American Dreamin'
Jay-Z Lyrics


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Dreamed of you this morning
Then came the dawn, and
I thought you were here with me
If you could only see
How much I love you
That's all, that's all baby
Oh no oh, I never gave up no way
I never felt that before
I never felt that before
I never felt that before
But there's always
That's all, that's all

This is the shit you dream about with the homies steaming out
Back-to-back, backing them Beemers out
Seems as our plans to get a grant
Then go off to college, didn't pan or even out
We need it now, we need a town
We need a place to pitch, we need a mound
For now, I'm just a lazy boy
Big dreaming in my La-Z-Boy
In the clouds of smoke, been playing this Marvin
Mama forgive me, should be thinking about Harvard
But that's too far away, niggas are starving
Ain't nothing wrong with my aim, just gotta change the target
I got dreams of bagging snidd-ow, the size of pillows
I see pies every time my eyes clidd-ose
I see rides, sixes, I got to get those
Life's a bitch, I hope to not make her a widow

I never felt that before
(American dreamin')
I never felt that before
(Just American dreamin')
I never felt that before
(American dreamin')
But there's always
That's all, that's all

Now see the life's right there, and it seems right there
It's not quite near, and it's not like we're
Professionals, moving the decimals
Know where to cop? Nah! Got a connect? No!
Who in the F knows how to be successful
Need a "personal Jesus," I'm in Depeche Mode
They say its celestial, its all in the stars
Like Tony LaRussa on how you play your Cards
Cause y'all ain't fucking with me! The ironies are
At all costs better avoid these bars
Now let's start, on your mark
Get set, let's go, get out the car
Going in circles it's a vicious cycle
This is a crash course, this ain't high school
Wake up Muttley, you're dreaming again
Your own reality show, the season begins

I never felt that before
(American dreamin')
I never felt that before
(Just American dreamin')
I never felt that before
(American dreamin')
But there's always
That's all, that's all

Step one in this process: scramble up in your projects
And head to the heights where big coke is processed
You gotta convince them that you're not from the precinct
Please speak slow cause he no speaky no English
If he takes a liking after a couple of trips
And your money is straight, he's going to give you consignment
You're now in a game where only time can tell
Survive the droughts, I wish you well hold up
Survive the droughts? I wish you well?
How sick am I? I wish you health
I wish you wheels, I wish you wealth
I wish you insight so you could see for yourself
You could see the signs when the jackers is scheming
And the cops is coming, you could read they mind
You could see from behind, you could redefine




The game as we know it, one dream at a time
I'm American dreamin'

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of Jay-Z's American Dreamin' are poetic and heartfelt as the rapper reminisces on a dream he had of a loved one. He says he thought they were with him when he woke up, highlighting the power of dreaming and the longing for someone special. The chorus emphasizes the emotional message of the song and emphasizes the importance of love in the pursuit of one's dreams.


The first verse takes a darker tone as Jay-Z describes his struggles with making it in the music industry. He references the loss of friends and peers who died before achieving their dreams, and the difficulty of staying motivated when facing constant rejection. He mentions smoking to cope with the stress and pressure of his career and not meeting expectations. Despite this, he is still determined to succeed and make something of himself.


The second verse moves into the topic of drug dealing, a common theme in Jay-Z's music. He describes the process of making deals and establishing connections to buy and sell drugs, painting a vivid picture of the illegal world of drug trade. He advises caution and strategy to survive this lifestyle, from reading people's intentions to staying one step ahead of the law. He even notes how the American Dream for some can be found in making huge profits selling drugs, adding a layer of social commentary to the song.


Line by Line Meaning

Dreamed of you this morning
I had a dream about someone special


Then came the dawn, and
The dream ended when I woke up


I thought you were here with me
The dream felt so real


If you could only see
I wish you could experience it too


How much I love you
The dream made me realize how much I care about this person


That's all, that's all baby
It's just a dream, but it feels so powerful


Oh no oh, I never gave up no way
I'm not going to give up on my dreams


I never felt that before
I've never experienced anything like this


But there's always
But there's always more to strive for


This is the shit you dream about with the homies steaming out
This is the stuff we talk about with our friends


Back-to-back, backing them Beemers out
Showing off our fancy cars


Seems as our plans to get a grant
Our plans to get an education funding fell through


Then go off to college, didn't pan or even out
We didn't make it to college and we're struggling now


We need it now, we need a town
We need to find a place to call our own


We need a place to pitch, we need a mound
We need a home base, a place to belong


For now, I'm just a lazy boy
I feel lazy and unmotivated


Big dreaming in my La-Z-Boy
Daydreaming while sitting in my comfortable chair


In the clouds of smoke, been playing this Marvin
I'm smoking weed and listening to Marvin Gaye


Mama forgive me, should be thinking about Harvard
I should be focused on getting into Harvard, but I'm not


But that's too far away, n*ggas are starving
Harvard seems unreachable when we're struggling to survive


Ain't nothing wrong with my aim, just gotta change the target
I have the skills, I just need to redirect my efforts


I got dreams of bagging snidd-ow, the size of pillows
I dream of selling drugs and making a lot of money


I see pies every time my eyes clidd-ose
I see stacks of money when I close my eyes


I see rides, sixes, I got to get those
I want fancy cars and other luxury items


Life's a bitch, I hope to not make her a widow
Life is hard, but I don't want to die young


Now see the life's right there, and it seems right there
Success seems within reach


It's not quite near, and it's not like we're
But it's still far away and we're struggling


Professionals, moving the decimals
Drug dealers making a lot of money


Know where to cop? Nah! Got a connect? No!
We don't have reliable sources for drugs


Who in the F knows how to be successful
We don't know how to succeed in life


Need a 'personal Jesus,' I'm in Depeche Mode
We need a miracle to turn our lives around


They say its celestial, its all in the stars
Some people believe success is predetermined by fate


Like Tony LaRussa on how you play your Cards
Success depends on how you play your hand


Cause y'all ain't f*cking with me! The ironies are
I'm determined to succeed, despite the odds


At all costs better avoid these bars
I should stay out of trouble (both with the law and with alcohol)


Now let's start, on your mark
It's time to begin


Get set, let's go, get out the car
Let's take action and move forward


Going in circles it's a vicious cycle
I'm stuck in a cycle of poverty and despair


This is a crash course, this ain't high school
Life is tough and we need to learn quickly


Wake up Muttley, you're dreaming again
We need to stop daydreaming and face reality


Your own reality show, the season begins
Our lives are like a TV show, and we're starting a new chapter


Step one in this process: scramble up in your projects
To succeed, we need to start from scratch in our disadvantaged neighborhoods


And head to the heights where big coke is processed
We need to reach the top of the drug trade to make money


You gotta convince them that you're not from the precinct
We need to pretend we're not associated with the police


Please speak slow cause he no speaky no English
We need to communicate with our drug connections who may not speak English well


If he takes a liking after a couple of trips
If we build a relationship with him, he may trust us to sell drugs for him


And your money is straight, he's going to give you consignment
If we have enough money, he may give us drugs to sell on our own


You're now in a game where only time can tell
We're in the drug game, and our success or failure will only be determined over time


Survive the droughts, I wish you well hold up
We need to survive the tough times, and I wish us all the best


How sick am I? I wish you health
Despite everything, I still wish the best for everyone


I wish you wheels, I wish you wealth
I wish everyone success and prosperity


I wish you insight so you could see for yourself
I wish everyone the ability to see the truth for themselves


You could see the signs when the jackers is scheming
I wish everyone could recognize when someone is trying to rob them


And the cops is coming, you could read they mind
I wish everyone could anticipate when the police are about to raid them


You could see from behind, you could redefine
I wish everyone could see the bigger picture and change their lives for the better


The game as we know it, one dream at a time
We can change our lives by pursuing our dreams, one step at a time


I'm American dreamin'
I'm chasing the American Dream




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: MARIO WINANS, MARVIN GAYE, LEON WARE, SEAN COMBS, ARTHUR ROSS, SHAWN CARTER, LEVAR COPPIN, DELENO MATTHEWS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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