The song was one of the more darker cuts on the album. Featuring the powerf… Read Full Bio ↴The song was one of the more darker cuts on the album. Featuring the powerful vocals of a choir throughout the song, this continuation of the album’s religious theme gave the track a Church-like feel to it.

Cole addresses temptation and lust in this song, again a continuation of the “seven deadly sins” theme of the album.

Although the song wasn’t released as a single, designer Mario Hugo who worked with Cole for the artwork on the entire project produced this sleeve for the song.

Trouble
J. Cole Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I said set it off on my left
Set it off on my right
I said liquor all in my breath
Bitches all in my sight
I said real niggas trying to fuck
Fuck niggas wanna fight
I said gun shots into the air
But I ain't scared for my life

I said

Yeah, God flow
Paint a picture like a young Pablo, Picasso
Niggas sayin' live fast, die young, so I drive slow
And pray I die old
In the drop with the top low
Met a bad bitch from Chicago, my hat wasn't cocked, yo
Kept it straight, shit, cause y'all know
And if not, you'll learn how them niggas in the chi go
I ain't fuck her, but I'm thinking 'bout it
My niggas say why you gotta think about it?
The bitch want too much, hit my phone too much
If I gotta be frank about it, ain't worth the stress
First the text, then the draws, see first the sex
Then it's calls cause the bird's obsessed
Want flowers, cards, and the purses next
Nah, bitch can't get a dollar
Cole on twitter, bitch can't get a follow
Can get a nut, heard "can't get enough"
Now she fuck a nigga thinkin' that she may hit the lotto
No way, Jose
Could write a book called, "the things hoes say"
Show a lot of love to my sisters though
But these bitches so predictable
I'm in trouble
Getting to the promised land
You don't want problems, I promise, man
I take you to the promise land
You don't want problems, I promise, man

I said set it off on my left
Set it off on my right
I said liquor all in my breath
Bitches all in my sight
I said real niggas trying to fuck
Fuck niggas wanna fight
I said gun shots into the air
But I ain't scared for my life
I said

And I'm going back to school
Only for the hoes and a class or two
Young bad bitch made the pastor drool
Everybody sweat her like catholic school
Sat next to her in the back of the class
Cheated off of her test and I'm grabbing her ass
She like "don't you know this shit already?
Nigga, ain't you rich already?"
Yeah, but I got dumb as shit
Hanging 'round these rappers cause they dumb as shit
But I'm back on track, jump shot wasn't that good
Couldn't sell crack but I rap good
That's one stereotype
Know a lot of niggas that'll marry your type
Bad bitch with a degree, I let 'em scoop ya
I'm koopa, I never been the Mario type
No saving hoes
I ain't fooled cause a lot of cool bitches
That a nigga went to school with is major hoes
And theirs mans don't know, mans don't know, fa show
Had a nigga's baby, little mans don't know
Mama, was a freak, got it in on the low
12 years later when my song come on, he ask
"mama, did you fuck J. Cole?"
Whoa

Getting to the promised land
You don't want problems, I promise, man
I take you to the promise land
You don't want problems, I promise, man

Set it off on my left
Set it off on my right
I said liquor all in my breath
Bitches all in my sight
I said real niggas trying to fuck
Fuck niggas wanna fight
I said gun shots into the air

But I ain't scared for my life
I said

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to J. Cole's song Trouble are an introspective look into the rapper's life and the struggles that come with fame and success. In the first verse, he talks about the excesses that come with hip hop culture, such as drinking and women, and how real men try to have sex while "fuck niggas" want to fight. He also mentions gunshots in the air but claims not to be scared for his life. In the second verse, he talks about going back to school not for academic reasons but for the girls. He cheats off a girl's test and grabs her ass, only to be reminded that he's already rich. He discusses hanging around with rappers who are not too bright and how he wasn't good at basketball but rapped well. He ends the verse by discussing how some women in his past kept their secrets from their men and how their children may ask if they ever slept with him.

The chorus talks about setting off on the left and right, indicating that Cole is ready for any challenges that come his way. The lyrics that follow indicate that he's surrounded by alcohol and women, and while he's not scared of gunshots, he's aware they could endanger his life.

Overall, the song is an exploration of the trappings of hip hop culture and fame, as well as reflections on Cole's personal life experiences.

Line by Line Meaning

I said set it off on my left
I'm ready for action on my left side

Set it off on my right
I'm ready for action on my right side

I said liquor all in my breath
I've been drinking heavily, my breath smells like alcohol

Bitches all in my sight
I'm surrounded by women

I said real niggas trying to fuck
Genuine men are trying to have sex with women

Fuck niggas wanna fight
Fake men want to fight

I said gun shots into the air
I'm firing a gun into the air

But I ain't scared for my life
I'm not afraid of the potential danger from firing a gun

Yeah, God flow
I have great skill in rapping, just like God's own flow

Paint a picture like a young Pablo, Picasso
I'm creating beautiful art through my lyrics, like Pablo Picasso did when he was young

Niggas sayin' live fast, die young, so I drive slow
People encourage living recklessly and dying young, but I take my time and drive carefully

And pray I die old
I hope to live a long life

In the drop with the top low
I'm driving a sports car with the convertible top down

Met a bad bitch from Chicago, my hat wasn't cocked, yo
I met an attractive woman from Chicago, and I didn't have my hat turned to the side

Kept it straight, shit, cause y'all know
I kept it real and honest with her

And if not, you'll learn how them niggas in the chi go
If you don't understand, I will explain how things work in Chicago

I ain't fuck her, but I'm thinking 'bout it
I haven't had sex with her yet, but I'm considering it

My niggas say why you gotta think about it?
My friends question why I'm even considering having sex with her

The bitch want too much, hit my phone too much
She's demanding and constantly contacting me

If I gotta be frank about it, ain't worth the stress
Honestly, she isn't worth the hassle

First the text, then the draws, see first the sex
She's trying to get intimate too quickly

Then it's calls cause the bird's obsessed
She becomes obsessed and starts calling too much

Want flowers, cards, and the purses next
She wants gifts and material possessions

Nah, bitch can't get a dollar
She can't even get money from me

Cole on twitter, bitch can't get a follow
She's not worth following on social media

Can get a nut, heard 'can't get enough'
She can have sex with me, but I don't want anything more

Now she fuck a nigga thinkin' that she may hit the lotto
She's having sex with someone else, hoping to gain something valuable

No way, Jose
Absolutely not

Could write a book called, 'the things hoes say'
I could write a book about the lies and manipulations of promiscuous women

Show a lot of love to my sisters though
I have a lot of love and respect for my female friends and family members

But these bitches so predictable
However, these women are very easy to understand and see through

I'm in trouble
I'm facing problems

Getting to the promised land
I'm working hard to achieve my goals

You don't want problems, I promise, man
You don't want to mess with me, I guarantee it

I take you to the promise land
I will help you achieve success if you follow my lead

And I'm going back to school
I'm returning to college

Only for the hoes and a class or two
I'm only interested in meeting women and maybe taking a couple of classes

Young bad bitch made the pastor drool
There's an attractive woman that even the pastor was interested in

Everybody sweat her like catholic school
She has a lot of attention from others, like in a Catholic school

Sat next to her in the back of the class
I purposely chose to sit next to her in class

Cheated off of her test and I'm grabbing her ass
I cheated on a test with her help, and got physically intimate with her

She like 'don't you know this shit already?
She questions why I need to cheat on a test

Nigga, ain't you rich already?'
She questions why I need to cheat when I'm already wealthy

Yeah, but I got dumb as shit
I may have money, but my intelligence is lacking in some areas

Hanging 'round these rappers cause they dumb as shit
I spend time with other musicians who may not be very intelligent

But I'm back on track, jump shot wasn't that good
I'm back on the right path, even though I'm not great at basketball

Couldn't sell crack but I rap good
I may not have been successful as a drug dealer, but I'm talented at rapping

That's one stereotype
That's just one negative stereotype people have about rappers

Know a lot of niggas that'll marry your type
I know many men who would happily marry an intelligent, successful woman

Bad bitch with a degree, I let 'em scoop ya
If you're an attractive woman with a degree, I'll help find a good man for you

I'm koopa, I never been the Mario type
I'm not the typical hero like Mario, but more like Koopa, the villain

No saving hoes
I'm not interested in trying to rescue or save promiscuous women

I ain't fooled cause a lot of cool bitches
I'm not easily deceived by attractive women

That a nigga went to school with is major hoes
Even women I knew in school have become promiscuous

And theirs mans don't know, mans don't know, fa show
Their boyfriends/husbands aren't aware of their promiscuity

Had a nigga's baby, little mans don't know
They had a child with someone else, but their partner doesn't know

Mama, was a freak, got it in on the low
Their mother was promiscuous and had sex secretly

12 years later when my song come on, he ask 'mama, did you fuck J. Cole?'
Years later, their child hears my song and asks their mother if she had sex with me

Whoa
An exclamation to indicate surprise

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JUDE ANTHONY COLE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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