Airplanes
B.o.B Hayley Williams & Eminem Lyrics

Can we pretend that airplanes In the night sky Is like shooting stars I could really use a wish right now (wish right now, wish right now)
The singer wishes that the airplanes in the night sky were like shooting stars that could grant wishes, as they could use a wish right now.

Can we pretend that airplanes In the night sky Are like shooting stars I could really use a wish right now (wish right now, wish right now)
The singer repeats the previous verse, emphasizing the desire for a wish and the comparison of airplanes to shooting stars.

(Dreamin', of fallin, dreamin', of fallin')
A brief interlude that repeats the phrase 'dreamin' of fallin,' possibly hinting at the theme of unfulfilled desires and aspirations.

Let's pretend like its '98 Like I'm eating lunch off of Styrofoam trays Trying to be the next rapper coming out the A Hoping for a record deal, to re-know my pain
The artist imagines himself in 1998, starting out as a rapper from Atlanta with dreams of fame and a record deal to express his pain through music.

Now let's pretend like I'm on the stage And when my beat drops everybody goes insane (ok) And everybody know my name (B.o.B) And everywhere I go people wanna hear me sang
The artist envisions himself as a successful artist with a hit song and a devoted fanbase, performing to wild crowds that know his name and want to hear him sing.

Oh yea and I just dropped my new album On the first week I did five hundred thousand Gold in the spring and diamond in the fall And then a world tour just to top it all off
The singer revels in his imagined success, describing the massive sales of his new album and the lucrative world tour that followed.

And let's pretend like they call me the greatest Selling out arenas with big ass stages And everybody loved me and no one ever hated Let's try to use imagination
The singer imagines being hailed as the greatest performer of all time, selling out huge arenas and never experiencing hate - urging the listener to exercise their imagination.

Okay, let's pretend like this never happened Like I never had dreams of being a rapper Like I didn't write raps in all of my classes Like I never used to runaway into the blackness
The artist abruptly changes tone, pretending that their dreams of becoming a rapper never existed and that they never sought solace in writing rhymes or escaping into the darkness.

Now let's pretend like it was all-good Like I didn't live starring in a notebook Like I did the things I probably knew I should But I didn't have neighbors that's why they call it hood
The artist suggests that they made the right choices growing up, but implies that their difficult upbringing made it hard to follow through with them - playing on the notion of calling a rough neighborhood 'the hood.'

Now let's pretend like I ain't got a name Before they ever called me B.o.B or a.k.a Bobby Ray I'm talking back before the mixtapes Before the videos and the deals and the fame
The artist imagines a time before their rap moniker, before releasing mixtapes or music videos, before any of the fame and fortune they crave.

Before they ever once compared me to Andre Before I ever got Myspace Before they ever noticed my face So let's just pretend and make wishes out of airplanes
The singer remembers a time before being compared to Outkast's Andre 3000, before cultivating a following on social media, and before anyone recognized them - returning to the theme of making wishes out of airplanes.

(And it seems like yesterday it was just a dream But those days are gone, they're just memories And it seems yesterday it was just a dream But those days are gone)
Another repeated interlude that reflects on how the artist's dreams of success and recognition seem like a distant memory, now that the days of striving towards them are over.

Let's pretend Marshall Mathers never picked up a pen Let's pretend things would've been no different Pretend he procrastinated, had no motivation Pretend he just made excuses that Was so paper thin they could blow away wit the wind
The singer toys with the idea of Eminem never pursuing a career in rap, imagining a world where he never wrote verses or tried to make music - suggesting that the unique challenges and motivations that Eminem faced are essential to his art.

Marshall you never gone make it, Makes no sense to play the game it ain't no way that'll you win Pretend he just stand out side all day and play with his friends Pretend he even had a friend to say was his friend
The singer imagines a world where Eminem was discouraged from pursuing rap, suggesting that he had no support or friends to encourage him - and questioning whether he would be where he is today if he hadn't faced the adversity he did.

And it wasn't time to move in school no changing again He wasn't socially awkward and just strange as a kid He had a father and his mother wasn't crazy as shit And he never dreamed he can ripped stadiums he just lazy as shit
The singer imagines various aspects of Eminem's biography being different - from his family life to his social skills to his drive to succeed - musing on how these changes would have affected his art.

Fuck a talent show in the gymnasium bitch You won't amount to shit quit day dreaming kid You need to get ya cranium check you thinking like an alien It just ain't realistic
The artist imagines a world where Eminem was constantly told that he would never succeed, questioning whether he would have even tried if he didn't face such discouragement - with the harsh words suggesting that he would never belong or 'fit in.'

Now pretend they ain't just make him angry with this shit And there was no one he could even aim when he's pissed with And his alarm went off to wake him but he didn't make it to the rap Olympics He slept through his plane and he missed it
The artist imagines a world where Eminem's anger wasn't fueled by those who doubted him, and where he slept through important career opportunities - implying that his adversities and setbacks were necessary to his eventual success.

He's gonna have a hard time explaining to Haley and Laney these food stamps and W-I-C shit 'Cause he never risked shit, he hoped and he wished it But it didn't fall in his lap so he ain't even hear it he pretends that
The singer imagines the fallout that would come from Eminem never finding success in rap, implying that it's better to try and fail than to never even attempt to make a change in one's life.

Airplanes In the night sky Is like shooting stars I could really use a wish right now (wish right now, wish right now)
The song's chorus is repeated one final time, once again emphasizing the metaphor of airplanes as shooting stars that could grant the singer's wishes.

Can we pretend that airplanes In the night sky Are like shooting stars I could really use a wish right now (wish right now, wish right now)
The chorus is repeated again, underscoring the artist's desire for a wish to come true - poetically associating this wish with the image of airplanes and shooting stars.