desire for a change, wanting to be a 'plain gun' without a violent past and to be used responsibly or not at all.

But yo, I had some other plans
Revealing the artist's own intentions and desires, implying that he intends to exert control over the situation and influence events to come.

Like the next time the beef is on, I make myself jam right in my owner's hand
Explaining the artist's plan to malfunction intentionally when his owner next encounters a conflict or dispute, causing the gun to jam and potentially saving lives in the process.

Yo, weeks went by and I'm surprised
Expressing the singer's astonishment at the passage of time, indicating that he has remained undetected and hidden for an extended period.

Still stuck in the shelf with all the things that an outlaw hides
Acknowledging the singer's continued confinement and proximity to other illicit items typically hidden by outlaws, emphasizing their shared association with crime and violence.

Besides me, it's bullets, two vests and then a nine
Listing the other items present in the hiding place alongside the artist, including ammunition, bulletproof vests, and a 9mm firearm, signaling the presence of an arsenal.

There's a grenade in a box, and that TEC that kept cryin'
Noticing a box containing a grenade and the TEC-9 gun that the artist previously encountered, emphasizing their potentially destructive capabilities and the TEC-9's worn condition.

'Cause he ain't been cleaned in a year, he's rusty, it's clear
Explaining the TEC-9's neglected state, with the lack of cleaning leading to rust and indicating a lack of maintenance and care.

He's bout to fall to pieces 'cause of his murder career
Suggesting that the TEC-9 is deteriorating due to its history of being involved in violence and crime, with its 'career' causing its physical decline.

Yo, I can hear somebody comin' in
Detecting the approach of another person to the hiding place, raising the artist's alertness and anticipation of potential events to come.

Open the shelf, his eyes bubblin'
Depicting the opening of the hiding place and the person's eyes reflecting fear or excitement, suggesting an imminent confrontation or action.

He said it was on, I felt his palm troubled him
Indicating that the person announces the commencement of a conflict or confrontation, and the singer senses the person's nervousness or unease through their trembling hand.

Shakin', somebody stomped him out, his dome was achin'
Describing the person's trembling and subsequent assault by someone else, causing him pain and injury to the head ('dome').

He placed me on his waist, the moment I've been waitin'
Observing the person attaching the artist to his waist, fulfilling the artist's anticipation and signaling the initiation of violence for which he has been designed.

My creation was for Blacks to kill Blacks
Revealing the sinister and troubling purpose for which the artist, as a gun, was created by society, emphasizing the perpetuation of violence within Black communities.

It's gats like me that accidentally go off, makin' niggas memories
Discussing the accidental discharge of guns like the singer, causing unforeseen harm and creating lasting traumatic memories for those involved.

But this time, it's done intentionally
Highlighting the singer's deliberate and conscious decision to manipulate his own functionality and purpose, choosing to prevent the violence rather than partake in it.

He walked me outside, saw this cat
Portraying the person taking the artist outside and encountering another individual, potentially marking the beginning of a confrontation or an act of aggression.

Cocked me back, said, 'Remember me?'
Describing the person priming the artist for firing by pulling the slide back, then demanding recognition or acknowledgement from the other individual.

He pulled the trigger but I held on, it felt wrong
Narrating the unexpected response of the artist, as he resists firing when the trigger is pulled due to his newfound reluctance and moral conviction against violence.

Knowing niggas is waitin' in Hell for him
Understanding that the person pulling the trigger has enemies or victims who have died and are believed to be waiting for him in the afterlife, implying a cycle of violence and its ultimate consequences.

He squeezed harder, I didn't budge
Revealing the artist's refusal to cooperate or function as intended, resisting the force applied to the trigger and failing to discharge bullets.

Sick of the blood, sick of the thugs
Expressing the singer's weariness and disgust with the violence and criminal activity that he has been a part of, displaying a desire for change.

Sick of wrath of the next man's grudge
Tired of being used as a tool to fulfill others' vendettas and bear the consequences of their animosity, emphasizing the singer's growing aversion to violence.

What the other kid did was pull out, no doubt
Describing another person involved in the situation who pulls out their own firearm, displaying certainty or confidence in their own actions.

A newer me in better shape, before he lit out, he lead the chase
Introducing a different gun, suggesting a more recently manufactured and functional version, which causes the person who initially wielded the artist to flee from danger and become the target instead.

My owner fell to the floor, his wig split so fast
Revealing that the person who initially possessed the artist is incapacitated, experiencing a quick and violent end with their head being fatally struck or injured ('wig split').

I didn't know he was hit, it's over with
Expressing the singer's lack of awareness regarding the fatal outcome for his owner, signaling the end of their involvement and potentially the end of violence in that particular moment.

Heard mad niggas screamin', niggas runnin', cops is comin'
Noticing the chaotic aftermath of the confrontation, hearing people yelling and fleeing while law enforcement is approaching, indicating the arrival of authorities and potential consequences for the violence.

Now I'm happy, until I felt somebody else grab me
Expressing the artist's initial satisfaction or relief at the end of the violent encounter, followed by the realization that he is once again in the possession of someone else, suggesting that the cycle of violence continues.