If It Wasn't for You
Handsome Boy Modeling School Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

This is the story of you
What makes you special
Where you come from
This is one of the most exciting stories ever told
Because its about you
And you are one of the most important things in this world you.

She ride cause her testament has been day one
A nigga got trust cause she been day one
Day one's done, build a fam. Bruce Lee
So we K-I-said the BS goodbye
Damsel in distress so I stress good guy
Tarzan and Jane more like Bonnie and Karem
Could you be my sugar water, tonic and cream
Put the dean in my yard, like religion and king

And ding diamond you a sight
Like unidentified rims spinning in the night
Me without your balance just wouldn't sit right
Like written wouldn't be past tense without ten

If it wasn't for you
If it wasn't for you
If it wasn't for you
(I need you)

Hey because of you my little lady named fame
People spot me like nerves spot pain
Put the S on my chest and inside my veins
Before that this darkie had to smile for them to see me
Now them same kids that used to diss wanna be me
Due to me being down with you
Hooked up 82' plus 6
When you gave me my fix
You fixed my house and banking accounts
You fixed me up with too many women to count
Only right for you to have your side niggas too
And even when you don't come back
At least when you was here for me
The world cheered for you

If it wasn't for you
If it wasn't for you
If it wasn't for you
(I need you)

Pen you my muthafucka
I'm a hold you like piss
Even when the itchy burn make me wanna let go
There you go smudgin', see actin mad funny
But you kissin' loose leafs so I can't be mad
You my confidant when I couldn't tell pops that report card came
You signed off with me
So when the checks come you'll be signin' off with me
But when I'm dead and gone will you sign on?
Ooh Papermate you light like paper weight
But you pack ink, can make tattoos turn pussy
And when its mush time you be there like a man
In my hand spillin' my heart with your blood.

If it wasn't for you
If it wasn't for you
If it wasn't for you
(I need you)

You're my first born
My lil Capricorn kid
Slid in this world at 1 pound 8 oz.
My little miracle baby
Grown in to a little lady
So fast, like pressing the gas while the tape bounce
Through you, me and your grandfather grew closer
I understand now, all he tried to give for me
I wanna give it to you the same way
But sometimes four short and you still live for me
And just want you to know
I may not show all the right feelings or say the right words
But you're my little black diamond
And always shining in my heart
And that's way beyond words

If it wasn't for you
If it wasn't for you
If it wasn't for you
(I need you)

You've been with me on the inside homie
Puff life in me ever since I was a knee high
I knew I had heart
Ain't gang related but you relative to blood
AB negative you represent love
Though you break like Pringles
Your heroic in your size
You make David beat Goliath
You heart beaker
Broads love you on Valentines day
Quaker brought beats to my chest before hip-hop

If it wasn't for you
If it wasn't for you




If it wasn't for you
(I need you)

Overall Meaning

In Handsome Boy Modeling School's song "If It Wasn't For You," the lyrics tell the story of different aspects of the singer's life and how they are all interconnected with this one special thing - which turns out to be a metaphorical representation of Hip-Hop. The verses talk about Hip-Hop's influence on the singer's life and how it has been there for them from "day one." The chorus repeats the phrase "If it wasn't for you" as an acknowledgment of the importance of Hip-Hop to the singer's life.


The first verse talks about a lover who has been there since the beginning, someone who the singer has complete trust in. They have built a life together and have gone through ups and downs, finally finding balance with one another. The second verse is a reflection on fame and how it has been made possible because of Hip-Hop. It talks about how the singer used to be overlooked until they found this special thing that made them stand out. The chorus reinforces the theme of how important Hip-Hop is to the singer's life.


The third verse talks about the singer's relationship with their writing instrument, a pen. It is a metaphor for how the singer creates their art through writing, and the pen is always there when they need it. The fourth verse is a tribute to the singer's daughter, who was born prematurely but defied the odds to survive. The singer sees their daughter as a miracle and wants to pass down the lessons they learned from their grandfather to her. The final verse is a tribute to Hip-Hop as a whole. The singer reflects on how Hip-Hop has been a constant presence in their life, from childhood to adulthood.


Line by Line Meaning

She ride cause her testament has been day one
She is loyal because she has been there since day one


A nigga got trust cause she been day one
I trust her because she has been there since day one


Day one's done, build a fam. Bruce Lee
Now that we've been loyal for so long, let's build a family like Bruce Lee


So we K-I-said the BS goodbye
We're saying goodbye to all the negativity, starting fresh


Damsel in distress so I stress good guy
She's in trouble, so I feel the need to be a good guy and help her


Tarzan and Jane more like Bonnie and Karem
We're more like Bonnie and Clyde, partners in crime


Could you be my sugar water, tonic and cream
Will you be the sweet addition to my life that makes it better


Put the dean in my yard, like religion and king
Make yourself at home in my life, like religion and a monarchy


And ding diamond you a sight
You're a diamond, shining bright and catching my eye


Like unidentified rims spinning in the night
You're like flashy rims spinning on a car at night, eye-catching


Me without your balance just wouldn't sit right
I need you to balance me, otherwise things just wouldn't feel right


Like written wouldn't be past tense without ten
I need you like a verb needs a past tense, it's an integral part


Hey because of you my little lady named fame
Thanks to you, I have become famous


People spot me like nerves spot pain
People notice me like they notice pain


Put the S on my chest and inside my veins
You've made me a superhero, it's now a part of who I am


Before that this darkie had to smile for them to see me
I had to work hard to be seen before, but now I don't have to


Now them same kids that used to diss wanna be me
The same people who used to put me down now want to be like me


Due to me being down with you
Thanks to my loyalty to you


Hooked up 82' plus 6
We've been together since '82, and now we're even more solid


When you gave me my fix
When you gave me what I needed


You fixed my house and banking accounts
You made my life stable in many ways


You fixed me up with too many women to count
You helped me get together with a lot of different women


Only right for you to have your side niggas too
It's fair for you to have other partners as well


And even when you don't come back
Even if you're not around


At least when you was here for me
Even when you were here for me


The world cheered for you
Everyone celebrated your presence


Pen you my muthafucka
Pen, you're my writing partner


I'm a hold you like piss
I'm going to hold onto you tightly


Even when the itchy burn make me wanna let go
Even when it's uncomfortable and I want to stop


There you go smudgin', see actin mad funny
Sometimes you don't cooperate, get smudged or act funny


But you kissin' loose leafs so I can't be mad
But you're leaving ink marks on loose leaf paper, so I can't stay mad


You my confidant when I couldn't tell pops that report card came
You were my confidant when I couldn't even talk to my dad about my report card


You signed off with me
You were there for me wholeheartedly


So when the checks come you'll be signin' off with me
You'll be there with me through thick and thin


But when I'm dead and gone will you sign on?
Will you still be loyal to me even after I'm gone?


Ooh Papermate you light like paper weight
Papermate, you're light and easy to hold


But you pack ink, can make tattoos turn pussy
But you have the power to create something permanent, like a tattoo


And when its mush time you be there like a man
And when things get tough, you stand strong


In my hand spillin' my heart with your blood
You're the tool that lets me pour my heart out onto paper


You're my first born
You're my first child


My lil Capricorn kid
My child who was born under Capricorn


Slid in this world at 1 pound 8 oz.
You came into the world small and fragile


My little miracle baby
You were a miracle that happened to me


Grown in to a little lady
You've grown up into a young woman


So fast, like pressing the gas while the tape bounce
It feels like you grew up too quickly


Through you, me and your grandfather grew closer
You brought me and my father closer together


I understand now, all he tried to give for me
I now understand everything my father did for me


I wanna give it to you the same way
I want to pass those lessons on to you


But sometimes four short and you still live for me
Sometimes life is too short, but you still matter to me


And just want you to know
I want you to understand


I may not show all the right feelings or say the right words
I may not always express myself properly


But you're my little black diamond
You're my precious gem


And always shining in my heart
And you always hold a special place in my heart


And that's way beyond words
And that's something that can't be explained


You've been with me on the inside homie
You've been inside of me since the beginning


Puff life in me ever since I was a knee high
You've given me life ever since I was very young


I knew I had heart
I knew I had passion and drive


Ain't gang related but you relative to blood
We're not in a gang, but we're related like blood


AB negative you represent love
You represent love and giving


Though you break like Pringles
Even though you can be fragile


Your heroic in your size
You're still powerful and heroic


You make David beat Goliath
You make the seemingly impossible, possible


You heart beaker
You can break my heart


Broads love you on Valentines day
People give you as a gift on Valentine's Day


Quaker brought beats to my chest before hip-hop
You were there giving me a beat before hip-hop even existed




Lyrics Β© RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: PAUL E. HUSTON, DAVID J. JOLICOEUR, KELVIN MERCER, DANIEL M. NAKAMURA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@darrentylor5473

I bought this album, every song is a hit...

@Grinnddd

The Hours isn't good man

@adrianwilliams4135

@jacob yeah the El P songs on both albums are the only skips for me

@DG-ee9hi

@@adrianwilliams4135I could never fux w El P til RTJ no matter how hard I tried to love him

@soulspektrum

Tha jam though, lyrically superb

@forestboozer2035

I ca t stop listening to this song

@sunji2882

Wish there was a video for this track,it would be superb.

@michelemiyamoto7485

Got this put on a mixed cd and I looked up every word

@lorenzodelgado2300

My pops bought this album when it came out, shit still bang till this day, hip hop need it’s essence back fr

@CharlieMullett

i am a pop, who loves this album - i hope my sons will love this - your comment gives me heart. cudos to you - this is a tune - glad you like it!

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