Daylight
I wake up feeling like you won't play right
I used to know, but now that shit don't feel right
It made me put away my pride
So long
You made a nigga wait for some, so long
You make it hard for boy like that to go on
I'm wishing I could make this mine, oh

If you want it, yeah
You can have it, oh, oh, oh
If you need it, ooh
We can make it, oh
If you want it
You can have it

But stay woke
Niggas creepin'
They gon' find you
Gon' catch you sleepin' (oh)
Now stay woke
Niggas creepin'
Now don't you close your eyes

Too late
You wanna make it right, but now it's too late
My peanut butter chocolate cake with Kool-Aid
I'm trying not to waste my time

If you want it, oh
You can have it (you can have it)
If you need it (you better believe in something)
We can make it, oh
If you want it
You can have it, ah!

But stay woke (stay woke)
Niggas creepin' (they be creepin')
They gon' find you (they gon' find you)
Gon' catch you sleepin' (gon' catch you sleepin', put your hands up on me)
Now stay woke
Niggas creepin'
Now don't you close your eyes

But stay woke (ooh, ah)
Niggas creepin'
They gon' find you (they gon' find you)
Gon' catch you sleepin' (gon' catch you, gon' catch you, ooh)
Now stay woke
Niggas creepin'
Now don't you close your eyes

How'd it get so scandalous?
Oh, how'd it get so scandalous?
Oh, oh, how'd it get, how'd it get
How'd it get so scandalous?
How'd it get so scandalous?
How'd it get so scandalous?
But stay woke
But stay woke

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Redbone" by Childish Gambino appear to be discussing a relationship that has gone awry. The singer wakes up feeling as though the other person in the relationship won't play fair. He used to feel differently about them, but now something changed. This realization forced him to put away his pride and hold onto hope that everything will even out. However, it becomes clear that the relationship is now broken beyond repair, and there is nothing that can be done to make things right. The lyrics go back and forth with the chorus, reminding the listener to stay alert and be aware of those who may be trying to deceive them.

The theme of the song seems to center around trust and the potential loss of it. In relationships, trust is everything, and when it's lost, things tend to fall apart. The lyrics warn listeners to be careful about who they let into their lives because there are people out there who will try to take advantage. The chorus is a reminder to stay alert and not let your guard down.

Line by Line Meaning

Daylight
The beginning of a new day

I wake up feeling like you won't play right
I wake up feeling like you're going to intentionally hurt me

I used to know, but now that shit don't feel right
I used to understand you, but now something feels off

It made me put away my pride
It made me humble myself and put aside my ego

So long
It's been a long time

You made a nigga wait for some, so long
You made me wait a long time for something from you

You make it hard for boy like that to go on
You make it difficult for a person like me to keep going

I'm wishing I could make this mine, oh
I desire to make this mine

If you want it, yeah
If you want this, that's okay

You can have it, oh, oh, oh
You can have what you want

If you need it, ooh
If you require this

We can make it, oh
We can achieve it together

You can have it
You may possess this

But stay woke
Be aware and alert

Niggas creepin'
People are lurking and being dishonest

They gon' find you
They will discover you

Gon' catch you sleepin' (oh)
They'll find you when you least expect it

Now stay woke
Stay vigilant

Now don't you close your eyes
Remain alert and don't fall asleep on the situation

Too late
It's too far progressed now

You wanna make it right, but now it's too late
You want to correct the wrongs, but now it's too far gone

My peanut butter chocolate cake with Kool-Aid
A personal preference or favorite thing

I'm trying not to waste my time
I'm making an effort to not spend time on things that aren't worthwhile

If you need it (you better believe in something)
If this is essential to you (you must have faith in something)

But stay woke (stay woke)
Remain vigilant and watchful

They be creepin'
They are sneaking around

They gon' find you (they gon' find you)
They will ultimately discover you

Now don't you close your eyes
Stay alert and don't become complacent

How'd it get so scandalous? (Oh)
How did everything get so chaotic and disgraceful?

But stay woke
Continue to be mindful

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bootsy Collins, Donald McKinley Glover II, Gary Cooper, George S. Clinton Jr., Ludwig Emil Tomas Goransson, William Earl Collins

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it