Danny! is a former student of the Savannah College of Art & Design. He often wears an oxford shirt and pinstriped necktie, and has gained notoriety for prank-calling celebrities. In 2012 Danny! rose to prominence shortly following the proclamation by The Roots drummer Questlove that there was strong interest from Jay-Z; he was subsequently signed as the flagship artist to Questlove's re-launched Okayplayer Records after years of being loosely affiliated with the company. In support of the new venture Danny! made his television debut on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" in September 2012, premiering his song "Evil" alongside The Roots.
Prior to this Danny! was most notable for his efficacious DIY approach to his music career, producing virtually every aspect of his albums—from the production to the cover art and even promotion—by himself to varying degrees of acclaim. He would field praise for his self-released concept records "Charm" and "And I Love H.E.R.", the latter named by ABC News as one of the best 50 albums of 2008, before releasing the "anti-album" "Where Is Danny?" in early 2011. After signing to Okayplayer Records the following year, Danny! completed his trilogy of conceptual albums with "Payback".
Regrets
Danny! Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes we don't know why we do what we do, man
We all make mistakes
Every last one of us has
Done some things that we ain't proud of
We're all human
So don't even try to act like
You're a perfect angel nigga
D. Swain
[Verse 1:]
Whether it's beatin' your wife down or pushin' powder
Most of you cowards be doin' things you ain't proud of
Don't try to act like your life is all rosy and shit
Then try to judge me, nigga you don't know me and shit
You throw me a brick, but give me a break
It's bad enough tryin' to deal with my regrets on the daily
'Cause I had it rough, under stress goin' crazy
Gotta grab my nuts, it's a test that He gave me
Only He can save me, but yet and still you attack Swain
Just because I used to live my life in the fast lane
That's unacceptable
I know I'm young and restless
Though I've got a bigger conscience than the rest of you
It's best that you regard your mistakes as a lesson learned
Instead of regrets, respect you earn
We all have regrets, but that's a given
The name of the game is knowing how to live with 'em
[Chorus: scratches by Danny!]
The past is crazy, but the past made me
The man I am today, nothing's gonna stand in my way
Mandatory, no one else can plan it for me
Yo I'm layin' my regrets to rest, I'ma be okay
[unknown:] "Wh-wh-what are we talking about here"
[Jay-Z:] "In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets"
[T.I.:] "St-still ain't forgave myself"
[Guru:] "Steady at it...d-d-deadly habits"
[Verse 2:]
I've got a lot of remorse for stupid things that I did
I could've been settled by now, had a wife and a kid
Didn't have a father figure in my life when I slid
He created me and dipped the fuck out like Michael Biv'
And I think that's why I am the way I am today
Too afraid of being him to start a fam-i-lay
I'm sick of lettin' these regrets stand in my way
Too many damn mistakes made, could've landed me in J-
A-I-L, think of all the lies that I'd tell
All the hearts that I would break and all the times I fell
I wish I never got that password from Miss Payton
Man I wish I hadn't left Teresa waitin'
I wish I gave a bigger plate of F.O.O.D. to my ace boon coon
And hadn't my first taste of poon way too soon
Won't let the past change my destiny
Best believe I ain't gon' let regrets get the best of me
Never
[Chorus]
Yeah...y'all know exactly what I'm talkin' 'bout man
1,2...yo I'm talkin' 'bout regrets man
Yeah, 2005, Flipside, you know what time it is
Shit, you gotta learn how to deal with these regrets man
Off top, I keep it real but uh, I can't front
There's a lot of stuff I still gotta let go of though
That's word...D. Swain, I'm out
The song "Regrets" by Danny! is a heartfelt reflection on the idea of regret and how we all have made mistakes and have things we're not proud of. Danny! acknowledges that sometimes people are quick to judge others without understanding the context of their lives and the experiences they've had. He paints a picture of the struggles he's been through, referring to difficult life choices such as beating his wife or pushing drugs, and explains how he has grown from these experiences.
Throughout the lyrics, Danny! speaks candidly about his life, his past, and his struggles with regret. He talks about the mistakes he's made and laments not having a father figure in his life, which may have contributed to his behavior. He's open about the remorse he has for the things he has done and how his regrets have affected him. He emphasizes the importance of learning from mistakes to keep moving forward while laying his regrets to rest.
In summary, Danny! uses "Regrets" to remind us that we are all human and make mistakes; his message is all about self-improvement and growing from the challenges we face in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, regrets
The song is about regrets.
Sometimes we don't know why we do what we do, man
People make mistakes, and sometimes they don't even understand why they did what they did.
We all make mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes.
Every last one of us has
Every single person has made mistakes.
Done some things that we ain't proud of
Everyone has done things they regret and are not proud of.
We're all human
Being human means making mistakes.
So don't even try to act like
Don't pretend like you're perfect.
You're a perfect angel nigga
Don't act like you've never made mistakes.
'Cause who is you foolin'?
You're not fooling anyone.
[Verse 1:]
First verse begins.
Whether it's beatin' your wife down or pushin' powder
People do things they are not proud of, whether it's domestic violence or selling drugs.
Most of you cowards be doin' things you ain't proud of
Many people do things that they later regret.
Don't try to act like your life is all rosy and shit
Don't pretend that your life is perfect and you have never made mistakes.
Then try to judge me, nigga you don't know me and shit
Don't try to judge me when you don't even know me.
You throw me a brick, but give me a break
Don't be so hard on me.
It's bad enough tryin' to deal with my regrets on the daily
It's already hard enough to deal with my regrets on a daily basis.
'Cause I had it rough, under stress goin' crazy
I had a difficult past, and it's affected me greatly.
Gotta grab my nuts, it's a test that He gave me
I have to be strong and face the challenges that life throws at me.
Only He can save me, but yet and still you attack Swain
God has the power to help me, but people still criticize me.
Just because I used to live my life in the fast lane
People judge me based on my past.
That's unacceptable
It's not okay to judge people based on their past.
I know I'm young and restless
I'm aware that I am still young and have a lot to learn.
Though I've got a bigger conscience than the rest of you
I am aware of my mistakes and regret them more than most people would.
It's best that you regard your mistakes as a lesson learned
It's better to learn from your mistakes than to regret them.
Instead of regrets, respect you earn
Respect is earned by learning from your mistakes instead of just regretting them.
We all have regrets, but that's a given
Everyone has regrets, it's a normal experience.
The name of the game is knowing how to live with 'em
You have to learn to live with your regrets and not let them defeat you.
[Chorus: scratches by Danny!]
Chorus begins.
The past is crazy, but the past made me
The past can be crazy, but it has made me who I am today.
The man I am today, nothing's gonna stand in my way
I am who I am today, and nothing will stop me from continuing to grow.
Mandatory, no one else can plan it for me
I have to learn to deal with my regrets on my own.
Yo I'm layin' my regrets to rest, I'ma be okay
I am letting go of my regrets and moving forward.
[unknown:] "Wh-wh-what are we talking about here"
Unknown dialogue.
[Jay-Z:] "In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets"
Jay-Z quote about learning to live with regrets.
[T.I.:] "St-still ain't forgave myself"
T.I. quote referencing forgiveness.
[Guru:] "Steady at it...d-d-deadly habits"
Guru quote about the dangers of bad habits.
[Verse 2:]
Second verse begins.
I've got a lot of remorse for stupid things that I did
I regret a lot of the foolish things I have done.
I could've been settled by now, had a wife and a kid
I could have had a family by now if I had made better choices.
Didn't have a father figure in my life when I slid
I didn't have a good male role model growing up.
He created me and dipped the fuck out like Michael Biv'
My father left me when I was young, just like Michael Bivins from New Edition.
And I think that's why I am the way I am today
My past experiences have greatly influenced who I am today.
Too afraid of being him to start a fam-i-lay
I'm scared of being like my father and that has affected my desire to start a family.
I'm sick of lettin' these regrets stand in my way
I am tired of letting my regrets control me.
Too many damn mistakes made, could've landed me in J-
I have made many mistakes that could have led to me being in prison.
A-I-L, think of all the lies that I'd tell
I could have ended up in jail because of all the lies I told.
All the hearts that I would break and all the times I fell
I regret hurting people and making mistakes.
I wish I never got that password from Miss Payton
I regret getting a password from someone named Miss Payton, which presumably led to something negative.
Man I wish I hadn't left Teresa waitin'
I regret leaving someone named Teresa waiting.
I wish I gave a bigger plate of F.O.O.D. to my ace boon coon
I regret not giving more food to my friend.
And hadn't my first taste of poon way too soon
I regret having my first sexual encounter too early.
Won't let the past change my destiny
I won't let my past mistakes define me.
Best believe I ain't gon' let regrets get the best of me
I won't let my regrets control me.
Never
Never give up on yourself or let your regrets control you.
[Chorus]
Chorus repeats.
Yeah...y'all know exactly what I'm talkin' 'bout man
The audience can relate to the song's theme of regrets.
1,2...yo I'm talkin' 'bout regrets man
Danny! reiterates that he's talking about regrets.
Yeah, 2005, Flipside, you know what time it is
The song was released in 2005 and is called Flipside.
Shit, you gotta learn how to deal with these regrets man
You have to learn to deal with your regrets and not let them control you.
Off top, I keep it real but uh, I can't front
Danny! is honest in his lyrics, but admits he can't pretend he has no regrets.
There's a lot of stuff I still gotta let go of though
Danny! still has some regrets that he needs to let go.
That's word...D. Swain, I'm out
Danny! signs off with his name.
Contributed by Caden G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.