This song is about his friend, Capital Steez who unfortunately committed su… Read Full Bio ↴This song is about his friend, Capital Steez who unfortunately committed suicide on December 23rd 2012. He raps about how they grow up together and things he shouldve done to help him also how he sometimes blames himself for his passing. he also talks about the passing of his cousin junior b who passed away in 2014. They will Never Be Forgotten.
Survivors Guilt
Joey Bada$$ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
I thought I was goin' crazy, you know?
And like, I realized that I wasn't the one that was crazy
I realized that it's the system that was built against me, you know?
And like, I'm not supposed to be talkin' about this
And that's the corruption of it, because like me just sayin' it is absurd
And I want people to open up their eyes and realize that I'm not wrong, you know?
I-I'm, I'm just a open-minded individual and people should be more open-minded
If, if we tryna build up our lives to have material things
And those don't satisfy our needs, what are we livin' for?
Yeah, right
Come on
(Alright)
This one is for you, oh-oh
This one is for you, oh (it's for you, for you, for you)
This one is for you, oh-oh
This one is for you, oh (it's for you, for you, for you) (it's alright)
Steezy told me, "Get 'em," so I got 'em (got 'em)
Now my nigga gone, he will never be forgotten (never)
Ever since he left I just been strugglin' without him (uh-huh)
'Cause I remember linkin' after school and we'd be plottin' (plottin')
Talk about our problems and what we'd do about 'em (yeah)
Journalin' and jottin', we ain't know the world was watchin' (facts)
We was just two kids tryna make it out the bottom (uh-huh)
Now I'm rich and rotten, every day I think about him
It's survivor's guilt, wishin' I coulda stopped him
Let alone just know how he feel
Lyrically couldn't top him, he was the nigga with the belt (uh-huh)
Yeah, and that's real rap
I couldn't do this shit without him and that's just fact
You see, if you ain't know Steelo then you really don't know me though (no)
And that's how I separate all the real from fake people (yeah)
All the real from fake fans (uh-huh)
Who claimin' that they stans (uh-huh)
But they ain't know my mans until the very end (no)
Wish he was still here, I swear it feels weird
How people could accuse me for his death
Sometimes I gotta shed a real tear (yeah)
You see the truth about Steelo, he lacked the mental health (he did)
But tried to tell that to people way back in 2012 (I can't)
But now that it's a mainstream topic
I'm guessin' I can finally open up and talk about it
So, yeah, let's talk about it (yeah)
Come into my mind I'll show you what the darkest cloud is
You ready? I doubt it
But let's go, you see Steelo was my bigger bro (uh-huh)
At a point in time spiritually we was in the same boat, but
I wanted to take it slow
He wanted to take it as fast and deep as he could go, pause
Yeah we had some problems but we're brothers though, sure
Then I caught a little wave and headed back to shore
And that's when he started drownin' and he had no one around him
So partially I feel it's my fault (ayy)
And that right there is my internal war (uh-huh)
The reason why I gotta feel these external flaws
The reason why I can't heal this eternal loss
The reason why I gotta feel this survivor's remorse
And here's a message to his fam
I know y'all got emotional trauma that I understand
But I couldn't fuck with, y'all try to tell the world I wasn't who I am
When all I ever tried to do was lend a hand (that wasn't cool)
And give the fans the thing that they demand the most
King Capital, the fuckin' GOAT, word
I'm just tryna get my nigga heard
Get him what he deserve
This one is for you, oh-oh
This one is for you, oh (it's for you, for you, for you)
This one is for you, oh-oh
This one is for you, oh (it's for you, for you, for you) (it's alright)
Yeah
And R.I.P. my cousin Junior B (R.I.P.)
Y'all ain't know too much about him so it's up to me (it's up to me)
To share his legacy with the world
It kills me to think he'll never meet my baby girl (shh)
And when I lost Jun' that hurt me in the worst way (worst way)
He even died two days before his birthday (his birthday)
Damn, it brings tears to my eyes
My nigga really never made it up to twenty-five (damn)
That's why I'm thankin' God every time I open my eyes (uh-huh)
At the fact that we alive and we feelin' these vibes (vibes)
'Cause we be fillin' these voids, part of me got destroyed (facts)
When I lost my boys it's like I lost my voice (uh-huh)
It took me all of this time just to put it in song (songs)
Because I'm still dealin' with the fact my niggas is gone (yup)
Write they names up on a cloud 'cause that's where they belong (uh-huh)
As long as I live on, they'll forever be known
This one for you
This one for, yeah
This one is for you, oh-oh
This one is for you, oh (it's for you, for you, for you)
(Yo, you'll forever me known, this one for you)
This one is for you, oh-oh
This one is for you, oh (it's for you, for you, for you)
This one is for you, oh-oh
This one is for you, oh (it's for you, for you, for you)
Ayy, I'm off the
I'm off the Deleon neat, Deleonest
So I'ma make this quick, you know
Pastor black lip back on that shit
True story, look, so I'm in New York for my first time
One of my first times and I'm, I'm playin' my, my
One of my first albums for the big homie
And he got these kids in there, they just on skateboards
I'm like yo that's super cool, this guy got the kids out here
You know, keepin' the kids off of the streets, right?
So, fast forward a year later
I go back to New York and then I meet this kid
He's like, "Yeah man, I don't know if you remember me
But me and my homies, the Pro Era"
Crazy, I was like, "Oh yeah? What's your name?" He say, "Capital Steez"
I said, "Okay, for sure"
Fast forward, my boy Doe, called me, "Doe Burger"
That nigga called me and say, "Yo, you heard these kids, the Pro Era? Joey Bada$$?"
I'm like, "Yeah yeah, I met the kid Capital Steez, they crazy"
Fast forward another year, so I'm on tour with Joey
We been 47 ever since, man, we got that shit tatted on us, man, for life, man
Tryna show the move, man, you know?
Everything come back around full circle, you know what I mean?
And like, I realized that I wasn't the one that was crazy
I realized that it's the system that was built against me, you know?
And like, I'm not supposed to be talkin' about this
And that's the corruption of it, because like me just sayin' it is absurd
And I want people to open up their eyes and realize that I'm not wrong, you know?
I-I'm, I'm just a open-minded individual and people should be more open-minded
If, if we tryna build up our lives to have material things
Yeah, right
Come on
(Alright)
This one is for you, oh-oh
This one is for you, oh (it's for you, for you, for you)
This one is for you, oh-oh
This one is for you, oh (it's for you, for you, for you) (it's alright)
Steezy told me, "Get 'em," so I got 'em (got 'em)
Now my nigga gone, he will never be forgotten (never)
Ever since he left I just been strugglin' without him (uh-huh)
'Cause I remember linkin' after school and we'd be plottin' (plottin')
Talk about our problems and what we'd do about 'em (yeah)
Journalin' and jottin', we ain't know the world was watchin' (facts)
We was just two kids tryna make it out the bottom (uh-huh)
Now I'm rich and rotten, every day I think about him
It's survivor's guilt, wishin' I coulda stopped him
Let alone just know how he feel
Lyrically couldn't top him, he was the nigga with the belt (uh-huh)
Yeah, and that's real rap
I couldn't do this shit without him and that's just fact
You see, if you ain't know Steelo then you really don't know me though (no)
And that's how I separate all the real from fake people (yeah)
All the real from fake fans (uh-huh)
Who claimin' that they stans (uh-huh)
But they ain't know my mans until the very end (no)
Wish he was still here, I swear it feels weird
How people could accuse me for his death
Sometimes I gotta shed a real tear (yeah)
You see the truth about Steelo, he lacked the mental health (he did)
But tried to tell that to people way back in 2012 (I can't)
But now that it's a mainstream topic
I'm guessin' I can finally open up and talk about it
So, yeah, let's talk about it (yeah)
Come into my mind I'll show you what the darkest cloud is
You ready? I doubt it
But let's go, you see Steelo was my bigger bro (uh-huh)
At a point in time spiritually we was in the same boat, but
I wanted to take it slow
He wanted to take it as fast and deep as he could go, pause
Yeah we had some problems but we're brothers though, sure
Then I caught a little wave and headed back to shore
And that's when he started drownin' and he had no one around him
So partially I feel it's my fault (ayy)
And that right there is my internal war (uh-huh)
The reason why I gotta feel these external flaws
The reason why I can't heal this eternal loss
The reason why I gotta feel this survivor's remorse
And here's a message to his fam
I know y'all got emotional trauma that I understand
But I couldn't fuck with, y'all try to tell the world I wasn't who I am
When all I ever tried to do was lend a hand (that wasn't cool)
And give the fans the thing that they demand the most
King Capital, the fuckin' GOAT, word
I'm just tryna get my nigga heard
Get him what he deserve
This one is for you, oh-oh
This one is for you, oh (it's for you, for you, for you)
This one is for you, oh-oh
This one is for you, oh (it's for you, for you, for you) (it's alright)
Yeah
And R.I.P. my cousin Junior B (R.I.P.)
Y'all ain't know too much about him so it's up to me (it's up to me)
To share his legacy with the world
It kills me to think he'll never meet my baby girl (shh)
And when I lost Jun' that hurt me in the worst way (worst way)
He even died two days before his birthday (his birthday)
Damn, it brings tears to my eyes
My nigga really never made it up to twenty-five (damn)
That's why I'm thankin' God every time I open my eyes (uh-huh)
At the fact that we alive and we feelin' these vibes (vibes)
'Cause we be fillin' these voids, part of me got destroyed (facts)
When I lost my boys it's like I lost my voice (uh-huh)
It took me all of this time just to put it in song (songs)
Because I'm still dealin' with the fact my niggas is gone (yup)
Write they names up on a cloud 'cause that's where they belong (uh-huh)
As long as I live on, they'll forever be known
This one for you
This one for, yeah
This one is for you, oh-oh
This one is for you, oh (it's for you, for you, for you)
(Yo, you'll forever me known, this one for you)
This one is for you, oh-oh
This one is for you, oh (it's for you, for you, for you)
This one is for you, oh-oh
This one is for you, oh (it's for you, for you, for you)
Ayy, I'm off the
I'm off the Deleon neat, Deleonest
So I'ma make this quick, you know
Pastor black lip back on that shit
True story, look, so I'm in New York for my first time
One of my first times and I'm, I'm playin' my, my
One of my first albums for the big homie
And he got these kids in there, they just on skateboards
I'm like yo that's super cool, this guy got the kids out here
You know, keepin' the kids off of the streets, right?
So, fast forward a year later
I go back to New York and then I meet this kid
He's like, "Yeah man, I don't know if you remember me
But me and my homies, the Pro Era"
Crazy, I was like, "Oh yeah? What's your name?" He say, "Capital Steez"
I said, "Okay, for sure"
Fast forward, my boy Doe, called me, "Doe Burger"
That nigga called me and say, "Yo, you heard these kids, the Pro Era? Joey Bada$$?"
I'm like, "Yeah yeah, I met the kid Capital Steez, they crazy"
Fast forward another year, so I'm on tour with Joey
We been 47 ever since, man, we got that shit tatted on us, man, for life, man
Tryna show the move, man, you know?
Everything come back around full circle, you know what I mean?
"Survivor's Guilt" by Joey Bada$$ is a deeply personal and introspective song where the artist reflects on the impact of losing two important people in his life. The lyrics touch upon Joey's feelings of guilt and responsibility for not being able to prevent their deaths. The song focuses on two individuals, Steelo and Junior B, who were close to Joey and had a significant influence on him.
Throughout the song, Joey expresses his sorrow and regret for not being able to save Steelo, who struggled with mental health issues and eventually took his own life. Joey feels survivor's guilt, believing that he should have done more for his friend. He also shares his grief over the loss of his cousin, Junior B, whose life was cut short tragically just before his 25th birthday. Joey mourns the fact that his cousin will never get to meet his baby daughter.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Columbus Smith III, Jo-Vaughn Virginie, Michael C. Flowers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Oscar Lundgren
I just let out the biggest cry i’ve ever let myself do. I listened to joey badass a lot when i was just a 17 y/o kid.
With a Victim mentality i seeked refuge in other outsiders who had dysfunctional upbringings, but unfortunately they scorched me for being a sensitive person and made fun of me for being curious about the world and being artistic.
So i just silenced my feeling with drugs and stayed with the most destructive people imaginable because i thought i deserved it.
Now im 27 and This song made me realise how long i’ve come from that era, and like an old friend joey made me realise how long i’ve come, and how i still kind of carry around this victim mentality.
I just wanted too share to ya’ll that things can turn out better than you imagined when you were younger.
And that you should never try to be something you clearly aren’t.
Accept yourself and follow your dream.
I want to become an actor and have now been in a short 1 week intensive course in acting and been in a small student-film.
Now im taking this even more serious and will do a lot more than just flirt with the idea of becoming an actor.
Watch out, im ALL IN this time, wish me luck PE fans!
Peace and rest in power KING CAPITAL.
Louaista
in 2012, Joey Badass and Cap Steez gave us "Survival Tactics". 10 years later, we got "Survivors Guilt". RIP KING CAPITAL 🙏🏽
Tigtonto
@Jayyy yea I noticed the rest of what you were talking about, but I didn’t know about all of that stuff involving steez
Jayyy
@Tigtonto you got tomb and last straw. Last one was recored days from his death and the other names Joey. You got dyme a duzin saying directly to Joey that he wasn’t Fn with you in his last days. His whole family notoriously boycotted steez day and was always advertising all the proceeds would go to his family but they never got it. His old social media platforms are clear disses to the group, label and Joey specifically. His new music videos have a lot of that’s a mad rat in my eyes. I hear that a lot of his music videos now have demonic symbolism now. All relating to various types of black magic. I briefly remembered reading that as I don’t watch music videos anymore or listen to lower the subliminal influences they have on me. I believe someone mentioned a Leviathan cross.
Tigtonto
@Jayyy which songs were disses?
Jayyy
steezs last songs were all disses to Joey as well as his family asked him not to use caps name anymore but out of pure disregard chooses to just to gain traction from it. That’s not a friend but a freaking demon fiend. We love the song cause steelo cancel Joey and tde they’re very similar because they killed capital and a Lori joh for sacrifice. Hey Joey your contract with evilness is coming g. Welcome to the 27 club. As well for you ab soul or ‘’distant one’’ your demons haven’t been coming through with the music for you. It’s over eternity without a soul is forever.
Jayyy
steezs last songs were all disses to Joey as well as his family asked him not to use caps name anymore but out of pure disregard chooses to just to gain traction from it. That’s not a friend but a freaking demon fiend. We love the song cause steelo cancel Joey and tde they’re very similar because they killed capital and a Lori joh for sacrifice. Hey Joey your contract with evilness is coming g. Welcome to the 27 club. As well for you ab soul or ‘’distant one’’ your demons haven’t been coming through with the music for you. It’s over eternity without a soul is forever. Guilt for killing anyone is hard to get over
Berns 6009
Lowkey going through some shit in life that made me think Suicide could be an option but nah listening to this made me think about the hurt I’ll be leaving here on earth, ima soldier through it 🙏🏽 thank you Joey you are REAL ONE ☝🏼
LONGLIVESTEELOOOOOOOO!
Ancry
stay strong brother
Hector Martinez
stay solid homie, we got you too
Jayyy
steezs last songs were all disses to Joey as well as his family asked him not to use caps name anymore but out of pure disregard chooses to just to gain traction from it. That’s not a friend but a freaking demon fiend. We love the song cause steelo cancel Joey and tde they’re very similar because they killed capital and a Lori joh for sacrifice. Hey Joey your contract with evilness is coming g. Welcome to the 27 club. As well for you ab soul or ‘’distant one’’ your demons haven’t been coming through with the music for you. It’s over eternity without a soul is forever.