Chancelor Bennett (born April 16, 1993), better known by his stage name Cha… Read Full Bio ↴Chancelor Bennett (born April 16, 1993), better known by his stage name Chance The Rapper, is an American hip hop recording artist from Chicago, Illinois. In 2013, he began to gain recognition following the release of his first two mixtapes. Chance first made some noise on the Chicago hip-hop blog Fake Shore Drive with his video for Nostalgia in early 2011. His latest mixtape, Coloring Book, was released for free on Apple Music on 12 May 2016.

Chance achieved some success with his first mixtape 10Day, which details his 10 day long suspension from his high school. On April 30, 2013, Chance's second mixtape, Acid Rap dropped. It received diamond status from Datpiff. The Social Experiment, Chance's band with Donnie Trumpet, Peter Cottontail, and members of the O'My's, released their free album, Surf, on May 28, 2015.

Save Yourself First
Chance The Rapper Lyrics

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Love is the life 'round here
We're never done

Part time love

Life ain't been 'round here in a minute
Here ain't been 'round my whole life
Mike ain't spin 'round in a minute

The sand just dropped for the last time
But wear that fake smile like a cape
Save yourself first
Light ain't been 'round here in a minute
Darkness been swallowed it up
Chaos been 'round for a minute
Marketed, bottled it up
But wear that fake smile like a cape
Save yourself first
I ain't been 'round here in a minute
But here ain't been round a whole lot
My flesh looked through the peephole
Seen his people, sealed the keyhole and kept the door locked
Life can't be here, indefinite
Not another minute 'round here
Why can't a minute be spent in a town that's nowhere round here?

But wear that fake smile like a cape
Save yourself first

Overall Meaning

The song Save Yourself First by Chance The Rapper & James Blake conveys the message that you have to prioritize yourself and your well-being before anything else. The lyrics speak about the absence of light and love in their surroundings, and how they have been replaced by darkness and chaos. They mention that a fake smile is used as a cape to camouflage their pain and struggles. The line "Love is the life 'round here, We're never done" suggests that love is still present, but it's not enough to sustain life amidst the chaos. The song asks why can't they spend just a minute in a place where there is peace and love.

The lyrics express the idea that mental health is a priority, and self-care should be taken seriously. They talk about the importance of saving oneself first before helping others or dealing with external problems. The lyrics emphasize that a person's well-being should be valued above anything else, and it's okay to prioritize oneself. The song is a reminder that even when everything else seems to be falling apart, the one thing that can save us is our own self-worth.

Line by Line Meaning

Love is the life 'round here
Our community thrives on love and compassion

We're never done
This spirit of love and compassion is ever-present and ongoing

Part time love
However, sometimes it feels like our community is not fully committed to love and compassion

Life ain't been 'round here in a minute
It feels like life, or vitality, has been absent from our community for some time

Here ain't been 'round my whole life
For some of us, our lives have been devoid of this sense of community from the very beginning

Mike ain't spin 'round in a minute
Even something as simple as music feels like it has disappeared from our community

The sand just dropped for the last time
It feels like time is running out, like an hourglass that has just emptied its last grains of sand

But wear that fake smile like a cape
Despite all of this, we are expected to put on a brave face and pretend like everything is okay

Save yourself first
However, it is important to prioritize our own well-being and safety before trying to save others or the community

Light ain't been 'round here in a minute
Not only is life absent, but so is light or hope

Darkness been swallowed it up
Instead, darkness has taken hold of our community

Chaos been 'round for a minute
This darkness has manifested in chaos and turmoil

Marketed, bottled it up
Even our pain and struggles have been commodified and sold back to us

I ain't been 'round here in a minute
From the perspective of an individual, they may feel disconnected from the community or have been absent for some time

But here ain't been round a whole lot
Additionally, the sense of community may have always been lacking or insufficient

My flesh looked through the peephole
They may still have some curiosity or desire to connect with the community, but they are cautious and guarded

Seen his people, sealed the keyhole and kept the door locked
Even when they do try to engage, they quickly become disillusioned or disappointed with the state of the community

Life can't be here, indefinite
The absence of life and vitality cannot go on forever

Not another minute 'round here?
This raises the question of whether or not it is worth it to continue living in a community that is so void of life and hope

Why can't a minute be spent in a town that's nowhere round here?
Perhaps it is time to start fresh or seek out a new community elsewhere

But wear that fake smile like a cape
Despite all of this, we are still expected to put on a brave face and pretend like everything is okay

Save yourself first
However, it is important to prioritize our own well-being and safety before trying to save others or the community

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Chancelor Bennett, James Blake

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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