Through the Storm
Busta & Stevie Lyrics
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Everything's still the same
Can't control how I feel
Sometimes it's hard to keep it real
You see the luxuries in life, with the fortune and fame
Like them Cadillacs with sunroofs maybe
So many ways to make a dollar
Huh, sometimes I think about my father
Tryin' to blend in with them city folk
Every day landlord knockin' down my do'
Wonderin' where my next blessing is comin' from
My momma and poppa, moved to the U.S. as Jamaicans
Struggled to get visas and green cards through immigration
Though my pop was po', stayed away from crime and malice
Hard living gave him hard hands and callous
As a young'n, peep how much they loved each other's space
His hard hands rubbin' against the pretty skin of my mother's face
Dig for treasure 'til his hands looked like hands of a junkie
So coarse, slap a mule and take the life from a donkey
On the other hand, mommy was the type to work two jobs
Never enough money, that's why I got your whole crew robbed
Got older, developed ways of grippin' the steel
Barely home for me to see her, or get a good cooked meal
Seek refuge in the alleged land of the free, lookin'
Blendin' in with city folk, down in Flatbush Brooklyn
Feel a little of my pain, follow and sing to it
Homey I seen it all, if you ain't knowin' I been through it
In other words I
Got a little older, late teens, me and my crew would huddle
On the corner late nights, plottin' to escape struggle
Nights got cold and still would hustle in the same place
In front of Pancho Delis, now the freeze up on a nigga face
1987 Reaganomics ever curious
To visit other cities, out of town kick was serious
Guayanese jeans bounce, put whatever slinger on
Whatever slinger came back, quickly brought me right along
Nigga ran away from home
Doin' different wild shit, just to put a pair of Filas on, 'Didas on
Wreck is all for the good, gettin' into shit
Like we innocent, actin' older than should
Walk around broke in the hood, watchin' all the rich niggaz
These younger thugs who try to choke and try to get niggaz
Thinkin' 'bout my mom and pop, while I'm monopolizin'
To hell with just gettin' by and economizin'
It's kinda hard bein' humble in the belly of struggle
Doin' things that probably get you in trouble
That's why we stay up on the block, gettin' money while we keepin' it safe
In front of churchgoers keepin' the faith
Mom and pop be worryin' for they son
Despite they struggle and their honest livin' look and see just what I become
A scavenger, in brute pursuit to be happy, another young'n that's wildin'
Across the line until somebody tryin to cap me - ohhhh shit
I been through the storm
Through the cold and rain
Everything's still the same
Can't control how I feel
Sometimes it's hard to keep it real
Woooooooooooooo-whoahhhhhhhhhhhhh
Yeahhhhhhhhhhh-ohhhhhhhhhhhhahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
In "Through the Storm," Busta Rhymes and Stevie Wonder reflect on their past struggles and the challenges they faced while growing up. They explore various themes such as poverty, immigrant struggles, crime, and survival, as well as the importance of perseverance and resilience through hardships.
The song begins with the artists acknowledging that they have been through the storm and that everything is still the same, implying that they are still dealing with the same issues they faced before. This can be interpreted as a reflection of the cyclical nature of struggles and the difficulty of breaking free from them.
Busta Rhymes then talks about his father's financial struggles and the daily struggle of living in poverty, including dealing with landlords and a lack of blessings. He also reflects on his mother and father's journey as Jamaican immigrants to the US and their efforts to obtain visas and green cards through immigration. He concludes by reflecting on his own experience growing up, including his own involvement in illegal activities and striving to escape the struggles he faced.
The chorus, which features Stevie Wonder's soulful vocals, repeats the lines "I been through the storm, through the cold and rain, everything's still the same, can't control how I feel, sometimes it's hard to keep it real." This reinforces the idea that the struggles of the past still affect the present and that it can be challenging to be authentic and true to oneself throughout trials.
Overall, "Through the Storm" is a powerful reflection on struggle, survival, and resilience. The lyrics touch on themes that are relevant across cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds and emphasize the importance of acknowledging and processing hardships in order to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Been through the storm, through the cold and rain
I've faced tough times and persevered through them
Everything's still the same
Despite going through hardships, my life hasn't changed much
Can't control how I feel
I can't always control my emotions and how I react to situations
Sometimes it's hard to keep it real
It's difficult to always stay true to myself and my values
You see the luxuries in life, with the fortune and fame
I see how others live with wealth and success
Like them Cadillacs with sunroofs maybe
For example, cars like Cadillacs with sunroofs
So many ways to make a dollar
There are countless ways to earn money
Huh, sometimes I think about my father
I often think about my dad and his struggles
You see my poppa was broke, and my momma was young
My dad was poor and my mom was young when they moved to the US
Tryin' to blend in with them city folk
They were trying to fit in with people in the city
Every day landlord knockin' down my do'
Our landlord was always threatening to evict us
Wonderin' where my next blessing is comin' from
I'm uncertain about where my next opportunity or good fortune will come from
My momma and poppa, moved to the U.S. as Jamaicans
My parents immigrated to the US from Jamaica
Struggled to get visas and green cards through immigration
They faced difficulties obtaining papers from immigration
Though my pop was po', stayed away from crime and malice
My dad was poor, but he stayed away from illegal activities
Hard living gave him hard hands and callous
His difficult life gave him rough and tough hands
As a young'n, peep how much they loved each other's space
As a child, I noticed how much my parents loved each other's company
His hard hands rubbin' against the pretty skin of my mother's face
I remember my dad's rough hands gently touching my mom's face
Dig for treasure 'til his hands looked like hands of a junkie
He worked hard with his hands until they were worn, like the hands of a drug addict
So coarse, slap a mule and take the life from a donkey
His hands were so rough, they could harm animals
On the other hand, mommy was the type to work two jobs
In contrast, my mom worked two jobs
Never enough money, that's why I got your whole crew robbed
We were always struggling financially, which is why I resorted to criminal activity
Got older, developed ways of grippin' the steel
As I grew older, I learned how to handle a weapon
Barely home for me to see her, or get a good cooked meal
My mom was hardly ever home, so I couldn't enjoy her home-cooked meals
Seek refuge in the alleged land of the free, lookin'
I tried to find safety and freedom in America
Blendin' in with city folk, down in Flatbush Brooklyn
I tried to fit in with people in the city, specifically in Flatbush Brooklyn
Feel a little of my pain, follow and sing to it
I hope others can relate to my struggles and sing along with me
Homey I seen it all, if you ain't knowin' I been through it
I've experienced a lot, and if you don't already know, I've been through a lot
Got a little older, late teens, me and my crew would huddle
As I got older, in my late teens, my friends and I would gather and plan our futures
On the corner late nights, plottin' to escape struggle
We would meet on the street corner at night and plan to leave our hardships behind
Nights got cold and still would hustle in the same place
Even when it got cold, we continued to hustle in the same spot
In front of Pancho Delis, now the freeze up on a nigga face
We hung out in front of Pancho Delis, and now the cold weather makes our faces feel numb
1987 Reaganomics ever curious
During the Reagan administration in 1987, we were curious about the state of the economy and our future prospects
To visit other cities, out of town kick was serious
We wanted to explore other cities and see new things outside of our own town
Guayanese jeans bounce, put whatever slinger on
We wore clothing from our Guayanese culture, and carried whatever weapon we could find
Whatever slinger came back, quickly brought me right along
Whatever weapon we found, we would bring with us to use immediately
Nigga ran away from home
I left my home and my problems behind
Doin' different wild shit, just to put a pair of Filas on, 'Didas on
I did crazy things just to afford expensive shoes like Filas or Adidas
Wreck is all for the good, gettin' into shit
I thought getting into trouble was just part of life
Like we innocent, actin' older than should
We pretended to be more mature than we actually were
Walk around broke in the hood, watchin' all the rich niggaz
We were always broke, and we would look at people who had more money than us
These younger thugs who try to choke and try to get niggaz
Other young criminals would try to attack and rob us
Thinkin' 'bout my mom and pop, while I'm monopolizin'
I thought about my parents while participating in illegal activities to make money
To hell with just gettin' by and economizin'
I didn't want to just scrape by, I wanted to make a lot of money
It's kinda hard bein' humble in the belly of struggle
It's difficult to remain humble when you're struggling
Doin' things that probably get you in trouble
I did things that could have gotten me into trouble with the law
That's why we stay up on the block, gettin' money while we keepin' it safe
We stayed on the block to earn money, while keeping ourselves safe
In front of churchgoers keepin' the faith
We would sell drugs in front of people going to church, who had faith in a better future
Mom and pop be worryin' for they son
My parents worried about me and my safety
Despite they struggle and their honest livin' look and see just what I become
Even though my parents worked hard and lived honestly, they can see how their struggles affected me
A scavenger, in brute pursuit to be happy, another young'n that's wildin'
I felt like a scavenger, trying to find happiness through criminal activity
Across the line until somebody tryin to cap me - ohhhh shit
I crossed the line into dangerous territory, where someone might try to harm or kill me
Woooooooooooooo-whoahhhhhhhhhhhhh
A vocalization expressing intense emotion or enthusiasm
Yeahhhhhhhhhhh-ohhhhhhhhhhhhahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Another vocalization expressing intense emotion or enthusiasm
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: MICHAEL J. CLERVOIX, ROBERT BRANDON SMITH, FELIX CAVALIERE, CARMEN MOORE, DEMETRIUS DEVONE VINES, TREVOR SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lamarcraven2314
I always thought Busta Rhymes should’ve been nominated for award for this song the song still touches my heart to the day because everything he’s saying about his family his mother dad working hard his dad’s hands so torn up from work he still wants to touch his wife’s face some of the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard from Busta Rhymes
@NoonIE909
Agree
@khuzwayongwenyama4785
A song that anyone who understands struggle can relate with. Timeless song
@DarkKnight-xp1jg
One of his best rhymes.
@motinav123
'שש'ש'שש'ְ
@jefferylee1337
can listen to this on repeat all day
@geoffrayguy1421
Bonjour de France, ce son est une pure merveille, un joyau inestimable tellement il est rare. Magnifique, incroyable, merci Mister Rhymes
@DaveDaDude
Busta Rhymes - The Big bang album one of my favorite Busta albums! Straight fire
@Styliesinceninedeuce
Just take a second to marvel at how amazing this song is. The beat is so well layered with drums, piano licks, violins, synths, Dre's wash out mix and repeat all introduced by a harmonica solo. On top of it is Stevie Wonder straight singing and Busta Rhymes just killing it talking about the struggle to live. Then the track does a total 180 with a whole orchestra in the background as Stevie takes you out of the song. This had to be a reference for the now buried myth of Detox. Way too complex and if Dre released this one that means there are like 100 plus other tracks at least like this in his vault of material. Just saying.
@willcommon6164
Well said. And agreed.