The title itself is a reference to an annual street carnival that is celebrated by many Caribbean cultures. One of the group’s producers, Jabari Manwa, is from the island of Grenada, and this title is a reference to his Caribbean roots.
While it technically can translate to “I opened”, the band is probably using the term in reference to the Caribbean holiday J'Ouvert, an annual street carnival tradition of festivities. In said sense, the word “J'ouvert” originates from the French term “Ouvert”, meaning “day break” or “morning.”
The song samples Lavaman’s “Doh Blame Meh”.
J'OUVERT
BROCKHAMPTON Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I feel you
When there's a rough patch, don't eyefuck the parachute
They goin' AWOL the second that the light goes on
This a treat, ain't it, so initiate the powder room
I pull it back and check my rosie, and yeah, I'm 'bout to bloom
It's that ninety raised from hell shit, parlay like when the lane switch
Neck twist like Exorcist, I'ma see you 'round
'Cause tonight's the night I'm losin' all I'm doin', I'm about this
White cuffs, wood grain
Money in the suitcase on my way to the bank
White cuffs, wood grain
Money in the suitcase on my way to the bank
On my way to the bank, on my way to the bank
On my way to the bank, bank, bank, suitcase
On my way to the bank, on my way to the bank
On my way to the bank
'Til the casket drops, I will play God
Fuck the world, let's start a riot, got too much too quick
God damn, I'm feeling sick, bitch, call the doctor
Don't act like I ain't been dead to ya
Don't act like I ain't deserve this shit
Couldn't last a day inside my head
That's why I did the drugs I did
Got issues with these motherfuckers
Looking down from they pedestals
From that petty view, on that petty shit
Pray for peace with a knife in my hand
Speak my piece like a gun to my head
Come equipped just to blast this shit
Misunderstood since birth
Fuck what you think, and fuck what you heard
I feel betrayed, you can keep the praise
And all of the fuck shit, need to get away
Still ain't got the fright to the fickle-minded people
I thought I knew better, wish I knew better
Should have known better, wish that I was better
At dealing with the fame and you fake motherfuckers
Guess I'm too real
Excuse we, let me pass, let me see your ass
We ain't playin' nice, little guy
Now let me, let me run mah t—
I be in my bag, (excuse we) goin' in (let me pass)
Guess who isn't built for this, man?
Me and my thugs built for this, man
We goin' for the gifts and the grams
I be in my bag, (excuse we) goin' in (let me pass)
Smokin' all the grams in this bag,
Man, you isn't built for this, man
Run it like a gingerbread man
Fuck that shit, stay hydrated, nigga
I'ma let that bitch go home, kiss my momma, wassup?
Wassup?
Black power fist hangin' from my black 'fro
Yo, she saw me in that cereal, she wants to lick a Oreo, damn
Break the dam when I spit the flow
I'm on the Lam', not the fuckin' wolf
Hoppin' out the van, I'm on Abbey Road
Fans with cameras in the bathroom, man, that's difficult
I just wanna smoke a Backwoods by my lonely self
Chill, watch numbers go up, book off the shelf
I found myself and put my face on a missing shirt
I dropped out with no promise that this shit would
(That this shit would work, work, work
Work, work, work, work, work)
(Work, work, work, work, work, work, work)
With the dogs, in my ride know the doors suicide
Paranoid, do or die, you should know we never lie
With the dogs, in my ride, know the doors suicide
Paranoid, do or die, you should know we never lie
Pull up with the racks to your shop
Cop a medallion or three, I'm the don
Zim zim zim out the bim get shot
One mil, two mil, three, that's a lot
Damn
White cuffs, wood grain
Money in the suitcase on my way to the bank
White cuffs, wood grain
Money in the suitcase on my way to the bank
On my way to the bank, on my way to the bank
On my way to the bank, bank, bank, suitcase
On my way to the bank, on my way to the bank
On my way to the bank, bank, bank
In the song "J'OUVERT" by BROCKHAMPTON, the lyrics talk about the stress and pressure that comes with fame, and the struggles that they face with their newfound success. The song is an introspection of their inner thoughts on their perception of the world. The first verse talks about the pressures of fame and how it can make someone want to do drugs or drink to cope with the stress. It talks about dealing with people who act fake to benefit off their success, and how they don't want to deal with it anymore.
The chorus talks about their pursuit of money and their willingness to do anything to get it. It talks about going to the bank with a suitcase full of money, and their obsession with accumulating wealth. The second verse discusses their paranoia and being aware of those who may be trying to take advantage of them. It talks about how they have to always be cautious because they are targets. The song then ends with a final chorus about getting to the bank and achieving financial success.
Overall, "J'OUVERT" is a commentary on the struggles that come with fame and success, and how difficult it is to navigate through it all while trying to maintain your authenticity.
Line by Line Meaning
Take it all or leave it
You can either accept everything or nothing at all.
I feel you
I understand you.
When there's a rough patch, don't eyefuck the parachute
When things get rough, don't panic and make things worse.
They goin' AWOL the second that the light goes on
They abandon their responsibilities as soon as things get tough.
This a treat, ain't it, so initiate the powder room
This is a great experience, so let's go to the bathroom and do drugs.
I pull it back and check my rosie, and yeah, I'm 'bout to bloom
I reflect on my past experiences and realize that I'm about to grow and flourish.
It's that ninety raised from hell shit, parlay like when the lane switch
It's that rebellious, troublesome attitude I developed in the 90s, switching lanes and gambling.
Combat how you feel, strobe light, hit the killswitch
Fight your emotions by distracting yourself, turn off your feelings.
Neck twist like Exorcist, I'ma see you 'round
My neck contorts like in the Exorcist movie, I'll see you later.
'Cause tonight's the night I'm losin' all I'm doin', I'm about this
Tonight, I'm letting go of everything I've been doing, and I'm committed to it.
White cuffs, wood grain
Luxurious features in my car and wardrobe.
Money in the suitcase on my way to the bank
I have a lot of money and I'm heading to the bank to deposit it.
Til the casket drops, I will play God
I will have control until I die.
Fuck the world, let's start a riot, got too much too quick
I have too much power and money, let's start a rebellion.
God damn, I'm feeling sick, bitch, call the doctor
I'm overwhelmed and need help, call a doctor.
Don't act like I ain't been dead to ya
Don't pretend like we haven't lost touch.
Couldn't last a day inside my head
You couldn't handle the amount of stress I deal with.
That's why I did the drugs I did
That's why I turned to drugs to cope.
Got issues with these motherfuckers
I have problems with these people.
Looking down from they pedestals
They act superior and look down on others.
From that petty view, on that petty shit
From their small-minded perspective, focused on trivial matters.
Pray for peace with a knife in my hand
I'm trying to find inner peace despite my violent tendencies.
Speak my piece like a gun to my head
I express myself honestly and bluntly, even if it causes trouble.
Come equipped just to blast this shit
I'm prepared to fight and defend myself.
Misunderstood since birth
People have never truly understood me.
Fuck what you think, and fuck what you heard
I don't care what you think or the rumors you heard about me.
I feel betrayed, you can keep the praise
I feel let down by you, you can keep your compliments.
And all of the fuck shit, need to get away
I need to distance myself from all the unnecessary drama.
Still ain't got the fright to the fickle-minded people
I'm still afraid of people who are unpredictable and indecisive.
I thought I knew better, wish I knew better
I thought I was smarter, I wish I had made better choices.
Should have known better, wish that I was better
I should have been more aware, better prepared for the consequences.
At dealing with the fame and you fake motherfuckers
I'm struggling to handle the attention and the people who aren't genuine.
Guess I'm too real
I'm too honest and genuine for the industry.
Excuse we, let me pass, let me see your ass
Excuse me, let me get by, let me see your butt.
We ain't playin' nice, little guy
We aren't being polite, young man.
Now let me, let me run mah t—
Now let me, let me take control—
I be in my bag, (excuse we) goin' in (let me pass)
I'll be in my own world, going hard.
Guess who isn't built for this, man?
Can you guess who can't handle this?
Me and my thugs built for this, man
My crew and I are ready for this.
We goin' for the gifts and the grams
We're focused on getting money and drugs.
Smokin' all the grams in this bag,
We're smoking all the drugs we have.
Man, you isn't built for this, man
You aren't made for this lifestyle.
Run it like a gingerbread man
Move quickly like a gingerbread man before you get caught.
Fuck that shit, stay hydrated, nigga
Forget all that other stuff, make sure you drink water, my friend.
I'ma let that bitch go home, kiss my momma, wassup?
I'll let that girl leave, but first I want to say bye to my mom.
Black power fist hangin' from my black 'fro
I'm proud of my black heritage and I show it with my hairstyle and fist symbol.
Yo, she saw me in that cereal, she wants to lick a Oreo, damn
She's into me even when I'm eating cereal, she wants to have sex with me.
Break the dam when I spit the flow
My rap lyrics have the power to break down barriers.
I'm on the Lam', not the fuckin' wolf
I'm on the run, but I'm not the villain here.
Hoppin' out the van, I'm on Abbey Road
I'm getting out of my van and I feel like I'm on the famous Abbey Road street from the Beatles' album.
Fans with cameras in the bathroom, man, that's difficult
It's hard to deal with fans who follow me everywhere, even into the bathroom.
I just wanna smoke a Backwoods by my lonely self
I just want to smoke a certain type of cigar on my own.
Chill, watch numbers go up, book off the shelf
Relax and watch my success grow, and see my book sell out.
I found myself and put my face on a missing shirt
I discovered my true identity and put my face on a shirt for people to wear.
I dropped out with no promise that this shit would
I quit school with no guarantee that my music career would succeed.
(That this shit would work, work, work
(That my music would be successful, successful, successful)
With the dogs, in my ride know the doors suicide
Riding with my crew, my car doors open in a risky way (suicide style).
Paranoid, do or die, you should know we never lie
We're always on high alert and will defend ourselves, we're truthful.
Pull up with the racks to your shop
I'm coming to your store with a lot of money.
Cop a medallion or three, I'm the don
I'll buy some jewelry, i.e. medallions, because I'm a boss.
Zim zim zim out the bim get shot
I'm making a gunshot sound effect while speeding off in my car (bim).
One mil, two mil, three, that's a lot
I have millions of dollars, lots of money.
Damn
Wow.
White cuffs, wood grain
Luxurious features in my car and wardrobe.
Money in the suitcase on my way to the bank
I have a lot of money and I'm heading to the bank to deposit it.
On my way to the bank, on my way to the bank
I'm on my way to the bank.
On my way to the bank, bank, bank, suitcase
On my way to the bank with my suitcases full of cash.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ciaran McDonald, Jabari Manwarring, James Charles, Matthew Garrett Champion, Michael James, Romil Hemnani, Russell Evan Boring, William Anku Kraka Mawuli Ando Wood
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MapleMilk
JOBA's verse was the hardest thing possible thing to happen with a guy wearing a bowl cut
@jbernal615
MapleMilk AINT THAT THE TRUTH
@soversetile
Idk man a lot of people did some crazy shit with bowl cuts 👀..
@alivenotwell
bro. oliver tree in the bowl cut hard boys category too tho
@caallliiee
@@alivenotwell i was just about to say Oliver Tree 😂
@alivenotwell
@@caallliiee oliver tree on that good good. dont forget the olive tree struggle
@somekidnamedben2253
as brockhampton progresses merlyn gets quieter and joba gets louder
by the next album merlyn's gonna be doing asmr and joba's going be at max volume
@jackpitman15
joba will end their career by passing 99999999999Db
@spheress
Hahahahaha
@AppelMoesPureetje
The funny thing about this is you literally hear Joba scream FUCK YOU, I’LL BREAK YOUR NECK SO YOU CAN WATCH YOUR BACK on his first ‘verse’ on the Saturation trilogy lmao