The repeated message hip-hop culture presents to this generation is...“Get … Read Full Bio ↴The repeated message hip-hop culture presents to this generation is...“Get money. Get women. Get fame. If you ain't got it like so and so, you ain't doing nothing.” Its no wonder why youth in America are struggling for purpose, for some type of an identity. They get the same regurgitated message from the media of who they need to be. Joshua Crum's heart broke for this dying generation and started putting in work to introduce these hurting people to the one who has a real hope for their future. Jesus.

J. Crum was born in Detroit, MI and raised in Omaha, NE. As a kid, he really just wanted to know who he was. What he was created to be. His father left him when he was young so he was looking for a place to belong. “As a young kid up to my teens I really didn't know where I belonged. I tried to fit in with whatever was popular. I had literally no idea who I was.” says Crum.

When he was 13, a few of his friends started free-styling at the lunch table. “They would begin to beat on the table and people would jump in and start rhyming. Wanting to fit in, I jumped in. That's when I found out I had a gift.” He started to attach himself to the hip-hop culture. It motivated everything that he did. From the clothes he wore, to his thought-process. 'Get more. I don't have enough'. By his freshman year in high school after achieving popularity he still felt empty, like there was something more out there. He tried to find fulfillment in the world, but came up short every time.

At the age of 15, J. Crum developed an infection on his brain. It put him in a 3 day coma. After awakening out the coma, Crum had a powerful encounter with God. He realized that he was on this Earth for a reason. He was on this earth to serve the One that made him, to serve the One that saved him. Jesus Christ. He then realized that achieving his own fame was no longer important. Making the one who sent him famous, however, became vital in his life.

Crum met Mark McGaffin, Pastor of G2:20 and founder of the worship band WatersEdge, in 2007. Mark had a vision of reaching teens of all colors, backgrounds, and creeds for the the LORD. “His all or nothing mentality is revealed in his music and his lifestyle. J. Crum is more than just an artist, but a way of life as he strives to tell others about Christ.” says Mark. Crum and WatersEdge joined forces in the summer of 2008. Combining hip-hop, rock, and indie styles to reach the young generation on all cylinders. He released, The Portrait, with WatersEdge in February of 2010.

J. Crum's singles, Skitzo, How I'm Living, and Refuge from his new solo record “Kingdom Minded” (released 2010) have gained him a quite the following, sky rocketing him to the number 1 Christian artist in the state of Nebraska on Reverbnation. With WatersEdge right behind him at number 2.

J. Crum is still in Omaha serving in the local body, along with pursuing steadfastly after music ministry. Through his music, he hopes to help these lost revolutionaries find their identity in the One who made them.

NO WAY
J. Crum Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ain't no way
For me to love you
If you won't let me

It ain't no way
For me to give you all you need
If you won't let me
Give all of me

I know that a woman's duty
Is to have and love a man
And that's the way it was planned

Oh but how can I, how can I, how can I
Give you all the things I can
If your tying up both of my hands
Oh ain't no, ain't no way (ain't no way)

It ain't no way no, no, no (ain't no way)
Sho' ain't no way (ain't no way)
It ain't no way (ain't no way)

It ain't no way for me to love you
If you won't let me

So, stop trying to be
Someone your not

Hard, cold and cruel is a man
Who paid to much for what he's got

And if you need me
Won't you say, say you do
Because if you need me

Don't you know I need you
Ain't no way

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to J. Crum's song "No Way" are a heart-wrenching plea to a lover who is not reciprocating the love that is being offered. The opening line "Ain't no way for me to love you if you won't let me" sets the tone for the entire song as the singer is expressing their frustration with their partner for not allowing them to fully love and care for them. The second line "It ain't no way for me to give you all you need if you won't let me give all of me" further emphasizes this point by highlighting the fact that love is a reciprocal act and requires both parties to be fully invested.

The next two lines "I know that a woman's duty is to have and love a man and that's the way it was planned" are a nod to traditional gender roles, but also highlight the societal expectations placed on men and women to behave in a certain way in relationships. The singer then goes on to express their inability to give their lover everything they need if they are being held back or restrained. The line "If your tying up both of my hands" is a metaphor for the emotional barriers that the lover has put up and the impact that it is having on the relationship.

The chorus of the song restates the opening lines and emphasizes the fact that without mutual love and engagement, there is no way for the relationship to succeed. The final stanza is a call to action for the lover to be honest and upfront about their needs and needs of the relationship, so that the singer can fully give themselves to their partner.

Line by Line Meaning

Ain't no way
There's no possible means

For me to love you
For me to develop deeper feelings towards you

If you won't let me
If you don't give me a chance to do so

It ain't no way
There's no possibility

For me to give you all you need
For me to provide you with everything you require

If you won't let me
If you don't allow me to do so

Give all of me
To give my all towards you

I know that a woman's duty
I understand society's expectations of women

Is to have and love a man
To be in a committed relationship with a man

And that's the way it was planned
That's how society has set it up

Oh but how can I, how can I, how can I
But how is it possible

Give you all the things I can
To provide you with everything I'm capable of

If your tying up both of my hands
If you're preventing me from doing so

Oh ain't no, ain't no way (ain't no way)
It's impossible (repeated for emphasis)

It ain't no way no, no, no (ain't no way)
There's absolutely no way

Sho' ain't no way (ain't no way)
There's definitely no way (using southern slang)

It ain't no way (ain't no way)
It's not possible (repeated for emphasis)

It ain't no way for me to love you
I can't love you in this situation

So, stop trying to be
Don't try to become

Someone your not
Someone that's not true to who you are

Hard, cold and cruel is a man
A man who is tough, unfeeling, and ruthless

Who paid to much for what he's got
Who spent too much to acquire what he has

And if you need me
If you require me

Won't you say, say you do
Please express that you do

Because if you need me
Since you need me

Don't you know I need you
I also require you

Ain't no way
It's impossible

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., SPRINGTIME MUSIC INC
Written by: Carolyn Franklin

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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