Washington created the single’s artwork, which is on display this week through Sunday at the Art Institute of Chicago. According to a release, the artwork was inspired by “Abar, the First Black Superman’s unorthodox, Afro-futuristic, and surrealist depiction of racial inequality, racial integration, and classism in the suburbs of white America.”
The video’s concept has a similar “interdisciplinary art piece” approach Chance employed for “Child of God” featuring Moses Sumney. The song included the work of Gabonese visual artist Naïla Opiangah.
A Bar About a Bar
Chance The Rapper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What you got?
Alright
I got a bar about a bar
It's not a joke, it's just a bar
A nigga walked into a bar
Took his seat, he liked his liquor hard, his women easy
He was just a hick that parked his pickup truck
'Cause it was dark to take a piss
The road was long, the line was long as shit
He thought about it, held it in and sipped his straw
Ashed out his cigar and walked out into his car
Forget that nigga, there was a line inside the bar
And the line was so long it wrapped behind the bar
And exposed moonshine and wine inside the jar
And it kept goin' to the alley and the trash behind the bar
To the same nigga, he was takin' a piss behind his car
The nigga in the front seen that this shit was out of order
The nigga in the back seen that the meter's out of quarters
The patrons in the middle wished this line was way shorter
I would tell you their names, but they names is unimportant
Is what I got so far
The lyrics to "A Bar About a Bar" by Chance the Rapper are a clever play on words that tell a humorous story. The first few lines indicate that someone has just ten minutes to perform, and Chance then goes into a bar-related joke. However, he explains that it's not a joke but rather a narrative about a man who walked into a bar intending to enjoy his liquor and women, but ended up witnessing a long line that wrapped behind the bar.
Chance then describes other items that the line revealed, like moonshine and wine behind the bar, a trash-filled alleyway behind the bar, and even a man urinating behind the bar in his pickup truck. The lyrics are more about the absurdity of the situation than any particular meaning, and the witty storytelling keeps the listener entertained throughout.
The song showcases Chance's clever wordplay and demonstrates his ability to take a mundane situation and flip it into an imaginative narrative. He effortlessly uses similes and metaphors to describe the characters he mentions, giving them a sense of depth and personality without explicitly stating who they are. Overall, "A Bar About a Bar" is an amusing and entertaining song that showcases Chance's talent as a rapper and storyteller.
Line by Line Meaning
That's ten minutes
A brief period of time has passed
What you got?
What do you have to share or contribute?
I got a bar about a bar
I have a story to tell about a drinking establishment
It's not a joke, it's just a bar
The story is not meant to be humorous and simply takes place in a bar setting
A nigga walked into a bar
An African American man entered the bar
Took his seat, he liked his liquor hard, his women easy
He sat down and enjoyed his alcohol strong while also favoring promiscuous women
Legend has it, he was callous like fingers that pick guitars
Rumors suggest that he was rough and insensitive like the hands of a guitar player
He was just a hick that parked his pickup truck
He was a rural and unsophisticated individual who drove a truck
'Cause it was dark to take a piss
He parked his truck because it was too dark outside to urinate
The road was long, the line was long as shit
The journey to the bar was lengthy and the queue to get in was extremely long
He thought about it, held it in and sipped his straw
He contemplated his need to urinate and drank his beverage slowly instead
Ashed out his cigar and walked out into his car
He finished smoking his cigar and left the bar to go to his car
Forget that nigga, there was a line inside the bar
Disregard that man, there was still a lengthy queue inside the bar
And the line was so long it wrapped behind the bar
The line was so extensive that it went around the back of the bar
And exposed moonshine and wine inside the jar
The extended line revealed jars containing illegally distilled alcohol and traditional wine
And it kept goin' to the alley and the trash behind the bar
The queue extended even further into the alleyway and near the garbage area behind the bar
To the same nigga, he was takin' a piss behind his car
The same man who parked his truck to urinate was now peeing behind his car
The nigga in the front seen that this shit was out of order
The person at the front of the line noticed that the situation was chaotic
The nigga in the back seen that the meter's out of quarters
The individual at the back of the line observed that the parking meter was out of quarters
The patrons in the middle wished this line was way shorter
The customers in the middle of the queue wished that it would be significantly less lengthy
I would tell you their names, but they names is unimportant
The identities of the patrons are not relevant to the story
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Chancellor Bennett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Writer Kaz
I'm down for an entire album about this bar. No jokes, no punchlines. Just this guy and this bar. Like what happens next Chance?
Damxn
Lol I’m down!!
Elly Bachubila
Me too, what's next?
sakhile myeni
broooooooooooooo i cant sleep, i need to know what happened to the guy
Jesse Muraya
I wanna knoowwwwww 🎵 🎵
Martin Neyssensas
A French do a thing like this 15 years ago it's '' lipopette bar'' and tracks tell stories about people who came to this bar and somes stuff happen to them. (some parts are inspired by the life of Billie holiday).
Jon Sandman
I keep watching this. I just love a good story.
DomNonstop
Jon the goat. Remember seeing a comment of yours on a coloring book music video too. It’s dope your a chance fan as well
Glitched Proxy
w jon sandman I remember watching you play with Mike
Tsek!
I guess I was justified in not ever giving up on a Chance classic LP after his most recent album. If his next will be as good as the songs he has been releasing, it'll be beyond a return to form