The first single from B.o.B's second album is Strange Clouds. It features Lil Wayne and according to the Strange Clouds Songfacts, it "is 3 minutes 47 seconds of bass heavy bragging.". The song was released on October 3, 2011.
Both of Us
B.o.B Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Some day I will be strong enough to lift not one but both of us
Ever thought about losing it
When your money's all gone and you lose your whip
You might lose your grip when the landlord tell ya that you're due for rent
And the grass so green on the other side
Make a nigga wanna run straight through the fence
But still can't find no food in it
That's foolishness
And sometimes I wonder, why we care so much about the way we look
And the way we talk and the way we act
And the clothes we bought, how much that cost?
Does it even really matter?
'Cause if life is an uphill battle
We all tryna climb with the same ol' ladder
In the same boat, with the same ol' paddle
Why so shallow? I'm just asking
What's the pattern for the madness
Everybody ain't a number one draft pick
Most of us ain't Hollywood actors
But if it's all for one, and one for all
Then maybe one day, we all can ball
Do it one time for the underdogs
Sincerely yours, from one of y'all
I wish I was strong enough to lift not one but both of us
Some day I will be strong enough to lift not one but both of us
I can feel your pain, I can feel your struggle
You just wanna live, been everything so low
That you could drown in a puddle
That's why I gotta hold us up, yeah hold us up
For all the times no one's ever spoke for us
To every single time that they play this song
You can say that that's what Bobby Ray wrote for us
When the tides get too high
And the sea up underneath get so deep
And you feel like you're just another person
Getting lost in the crowd, way up high in the nosebleed
Uh, because we won't be near yet, both of us
But we still stand tall with our shoulders up
And even though we always against the odds
These are the things that have molded us
And if life hadn't chosen us
Sometimes I wonder where I would've wound up
'Cause if it was up to me, I'd make a new blueprint
Then build it from the ground up, hey
But if it's all for one, and one for all
Then maybe one day, we all can ball
Do it one time for the underdogs
From Bobby Ray, to all of y'all
I wish I was strong enough to lift not one but both of us
Some day I will be strong enough to lift not one but both of us
The song "Both Of Us" by B.o.B feat. Taylor Swift is a message of hope and unity. In the first verse, B.o.B talks about the struggles of everyday life, from financial troubles to societal pressures. Despite these challenges, he reminds us that we are all in this together, and if we work as one, we can overcome them. The chorus is a plea for strength to be able to lift not only oneself but also others, to support our fellow human beings who may be going through tough times.
The second verse is Taylor Swift's response to B.o.B's message. She expresses empathy and understanding for those who are struggling, knowing what it feels like to hit rock bottom. She then reaffirms the message of the chorus, that we should all support each other through thick and thin. Both artists come together in the final chorus to declare that although they may not be able to physically lift each other, they can always be there to lift one another up in spirit and remind each other that they are not alone.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I was strong enough to lift not one but both of us
Some day I will be strong enough to lift not one but both of us
Ever thought about losing it
Have you ever considered losing everything?
When your money's all gone and you lose your whip
When you have no more money and your car is gone
You might lose your grip when the landlord tell ya that you're due for rent
You might feel like giving up when your landlord tells you that it’s time to pay rent
And the grass so green on the other side
Other people's situations always look better than yours
Make a n**** wanna run straight through the fence
It makes you want to do something crazy
Open up the fridge bout twenty times
You keep checking the fridge even though you know there's no food
But still can't find no food in it
The fridge is empty
That's foolishness
It's nonsense
And sometimes I wonder, why we care so much about the way we look
Sometimes I wonder why we're so obsessed with our appearance
And the way we talk and the way we act
Our behavior and mannerisms
And the clothes we bought, how much that cost?
How much we spent on our clothes
Does it even really matter?
Is it even important?
'Cause if life is an uphill battle
If life is a difficult journey
We all tryna climb with the same ol' ladder
We're all using the same methods to succeed
In the same boat, with the same ol' paddle
We're all in this together using the same tools
Why so shallow?
Why are we so superficial?
I'm just asking
I'm just curious
What's the pattern for the madness
What's the explanation for this craziness?
Everybody ain't a number one draft pick
Not everyone is a superstar
Most of us ain't Hollywood actors
Most of us aren't famous actors
But if it's all for one, and one for all
But if we're all in this together
Then maybe one day, we all can ball
Maybe one day we can all succeed
Do it one time for the underdogs
Let's do it once for the little guys
Sincerely yours, from one of y'all
Yours truly, from one of you
I can feel your pain, I can feel your struggle
I understand your pain and difficulties
You just wanna live, been everything so low
You just want to survive even though you've been through a lot
That you could drown in a puddle
You feel like you're barely holding on
That's why I gotta hold us up, yeah hold us up
That's why I have to support us
For all the times no one's ever spoke for us
For all the times we've been ignored
To every single time that they play this song
Every time this song is played
You can say that that's what Bobby Ray wrote for us
You can say that Bobby Ray wrote this for us
When the tides get too high
When the challenges become overwhelming
And the sea up underneath get so deep
When things get too difficult to handle
And you feel like you're just another person
And you feel insignificant
Getting lost in the crowd, way up high in the nosebleed
Lost in a big crowd, high up in the stands
Uh, because we won't be near yet, both of us
Because we haven't made it yet
But we still stand tall with our shoulders up
But we still stand strong despite our challenges
And even though we always against the odds
And even though we're always the underdogs
These are the things that have molded us
These obstacles have made us who we are
And if life hadn't chosen us
If we hadn't been dealt these cards
Sometimes I wonder where I would've wound up
I wonder where I would be if things were different
'Cause if it was up to me, I'd make a new blueprint
If I could, I would create a new path for myself
Then build it from the ground up, hey
Building something new from scratch
From Bobby Ray, to all of y'all
From Bobby Ray to everyone reading this
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Clarence III Montgomery, Bobby Ray Jr. Simmons, Lukasz Gottwald, Ammar Malik, Henry Russell Walter, Jamieson Xavier Jones, Stephen Joshua Hill
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@matthewquiazon7540
13 Facts you probably didn’t know about Taylor Swift & B.o.B’s Both of Us.
1. The lyrics of "Both of Us" talks about racism and bullying.
2. The Dr. Luke and Cirkut produced the track, B.o.B finds identifying with underdogs, as he rhymes about battling pain and hardships in life.
3. It was received critical acclaim, praising Swift's feature, with some calling the country rap collaboration as a sweet and melodic catchy song.
4. In the music video, Taylor wore the dog tags of Sgt. Wade Wilson, who was killed in Afghanistan. He was a huge Taylor fan; Taylor sent his family flowers after she saw a video uploaded by his friend about him.
5. There is an alternate version of this song where B.o.B sing along with Taylor in some of the lyrics of the chorus.
6. The song was leaked on April 11, 2012.
7. It was Taylor's idea to collaborate with B.o.B on this song (which she actually co-wrote). She decided to reach out to him after she visited his record label.
8. B.o.B told The Boombox that his collaboration with Taylor began with him getting a text message from someone claiming to be Taylor Swift. "I was like, 'This isn't Taylor Swift,' " he recalled. "She invited me to her show, to bring me out to her show to do 'Airplanes.' Lucky for me I'm a really trusting person so I moved forward. Usually if someone's like, 'This is Tupac,' you're gonna be like 'Whatever' [laughs].
9. B.o.B recounted the story of the song to The Boombox: "I wasn't in Atlanta at the time so she arranged for me to come to Dallas. I remember I had a show in Alabama and they let me use her tour bus to come to her show in Dallas. When I played her ['Both of Us'] even before the first verse even dropped, she was onboard. She was like, 'I love it already.' I was like 'She'd be perfect for it.' She recorded her vocals in L.A. I recorded my vocals in Atlanta. [When I first heard the song with both our parts] it instantly felt magical].
10. B.o.b had to re-sing some of my parts so they could really blend with Taylor [vocals]. He rewrote one of his verses as well. "It started as a blueprint and it really continued to grow into something tremendous," he said.
11. Director Jake Nava's inspiration for the visual representation of the tune was what he calls "a collage of different aspects of humanity in the Southern states, particularly around Nashville." While the footage shows scenes from a farm, a bar and home, one aspect he didn't anticipate was the bugs.
12. The song sold 143,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became the week's top debut.
13. It was certified PLATINUM in the US & Australia, and GOLD in New Zealand.
#7YearsofBothOfUs
source: Songfacts, taylor_swiftfacts on tumblr, theBoot, Wikipedia
@ecodabalos3625
One of the rarest collaborations of Taylor Swift has, so much nostalgia reminiscing of this song. I missed those good old days..
@yasawa2646
It’s these memories that bring us back😢
@sofiaswift9604
Yes! idk why but something about this song gives me so much nostalgia
@nathaniellestrain9609
Come on baby don't be getting like that if you're having a homey right bike that we talked about some blues on the track man you make me all upset what's up with the construction that don't know the confection so all these alcoholic construction sometimes these defections I'm looking at the pills prescription says it's coming down to be the intent got to be mixed a non-medical presented look in my nurse and tend to be the doctor presented now she's coming to the bayou mention now it's coming to my dimension and I'm looking I eat presented. Now let's eat honey are you for me or is it just something to present and maybe just be😊 NASA in NASA's national-security scene love you Swift always will sorry Bob it was that down on the track and mess with you but I'm just saying I am the scene MD's we run those things
@kotlofthelight7398
yup a nigga and a white girl colab
@Chancey388
Now it's Ice Spice
@mimieaaron5165
And then 10 years later I still enjoy it like it's a new song ..
@nubembaite8008
Really babby
@kdash6892
same
@GreenLantern1916
Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.