Made in America
Jay-Z & Kanye West Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

And he'll bring out the, out the darkness

Sweet King Martin, sweet Queen Coretta
Sweet Brother Malcolm, sweet Queen Betty
Sweet Mother Mary, sweet Father Joseph, sweet Jesus

We made it in America, sweet baby Jesus, ooh
Oh sweet baby Jesus, we made it in America

Sweet baby Jesus, ooh, oh sweet baby Jesus
We made it in America

I told my mama I was on the come up
She said "You going to school I'll give you a summer"
Then she met NO I.D, and gave me his number
Ten years later she driving a Hummer
Niggas hustle every day for a beat from Ye
What I do? Turn around gave them beats to Jay
And I'm rapping on the beats they was supposed to buy
I guess I'm getting high off my own supply
Downtown mixing fabrics trying to find the magic
Started a little blog just to get some traffic
Old folks'll tell you not to play in traffic uh
A million hits and the web crashes, damn!
South Park had 'em all laughing
Now all my niggas designing and we all swaggin'
Ignore the critics just to say we did it
This ain't no fashion show, motherfucker, we live it

Sweet King Martin, sweet Queen Coretta
Sweet Brother Malcolm, sweet Queen Betty
Sweet Mother Mary, sweet Father Joseph, sweet Jesus

We made it in America, sweet baby Jesus, ooh
Oh sweet baby Jesus, we made it in America

Sweet baby Jesus, ooh, oh sweet baby Jesus,
We made it in America

I pledge allegiance, uh, to my Grandma
For that banana pudding, our piece of Americana
Our apple pie was supplied through Arm and Hammer
Straight out the kitchen, shh don't wake Nana
Built a republic, that still stands
I'm trying to lead a nation, to leave to my little mans
Or my daughter, so I'm boiling this water
The scales was lopsided, I'm just restoring order
Hold up, here comes grandma, what's up YaYa?
What's that smell? Oh I'm just boiling some aqua
No papa, bad Santa
The streets raised me, pardon my bad manners
I got my liberty, chopping grams up
Street justice, I pray God understand us
I pledge allegiance to all the scramblers
This is the Star Spangled Banner

Sweet King Martin, sweet Queen Coretta
Sweet Brother Malcolm, sweet Queen Betty
Sweet Mother Mary, sweet Father Joseph, sweet Jesus

We made it in America, sweet baby Jesus, ooh
Oh sweet baby Jesus, we made it in America

Sweet baby Jesus, ooh, oh sweet baby Jesus,
We made it in America yes we did

Sweet baby Jesus, ooh, oh sweet baby Jesus,
We made it in America





Sweet baby Jesus, ooh, oh sweet baby Jesus,
We made it in America yes we did

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Made in America" by Jay-Z and Kanye West are an ode to the American Dream and the countless Black individuals who fought and died for equality and freedom in the United States. The song begins with a shoutout to some of the most prominent civil rights leaders in American history, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Coretta Scott King. Along with these leaders, the song pays homage to the religious figures of Mary, Joseph and Jesus.


The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "We made it in America" multiple times, which signifies the struggles of Black Americans throughout history and their eventual success in overcoming those challenges. Both Jay-Z and Kanye West share their personal stories of growing up in struggling families before making it big in the music industry. Kanye West highlights the role of producer No I.D. in his success story, while Jay-Z emphasizes his own entrepreneurship and his willingness to work hard and take risks, regardless of the critics.


The final verse of the song is a tribute to the family and community that helped them achieve their success, as well as the country itself. They pledge allegiance to their grandmother and her banana pudding as a symbol of their roots and American identity, and they aspire to lead the nation to a better future for their children and future generations.


Line by Line Meaning

And he'll bring out the, out the darkness
He will bring out the good from the bad, from the difficult times.


Sweet King Martin, sweet Queen Coretta
Praises to the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King.


Sweet Brother Malcolm, sweet Queen Betty
Praises to the great Malcolm X and his wife Betty Shabazz.


Sweet Mother Mary, sweet Father Joseph, sweet Jesus
Praises to the mother of Jesus, Mary, his father Joseph, and most of all sweet Jesus.


We made it in America, sweet baby Jesus, ooh
We succeeded in America, with the help from sweet baby Jesus.


I told my mama I was on the come up
I told my mother I was going to make it big.


She said "You going to school I'll give you a summer"
She wanted me to go to school, but said I could take a summer to follow my dreams.


Then she met NO I.D, and gave me his number
Then she met the music producer NO I.D and gave me his number to help me succeed.


Ten years later she driving a Hummer
Ten years later, she's driving a luxurious Hummer, which shows how far we've come.


Niggas hustle every day for a beat from Ye
People work hard every day to get a beat from Kanye West.


What I do? Turn around gave them beats to Jay
What did I do? I turned around and gave those beats to Jay-Z instead.


And I'm rapping on the beats they was supposed to buy
I'm rapping on the beats that they were supposed to buy, but now they are mine to use.


I guess I'm getting high off my own supply
I assume I am getting high off my own success and my own music beats.


Downtown mixing fabrics trying to find the magic
I'm trying to find the perfect combination of sounds and music to create magic in downtown studios.


Started a little blog just to get some traffic
I started a small blog just to increase traffic and awareness for my music.


Old folks'll tell you not to play in traffic uh
The elders often say not to take risks, but sometimes those risks are necessary to achieve success.


A million hits and the web crashes, damn!
With a million hits on my blog, it went down and crashed because it couldn't handle the traffic.


South Park had 'em all laughing
The popular TV show South Park made everyone laugh at our expense and our success.


Now all my niggas designing and we all swaggin'
Now all of us are designing and looking good with swag to show our success.


Ignore the critics just to say we did it
We ignore the critics who said we couldn't make it just to say we did it.


This ain't no fashion show, motherfucker, we live it
This isn't just a fashion show, we truly live this life of success.


I pledge allegiance, uh, to my Grandma
I'm dedicated to my grandma for all that she has done for me and my family.


For that banana pudding, our piece of Americana
For her delicious banana pudding that's become a staple of American culture.


Our apple pie was supplied through Arm and Hammer
We obtained our apple pie through illegal means, using the products Arm and Hammer to get ahead.


Straight out the kitchen, shh don't wake Nana
We made it straight out of our humble kitchen, without waking up our grandmother.


Built a republic, that still stands
We have built and continue to maintain a successful operation that still stands today.


I'm trying to lead a nation, to leave to my little mans
I'm trying to be a leader and provide a legacy for my children.


Or my daughter, so I'm boiling this water
I'm doing this for my daughter, so I'm boiling this water to provide her with better opportunities.


The scales was lopsided, I'm just restoring order
The system was broken, so I am trying to restore order and balance to make things right.


Hold up, here comes grandma, what's up YaYa?
Wait, my grandmother is coming, what's going on YaYa?


What's that smell? Oh I'm just boiling some aqua
She smells the boiling water and doesn't know what I'm doing.


No papa, bad Santa
No dad, I've taken a different path and am now known as the Bad Santa.


The streets raised me, pardon my bad manners
The streets taught me everything I know, so excuse me for any bad manners I may show.


I got my liberty, chopping grams up
I have my freedom now, and am chopping up drugs to make my money.


Street justice, I pray God understand us
We have to take the law into our own hands on the streets, and I hope God understands our actions.


I pledge allegiance to all the scramblers
I am committed to all the hustlers who worked hard to succeed.


This is the Star Spangled Banner
This is our national anthem, representing our hard work and success in America.


Sweet baby Jesus, ooh, oh sweet baby Jesus,
A continued praise to sweet baby Jesus for our success.


We made it in America yes we did
We truly made it in America, and it was all because of our hard work and dedication.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Christopher Breaux, Shawn C. Carter, Mike Dean, Shama E. Joseph, Kanye Omari West

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@TyWerks

As a black man who is in to history this song is so poetic. For those of us who are succesful damn we made it fr

@FloydFloyd-ot5eo

🎶🎶 If we can make it here we can make it anywhere 🎶🎶

@kabiirkhan530

can you do a analysis of this song for me i need it for tomorrow

@solomonshabeenzu5184

I'm on the "come up"!💯

@MrBrian714

This is the last song I heard before my brother passed away. 10 years ago today 😢 brings back memories

@zslime6766

sorry for ur loss man i send you love.

@charlestarrant8733

🙏🏼🙏🏼 Sorry for your Loss

@MrWest676

Bro I swear nowadays this album doesn’t get that much appreciation

@Tyrone5556

Bro why do the most underrated songs gotta be so great 😭

@vincevileborne

THIS SONG HAS BEEN IN MY HEAD FOR THE PAST 2 WEEKS
POWER TO THE PEOPLE

🖤✊🏾💯

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