I've been workin' this grave shift and I ain't made shit
I wish I could buy me a spaceship and fly past the sky
I've been workin' this grave shift and I ain't made shit
I wish I could buy me a spaceship and fly past the sky

Man, man, man
If my manager insults me again I will be assaulting him
After I fuck the manager up then I'm gonna shorten the register up
Let's go back, back to the Gap
Look at my check, wasn't no scratch
So if I stole, wasn't my fault
Yeah I stole, never got caught
They take me to the back and pat me
Askin' me about some khakis
But let some black people walk in
I bet they show off their token blacky
Oh now they love Kanye, let's put him all in the front of the store
Saw him on break next to the "No Smoking" sign with a blunt in the mall
Takin' my hits, writin' my hits
Writin' my rhymes, playin' my mind
This fuckin' job can't help him
So I quit, y'all welcome
Y'all don't know my struggle
Y'all can't match my hustle
You can't catch my hustle
You can't fathom my love dude
Lock yourself in a room doin' five beats a day for three summers
That's a different world like three summers
I deserve to do these numbers
The kid that made that deserves that Maybach
So many records in my basement
I'm just waitin' on my spaceship, blaow

I've been workin' this grave shift and I ain't made shit
I wish I could buy me a spaceship and fly past the sky
I've been workin' this grave shift and I ain't made shit
I wish I could buy me a spaceship and fly past the sky

Man, I'm talkin' way past the sky
Let's go, yeah
And I didn't even try to work a job
Represent the mob
At the same time thirsty on the grind
Chi state of mind
Lost my momma, lost my mind
My life, my love that's not mine
Why you ain't signed?
Wasn't my time
Leave me alone, work for y'all
Half of it's yours, half of it's mine
Only one to ball
Never wanna to fall
Gotta get mine
Gotta take mine
Got a tech nine
Reach my prime
Gotta make these haters respect mine
In the mall 'til 12 when my schedule headset nine
Puttin' them pants shelves
Waitin' patiently I ask myself
Where I want to go, where I want to be
Life is much more than runnin' in the streets
Holla at 'ye, hit me with the beat
Put me on my feet
Sound so sweet
Yes I'm the same ol' G, same goatee
Stayin' low key, nope
Holler at God "Man why'd you had to take my folks?"
Hope to see Freddy G., Yusef G
Love my G, Rolly G
Police watch me smoke my weed and count my G's
Got a lot of people countin' on me
And I'm just tryin' to find my peace
Should of finished school like my niece
Then I wouldn't finally wouldn't use my piece, blaow
Aw man, all this pressure

I've been workin' this grave shift and I ain't made shit
I wish I could buy me a spaceship and fly past the sky
I've been workin' this grave shift and I ain't made shit
I wish I could buy me a spaceship and fly past the sky

I remember havin' to take the dollar cab
Comin' home real late at night
Standin' on my feet all damn day
Tryin' to make this thing right
And havin' one of my co-workers say "Yo you look just like
This kid I seen in the old Busta Rhymes video the other night"
Well easy come, easy go
How that sayin' goes
No more broad service, cars, and them TV shows
I all had that snatched from me
A and R's and their faculties all turn their back on me
And didn't want to hear a rap from me
So naturally actually had to face things factually
Had to be a catastrophe with the fridgest starin' back at me
'Cause nothing's there, nothing's fair
I don't want to ever go back there
So I won't be takin' no days off 'til my spaceship takes off

I've been workin' this grave shift and I ain't made shit
I wish I could buy me a spaceship and fly past the sky
I've been workin' this grave shift and I ain't made shit
I wish I could buy me a spaceship and fly past the sky

I want to fly, I want to fly
I said I want my chariot to pick me up
And take a brother for a ride

Overall Meaning

In Kanye West's song Spaceship, he expresses his frustration with working a dead-end job and his longing for a better life. He envisions buying a spaceship and flying beyond the sky to escape his life. The song showcases Kanye's struggle to make it in the music industry, and his determination to succeed despite the challenges he faces.

The first verse of the song is about working a low-paying job and feeling undervalued. Kanye raps about wanting to buy a spaceship and fly away from the monotonous routine of work. The second verse talks about Kanye's struggle to make it in the music industry. He describes how he was overlooked and undervalued by record executives and was forced to work a menial job to support himself. The chorus repeats the refrain of wanting to escape his current reality and fly away on a spaceship.

Throughout the song, Kanye references his hustle and determination to succeed. He raps about the hard work he puts into creating music and his belief that he deserves to be successful. Spaceship serves as a commentary on the struggles faced by an artist trying to break into the music industry and the desire to escape the oppressive reality of a dead-end job.

Line by Line Meaning

I've been workin' this grave shift and I ain't made shit
I've been doing this overnight job for a long time, and I'm not making any money.

I wish I could buy me a spaceship and fly past the sky
I want to escape this life and experience something higher and beyond this world.

If my manager insults me again I will be assaulting him
If my boss disrespects me one more time, I'll fight him.

After I fuck the manager up then I'm gonna shorten the register up
Once I beat up my manager, I'll take some money from the cash register and leave.

Look at my check, wasn't no scratch
I looked at my paycheck, and it wasn't even close to being enough.

So if I stole, wasn't my fault
If I stole from the store, it was because I was forced to do so by my circumstances.

They take me to the back and pat me, askin' me about some khakis
They took me to the back and searched me for stealing khakis, which I didn't actually steal.

But let some black people walk in, I bet they show off their token blacky
If some black customers walked in, I bet the store would act like they care about diversity and put them in the front.

Oh now they love Kanye, let's put him all in the front of the store
Now that I'm famous, they want to show me off and put me in the front of the store.

Takin' my hits, writin' my hits
I'm taking hits of weed and working on my music.

This fuckin' job can't help him, so I quit, y'all welcome
This job isn't going to help my music career, so I quit, you're welcome for giving me the opportunity to pursue my dreams.

Lock yourself in a room doin' five beats a day for three summers
You have to dedicate yourself completely to your craft, like locking yourself in a room and making beats for three summers straight.

That's a different world like three summers
Being completely focused on your craft is like being in a different world, disconnected from everyday life.

I deserve to do these numbers
I worked hard to achieve success, so I deserve to have big sales numbers.

I'm just waitin' on my spaceship, blaow
I'm just waiting for my big break, like a spaceship coming to take me away.

Man, I'm talkin' way past the sky
I'm talking about going way beyond what's possible on this earth.

Represent the mob
I'm representing where I come from, my community.

Chi state of mind
My mindset is influenced by growing up in Chicago.

Lost my momma, lost my mind
I've gone crazy since my mother died.

Why you ain't signed?
I'm wondering why I haven't gotten a record deal yet.

Only one to ball
I'm the only one from where I come from who's achieved success.

Got a tech nine
I have a gun for protection.

Puttin' them pants shelves
I'm putting clothes on the shelves at my job.

Where I want to go, where I want to be
I'm thinking about where I want my life to take me.

Life is much more than runnin' in the streets
Life is more than just trying to survive in the dangerous streets of my hometown.

Holler at 'ye, hit me with the beat
I'm asking Kanye to give me a beat to work with.

Love my G, Rolly G
I love my friends and family with the nickname 'G' or 'G-Rolly'.

And I'm just tryin' to find my peace
I'm trying to find inner peace and be happy.

Should of finished school like my niece
I should have finished school like my niece did.

Then I wouldn't finally wouldn't use my piece, blaow
Then I wouldn't have to use my gun to defend myself.

No more broad service, cars, and them TV shows
I lost my job and my opportunities for fame and fortune.

A and R's and their faculties all turn their back on me
Record executives and their associates no longer support me.

Had to be a catastrophe with the fridgest starin' back at me
I hit rock bottom and had nothing in my fridge.

So I won't be takin' no days off 'til my spaceship takes off
I won't stop working hard until I achieve my ultimate goal.

Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Gwendolyn Gordy Fuqua, Marvin Gaye, Marvin P Gaye, Sandra Greene, Sandra Kay Greene, Leonard Harris, Dexter Raymond Mills, Kanye West, Antony Williams

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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