Ending the song remarking a mother who has two sons one who was doing well in school the other who was a misfit. Although the mother was only able to pay for one kid to get into a private school and she may have lived in a good area, her tax bracket will be defined by her environment and not what was going on in her life.
“BRACKETS” was also released three days after National Tax Day.
BRACKETS
J. Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A lot of shit happens, like, like, I make a lot of money, you know
And I'm really happy about it
And I'm not bragging, I just wanna say something
I make a so, fuck, it's ridiculous
But wait, wait a minute, wait a minute
Hey, if my father was alive today, I would go home and say
"Dad, I wanna tell you how much money I made"
Joe Lewis didn't make that much money
Come in here, get your ass out the house
Coming here with that bullshit, hah
Niggas hating on me, I ain't used to that
Know a couple people wanna shoot for that
I say "No, no, no, chill, it ain't no need for that"
Them niggas tryna blow they don't need me for that
And if it work for them, well shit, I'm cool with that
'Cause how they feel, I ain't got shit to do with that
I just sit back on cool and watch my paper stack
And trip off how much bread them crackers take from that
(Whoa whoa whoa whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
(Whoa whoa whoa whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
(Whoa whoa whoa whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
(Whoa whoa whoa whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
It's been a long time since I have felt this way
About something but now, but now
I'm controlling my mind, the days are warm
The nights are cold, the lost is found, I'm found
Lord knows I need something to fill this void
Lord knows I need something to fill this void
Lord knows I need something to fill this void
Lord knows I need something to fill this void
Hell yeah boy, I'm a goddamn millionaire now
Hell yeah, nigga, they can't tell me shit now, bro, hell no, fuck that
Bitch, got my first motherfuckin' million dollar check nigga
I'm goddamn lit boy, you crazy as hell
Hold up, it's my phone real quick, it's my Unc'
Uncle Sam and shit
"What's up Unc'? Yup, hey, I told you that check was coming in
I gotchu when it came in, Goddamn, I'm a man of my word
Goddamn, I told you I'ma have it, and goddamn, I'ma have it for you
Hell, shit, damn right, now, how much was it though? Uh huh
Huh? Half? Half nigga? You crazy, boy, you crazy
Bitch, you crazy as fuck
Bitch, bitch, you better suck half my dick!
I pay taxes, so much taxes, shit don't make sense
Where do my dollars go? You see lately, I ain't been convinced
I guess they say my dollars supposed to build roads and schools
But my niggas barely graduate, they ain't got the tools
Maybe 'cause the tax dollars that I make sure I send
Get spent hirin' some teachers that don't look like them
And the curriculum be tricking them, them dollars I spend
Got us learning about the heroes with the whitest of skin
One thing about the men that's controlling the pen
That write history, they always seem to white-out they sins
Maybe we'll never see a black man in the White House again
I'll write a check to the IRS, my pockets get slim
Damn, do I even have a say 'bout where it's goin'?
Some older nigga told me to start votin'
I said "Democracy is too fuckin' slow"
If I'm givin' y'all this hard-earned bread, I wanna know
Better yet, let me decide, bitch, it's 2018
Let me pick the things I'm funding from an app on my screen
Better that than letting wack congressman I've never seen
Dictate where my money go, straight into the palms of some
Money-hungry company that make guns that circulate the country
And then wind up in my hood, making bloody clothes
Stray bullet hit a young boy with a snotty nose
From the concrete, he was prolly rose
Now his body froze and nobody knows what to tell his mother
He did good at the white man schools unlike his brother
Who was lost in the streets all day, not using rubbers
So right now, he got two on the way
Still sleep on covers in his mama house
She can't take this shit no more, she want him out
On the morning of the funeral, just as she's walking out
Wiping tears away, grabbing her keys and sunglasses
She remember that she gotta file her taxes, damn
(Whoa whoa whoa whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
(Whoa whoa whoa whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
(Whoa whoa whoa whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
(Whoa whoa whoa whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
The song BRACKETS by J. Cole deals with the complexities of being successful and wealthy while also being a black man in America. The opening verses convey the paradox of making tons of money while being reminded of the poverty one came from. J. Cole expresses this duality by saying that he would love to tell his father how much money he makes but he knows that his father would disbelieve it. This conveys the deep-rooted idea in the African American community that financial success is not something easily attained by just anyone. The use of the word 'crackers' also shows a disdain towards the white people who seem to control the financial system in America.
The song goes on to discuss the issue of taxes and how people do not know where their money goes. He questions the education system and why young black men and women aren't taught about the people who look like them who have contributed positively to society. J. Cole is frustrated with the system and the way it operates. He also questions why he has no say in where his money goes and why decisions are made by people who have no idea what life is like for the people who pay the taxes. Finally, the song deals with the tragic reality of gun violence in America, which especially affects young black men. It is a visceral description of a mother's anguish as she grieves for her son, who was killed by stray bullets in the streets because of gun violence.
Line by Line Meaning
Lotta shit happens, like, being in show business
A lot of shit happens, like, like, I make a lot of money, you know, and I'm happy about it
And I'm not bragging, I just wanna say something
I'm not bragging, I just want to express my feelings
I make a so, fuck, it's ridiculous
I make so much money, it's insane
But wait, wait a minute, wait a minute
However, wait a minute, there's something to consider
Hey, if my father was alive today, I would go home and say
If my father were alive today, I would tell him how much money I made
"Dad, I wanna tell you how much money I made"
"Dad, I want to inform you how much money I've earned"
You know what he'd say? You's a lying motherfucker
He would say I was lying
Joe Lewis didn't make that much money
Joe Lewis didn't make much money
Niggas hating on me, I ain't used to that
People hate on me, and I'm not accustomed to it
Know a couple people wanna shoot for that
I know some people want to harm me for my success
Them niggas tryna blow they don't need me for that
They don't need me to be a target for their wrongdoing
I just sit back on cool and watch my paper stack
I just stay calm and watch my money accumulate
And trip off how much bread them crackers take from that
And I'm amazed at how much money the government takes from me in taxes
It's been a long time since I have felt this way
It's been a while since I've felt strongly about something
About something but now, but now
About something, but now I feel a strong desire to speak out
I'm controlling my mind, the days are warm
I'm in control of my thoughts, and life is good
The nights are cold, the lost is found, I'm found
Even though the nights can be lonely, I've found my way
Lord knows I need something to fill this void
I need something to fill this emptiness within me
Hell yeah boy, I'm a goddamn millionaire now
Yes, it's true, I've become a millionaire
I pay taxes, so much taxes, shit don't make sense
I pay a lot of taxes, so much that it doesn't make sense
Maybe 'cause the tax dollars that I make sure I send
Maybe it's because the tax dollars that I send aren't being used effectively
Get spent hirin' some teachers that don't look like them
The money is spent on teachers that don't represent the community
And the curriculum be tricking them, them dollars I spend
The curriculum misleads and deceives students, despite the money being spent
Got us learning about the heroes with the whitest of skin
We're being taught about heroes with white skin, ignoring others
Maybe we'll never see a black man in the White House again
It's possible that we may never see a black president again
If I'm givin' y'all this hard-earned bread, I wanna know
If I'm giving you my hard-earned money, I want to know where it's going
Better yet, let me decide, bitch, it's 2018
In fact, let me choose where my money goes, it's 2018
Better that than letting wack congressman I've never seen
It's better than letting unqualified representatives make decisions
Dictate where my money go, straight into the palms of some
They dictate where my money goes, into the pockets of greedy companies
Money-hungry company that make guns that circulate the country
They make guns that are used in my community
And then wind up in my hood, making bloody clothes
These guns contribute to violence in my neighborhood
Stray bullet hit a young boy with a snotty nose
An innocent child was killed by a stray bullet
From the concrete, he was prolly rose
He probably grew up in a disadvantaged environment
Now his body froze and nobody knows what to tell his mother
His body is now lifeless, and no one knows what to say to his grieving mother
She can't take this shit no more, she want him out
She's had enough pain and wants her remaining child to leave home
On the morning of the funeral, just as she's walking out
On the day of her son's funeral, she begins to leave her home
Wiping tears away, grabbing her keys and sunglasses
As she wipes away her tears and grabs her keys and sunglasses
She remember that she gotta file her taxes, damn
She remembers she needs to file her taxes, amidst all the grief
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jermaine Cole, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Quincy Jones, Richard Pryor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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