The second verse finds Chance reflecting on family, on his work ethic and drive, and on the souring of his relationship with his old female friends.
Summer Friends
Chance the Rapper Lyrics
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I would incredible
Everything
Socks on concrete, jolly rancher kids
I was talking back and now I gotta stay at grandma's crib
Bunch of tank top, nappy headed bike-stealing Chatham boys
None of my nigga's ain't had no dad
JJ, Mikey, Lil Derek and them
79th street was America then
Ice cream truck and the beauty supply
Blockbuster movies and Harold's again
We still catching lightning bugs
When the plague hit the backyard
Had to come in at dark cause the big shawty's act hard
Okay now Dave grandpa grand crossing
First day, nigga's shooting
Summer school get to losing students
But the CPD getting new recruitment
Our summer don't, our summer, our summer don't get no shine no more
Our summer die, our summer time don't got no time no more
(You're my friend)
Summer friends don't stay
Some friends just stay, stay around
Summer friends, summer friends
Summer friends don't stay
Summer friends don't stay, hey
Stay around
Ooh I used to kill 'em with the long hair
Momma had salon doing perms out the armchair
Yeah, we're working late, he treat the crib like it's a timeshare
I would mow some lawns for my ones like a lawn chair, hugh, hugh!
Now I'm the same way, over time all the time, every night, hey
Ready my blessing, now I'm ready how I wait
Never let a friendship get in my way
Never let a blog get in my way
Make the whole song do whatever I say
79, 79, 79 place
79, 79, 79 place
Some of my homegirls got lost in the paperwork
They was good friends but I faked the clerk
Cause if it ain't work, can't make it work
It's been a minute since I called on a friend
Fucked up and fucked all my friends
All my friends, all my
Stick around
Summer friends, summer
(You're my friend)
Summer friends don't stick around
Stick around
(And some of us)
79, 79, 79 place
79, 79, 79, hey, hey
(You're my friend)
79, 79, 79, hey, 79
(So put your head on my shoulder)
City wide, hey
(I will wait around for you)
(So lay your head)
May the Lord give your journey mercy
May you be successful, grant you favor
And bring you back safely, I love you
When I was so young before I could remember
I would always treat my gang like family members
Even when the changing nigga never changed up
I always bring my friends, my friends up
When I was so young before I could remember
I would always treat my gang like family members
Even when the changing nigga never changed up
I always bring my friends, my friends up
In the song "Summer Friends," Chance The Rapper, Jeremih, and Francis & The Lights reminisce about their childhood in South Side Chicago during the summer. The lyrics talk about how the kids used to catch lightning bugs, eat ice cream from the truck, and hang out in the beauty supply store. However, they also touch upon the harsh realities of growing up in a place where their friends' fathers were absent and they had to deal with violence, shootings, and gangs.
The first verse starts with a description of the scene – socks on concrete and jolly rancher kids – and then goes into a personal story of how the rapper got punished for talking back to his mom and had to stay at his grandma's place, where he met his friends from Chatham. The chorus talks about the transient nature of summer friendships, where people come and go like the season itself. The second verse is Chance The Rapper's reflection on his current life, where he works hard all the time and values his blessing more than anything else. He also talks about how some of his homegirls got lost in the paperwork and how he had to let go of some of his friendships to move forward.
The theme of the song is the bittersweet nostalgia of summer and the fleeting nature of friendship. The lyrics are poignant and paint a vivid picture of a place and time that is both beautiful and challenging. The song is an ode to the people who shape our lives and how they stay with us even when they're no longer around.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, oh, oh, incredible
Expressing amazement or wonder
I would incredible
I was amazing
Everything
All aspects and parts of my life
Socks on concrete, jolly rancher kids
We were playing outside with socks on the concrete, sharing jolly ranchers and enjoying childhood
I was talking back and now I gotta stay at grandma's crib
I got punished for talking back and ended up having to stay with my grandma
Bunch of tank top, nappy headed bike-stealing Chatham boys
A group of boys from Chatham, who wore tank tops, had nappy hair and stole bikes
None of my nigga's ain't had no dad
None of my friends had a father figure in their life
None of my nigga's ain't have no choice
My friends did not have a choice in their situation
JJ, Mikey, Lil Derek and them
My friends' names were JJ, Mikey, and Lil Derek
79th street was America then
Growing up on 79th street was a typical American experience
Ice cream truck and the beauty supply
We enjoyed treats from the ice cream truck and beauty supply stores in the neighborhood
Blockbuster movies and Harold's again
We went to Blockbuster to rent movies and ate at Harold's Chicken Shack
We still catching lightning bugs
We continued to have fun as kids by catching lightning bugs
When the plague hit the backyard
We had to come inside when the mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus were in the backyard
Had to come in at dark cause the big shawty's act hard
We had to come in before dark because the older kids would start acting tough
Okay now Dave grandpa grand crossing
We crossed over to Dave's grandpa's house on the other side of the street
First day, nigga's shooting
On the first day of school, there was gun violence
Summer school get to losing students
Some students left during summer school
But the CPD getting new recruitment
Despite losing students, the Chicago police department continued to recruit new officers
Our summer don't, our summer, our summer don't get no shine no more
Our summers are not as bright and lively as they once were
Our summer die, our summer time don't got no time no more
Our summer has lost its energy and excitement
(You're my friend)
Summer friends don't stay
Some friends just stay, stay around
Summer friends, summer friends
Summer friends don't stay
Summer friends don't stay, hey
Stay around
Friends made during the summer often do not stay for long, while others stay for a lifetime
Ooh I used to kill 'em with the long hair
Momma had salon doing perms out the armchair
I used to stand out with my long hair, and my mom would do my hair at home
Yeah, we're working late, he treat the crib like it's a timeshare
I would mow some lawns for my ones like a lawn chair, hugh, hugh!
Now as an adult, I work hard and my friend treats my house like his own. I also do small jobs to earn extra money
Now I'm the same way, over time all the time, every night, hey
Ready my blessing, now I'm ready how I wait
I work hard all the time and I am ready for success as I wait for it
Never let a friendship get in my way
Never let a blog get in my way
Make the whole song do whatever I say
I will not let anything stop me from achieving my goals, I control my music
79, 79, 79 place
79, 79, 79 place
Some of my homegirls got lost in the paperwork
They was good friends but I faked the clerk
I live on 79th street and some of my female friends were lost in the school bureaucracy. To help them, I lied to the school clerk
Cause if it ain't work, can't make it work
If something doesn't work, we can't force it to work
It's been a minute since I called on a friend
Fucked up and fucked all my friends
All my friends, all my
It has been a while since I spoke to my friends, and I made mistakes that affected my friendships
Stick around
Summer friends, summer
(You're my friend)
Summer friends don't stick around
Stick around
(And some of us)
79, 79, 79 place
79, 79, 79, hey, hey
(You're my friend)
79, 79, 79, hey, 79
(So put your head on my shoulder)
City wide, hey
(I will wait around for you)
(So lay your head)
True friends will stick around and support each other, even if they do not live in the same city. We will be there for each other when needed
May the Lord give your journey mercy
May you be successful, grant you favor
And bring you back safely, I love you
A prayer for a safe and successful journey with a message of love
When I was so young before I could remember
I would always treat my gang like family members
Even when the changing nigga never changed up
I always bring my friends, my friends up
When I was young, I treated my group of friends like family and always uplifted and supported them, even when others joined the group and brought changes
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, I WROTE THIS MYSELF, Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Jeremy P. Felton, Chancelor Jonathan Bennett, Francis Farewell Starlite
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind