Criminal
Freddie Gibbs/ZZ Ward Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I toss and turn, got the sheets untucked,
You broke right in, yeah, you stole, you took,
With dirty fingerprints, you no-good crook,
You shatter my heart like a Tiffany glass,
I knew from the start he was a thief in a mask,
And now I'm alone, cleaning up his mess,
There ain't nothin' left,
He's just a criminal,
He's just a criminal,
I can't get back what he stole,
He's just a criminal,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
I hear the rain on this old tin roof,
The rusty nails in the boards comin' loose,
Spend my last two dollars on you,
You robbed me blind and you left no proof,
Poof, poof, mmm, disappear,
You should be sentenced for a thousand years,
You should pay me back for a thousand tears,
Insulting,
He's just a criminal,
He's just a criminal,
I can't get back what he stole,
He's just a criminal,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
He's just a criminal,
He's just a criminal,
I can't get back what he stole,
He's just a, just a, just a, just a, just a, just a criminal
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Insulting, oh
Insulting, oh
Insulting, oh
Insulting, oh
Insulting, oh
Insulting, oh
Insulting, oh
Insulting
The lyrics of "Criminal" by Freddie Gibbs/ZZ Ward focus on a relationship that has ended badly, with the subject feeling heartbroken and betrayed by their former partner. The song opens with the singer awake in the middle of the night, unable to sleep due to the turmoil caused by their ex-lover's actions. They describe the theft of something valuable, which the ex-partner took with dirty fingerprints. The imagery used here implies that their former lover was not only a thief but also left a mess behind. The sentiments of betrayal are reinforced by the allegory used in the line "you shatter my heart like a Tiffany glass." It highlights how even though things may look beautiful, they can be shattered in the blink of an eye.
The chorus is where the message of the song is most explicit. The singer reiterates that their ex-partner's actions have made them a criminal, and that the theft of their heart can never be repaid or restored. The metaphorical use of the word "criminal" implies that their partner's actions have caused them harm just like a criminal would commit a crime. The singer is left alone to pick up the broken pieces and clean up the mess. In the final lines, the singer expresses their anger, wishing for a severe punishment for their partner.
Line by Line Meaning
It's 3:00 AM, got my eyes wide shut,
It's nighttime and I'm wide awake, unable to sleep
I toss and turn, got the sheets untucked,
I'm restless and unable to find comfort in my bed
You broke right in, yeah, you stole, you took,
You entered my life without permission and took away what was mine
With dirty fingerprints, you no-good crook,
You left a mess behind and you have no integrity or morality
You shatter my heart like a Tiffany glass,
You destroyed my heart and left me feeling like broken, fragile glass
I knew from the start he was a thief in a mask,
I always had a gut feeling that you were a deceitful person
And now I'm alone, cleaning up his mess,
I am left to deal with the aftermath of your actions on my own
There ain't nothin' left,
You took everything I had and left me with nothing
He's just a criminal,
You are a criminal and should be held accountable for your actions
I can't get back what he stole,
I am unable to recover what you took from me
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
I hear the rain on this old tin roof,
I can hear the sound of raindrops falling on the roof of my humble home
The rusty nails in the boards comin' loose,
My home is slowly falling apart and in need of repairs
Spend my last two dollars on you,
I sacrificed my own well-being to give to you, and now I am left with nothing
You robbed me blind and you left no proof,
You took everything I had and left me without evidence to prove your guilt
Poof, poof, mmm, disappear,
You vanished without a trace and left me with unanswered questions
You should be sentenced for a thousand years,
Your actions were so heinous that you deserve to be punished for a very long time
You should pay me back for a thousand tears,
You owe me reparations for all the pain you've caused me
Insulting,
He's just a, just a, just a, just a, just a, just a criminal
You are nothing more than a criminal, and I have lost all respect and trust for you
Insulting, oh
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bernard James Freeman, Brendan John Joyce, Charles Jawazaa Worth, Daniel Quine Auerbach, E Kidd Bogart, Evan Arman Ingersoll, Fredrick Jamel Tipton, Jonathan Paul Keller, Richard Parry, Zsuzsanna Eva Ward
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jennifer Rodriguez
Mhmm, mmm, oh,
It's 3: 00 AM, got my eyes wide shut,
I toss and turn, got the sheets untucked,
You broke right in, yeah, you stole, you took,
With dirty fingerprints, you no-good crook,
You shatter my heart like a Tiffany glass,
I knew from the start he was a thief in a mask,
And now I'm alone, cleaning up this mess,
There ain't nothin' left,
He's just a criminal,
He's just a criminal,
I can't get back what he stole,
He's just a criminal,
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
I hear the rain on this old tin roof,
The rusty nails in the boards comin' loose,
Spend my last two dollars on you,
You robbed me blind and you left no proof,
Poof, poof, mmm, disappear,
You should be sentenced for a thousand years,
You should pay me back for a thousand tears,
Insulting,
He's just a criminal,
He's just a criminal,
I can't get back what he stole
He's just a criminal
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
Uh, jet black coupe, I'm fresh out the projects
And I can't peel off my block right now, I ain't twist my cigar yet
These police might object to me flossing these fancy objects
Black diamonds on the dough boy proceed to speed up my progress
All kinds of hoes want to claim us, lifestyles of the thugged out and famous
And my mom said don't talk to strangers so I went to the block with them bangers
On the street, twisting fingers, talk that slang with the slangers
Still pack my piece a piece a change, it won't change us
We just some motherfucking criminals, yeah
He's just a criminal,
He's just a criminal,
I can't get back what he stole
He's just a criminal
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Ooh, whoa, ooh, whoa, oh no
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
Insulting, ooh
Insulting
Heidi Somarriba
After 3 years of this I still get chills all over my body!!! Absolutely love her ❤️
TYVANTV
still?????
Mimi Nicholson
I am such a fan of both ZZ Ward and Freddie Gibbs. Glad to be around to enjoy such talent!
umesh
zs
BigBoss20
I can't get enough of this song
Cheryl Ward
This is my very favorite ZZ Ward song. Never get tired of hearing it.
Doug Raddi
This young woman is amazing. Why she isn't more famous is a crime
Serachja
I love the voice of ZZ Ward. Insane skills of her
Sarah Kuhlmann
She should have MILLIONS of views...she is my favorite artist of ALL TIME> can we come together and spread the word???????
Taylor - Corinne
I love this. ZZ's voice is so soulful and the band compliments it