A female rap duo signing from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's hometown of Cleveland,… Read Full Bio ↴A female rap duo signing from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's hometown of Cleveland, II Tru debuted on Family Scriptures by the all-star side project Mo Thugs Family. The group began when Jhaz and Blaine founded Big Daddy Coalition, an informal rap project with two self-released cassettes, The Dark Side and Welcome to Cleveland. After meeting up with Brina, the trio began building a following in the city. After warming up the crowd at local appearances by Scarface and 2Pac, among others, II Tru were invited to join Mo Thugs Records, the home of Cleveland heroes Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. The trio guested on Mo Thugs' Family Scriptures in 1996, then released their proper debut, A New Breed of Female, in September 1997.

Before I Die
II Tru Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You know, the worst part about living
is knowin' one day that you gon' have to die
In the meantime, you have to come to terms with yourself, before you die

[Jhaz]
Before I die, laid and put to rest
Before I climb the wall, before I take my last breath
May I come to know the real of it all

Face-to-face with death, discover why the toughest fall
Dog, at home alone at night
My dreams be scary, got a sista fiendin' to the daylight
And if by circumstance, somehow I end up stiff
I promise that I ain't the only one that's gon' end up in a ditch
To all of this, I wish I find a reason why we end up dead
So I be prayin', dog, before I die

[Brina]
Before I flatline, carried away in a casket
I ask this question, Lord: will You be openin' the gates to the green pastures
Or will a sista fall prey to the gates of Hell?
So Brina pass times through these ghetto blues
Had to do what I had to do, really
Survival is the key, everyday tryin' dodge them toe-tags
Gotta good heart, tryin' hard to raise mine
You made room for a sista's jumpstart
Playa haters, they hate me
Will the devil put one of those fools to work
Or will I die of natural cause?
Either way it goes, I feel the hurt, so I ask of You
Lord: keep my family strong on top of this weak game that'll catch 'em, too

I'm on streets of Hell anyday
Amen

Overall Meaning

The song "Before I Die" by II Tru is a reflection on mortality, and the inevitability of death. The lyrics express a sense of urgency to find meaning and purpose in life before it is too late. The singers, Jhaz and Brina, contemplate what will happen when they die and what they hope for in the afterlife. Jhaz hopes to find the truth and understand why the "toughest fall", while Brina wonders if she will end up in Heaven or Hell.

The language in the lyrics conveys a sense of fear and uncertainty about the afterlife. The line "Dog, at home alone at night, my dreams be scary, got a sista fiendin' to the daylight" indicates that the singer is afraid of death and what might come after. However, there is also a sense of hope and faith in a higher power. Both Jhaz and Brina ask the Lord for guidance and strength to face whatever comes after death.

Overall, the song conveys a message of the importance of living life to the fullest and finding meaning before it is too late. It encourages listeners to reflect on what is truly important in life and to seek guidance from a higher power.

Line by Line Meaning

You know, the worst part about living
Acknowledging that one day you will have to face death is the most difficult aspect of living

is knowin' one day that you gon' have to die
Coming to terms with the fact that death is inevitable

Before I die, laid and put to rest
Before my time comes to pass and my body is buried

Before I climb the wall, before I take my last breath
Before I die and leave this world behind

May I come to know the real of it all
May I gain a full understanding of the deeper meaning of life

Face-to-face with death, discover why the toughest fall
When confronted with death, I hope to gain insight into why even the strongest individuals succumb to it

Dog, at home alone at night
When I am alone at night

My dreams be scary, got a sista fiendin' to the daylight
My dreams are unsettling and make me yearn for the safety and comfort of the daytime

And if by circumstance, somehow I end up stiff
In the event that I die unexpectedly

I promise that I ain't the only one that's gon' end up in a ditch
Others will suffer the same fate as me

To all of this, I wish I find a reason why we end up dead
I hope to discover the reasoning behind why death is a natural part of life

So I be prayin', dog, before I die
Therefore, I am praying before my eventual death

Before I flatline, carried away in a casket
Before I die and am carried away in a coffin

I ask this question, Lord: will You be openin' the gates to the green pastures
I ask God if I will be granted entrance into heaven

Or will a sista fall prey to the gates of Hell?
Or will I be condemned to hell?

So Brina pass times through these ghetto blues
So I try to endure the struggles of living in poverty

Had to do what I had to do, really
I had to make difficult choices in order to survive

Survival is the key, everyday tryin' dodge them toe-tags
Staying alive is the top priority, and I am avoiding anything that could lead to death

Gotta good heart, tryin' hard to raise mine
I have a kind heart and am striving to become a better person myself

You made room for a sista's jumpstart
God has allowed me to start anew and make positive changes

Playa haters, they hate me
People who resent me

Will the devil put one of those fools to work
Will those who hate me be influenced by evil and harm me?

Or will I die of natural cause?
Or will I die of natural causes?

Either way it goes, I feel the hurt, so I ask of You
Regardless of how I pass away, it will still hurt, and thus I pray to God

Lord: keep my family strong on top of this weak game that'll catch 'em, too
God, please help my family to remain strong and resilient in the face of life's challenges which are difficult for everyone

I'm on streets of Hell anyday
Living in poverty often feels like I am constantly in a personal hell

Amen
So be it

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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