Sin City
John Legend & Teyana Taylor Lyrics

10 a.m. it's west side bitch
It's already 10 a.m. on the western side of the city.

She see the glasses, so obvious
The woman notices the singer's glasses, which are presumably for cocaine use.

Run from home, after tonight we up out of here
They plan to leave their home permanently after tonight.

Don't go home 'cause they just ran me up out of there
The artist was presumably kicked out of their home and doesn't want to go back there.

All of those drunken nights then fuckin' every night
They used to have a lot of drunken nights followed by sex every night.

She run her mouth, but can't eat right
The woman talks too much, but doesn't have good eating habits.

Don't read between the line and figure out how to be white
Don't try to interpret the situation as if it were a race issue.

She smelled the line, baby you know you don't need white
The woman likely smelled the cocaine and the artist tells her she doesn't need it.

Now look what we did now, the cops behind us
The police are now following them after they engaged in some illegal activity.

Ran that red light, did you have to be mindless? SMH,
The artist expresses disappointment over the fact that the driver ran a red light and put them in danger.

We all know that cocaine killed Abel
The allusion to the biblical story of Cain and Abel is used to suggest that cocaine is destructive like murder.

From the scholar letters devour this
The lyrics are meant to be taken in and understood by the listener.

She stepped into hell, 'cause winter got cold
The woman is in a bad situation because of poverty or other difficult circumstances.

Don't look in her eyes, you might see straight to her soul
The woman has been through a lot and it shows in her eyes.

Don't say yes to that good, cause you'll never know
Don't just accept something that appears good without fully understanding the consequences.

'Cause we lost in the city where sin is no biggy
The city is full of sin and the artist feels they are caught up in it.

I'm here with open arms and I got her
The artist is receptive and welcoming to the woman.

Here is where her heart belongs, her heart belongs with me
The singer believes the woman should be with him.

I'm here and I won't go without her
The singer won't leave without the woman.

This is where her heart belongs it should be here with me
The artist believes the woman's heart should be with him in the city.

I beg for mercy today
The artist is asking for mercy for something they have done.

They won't take me away
The artist feels they won't be caught and punished for their actions.

Take me away from you
The singer doesn't want to be separated from the woman.

Don't know what I would do
The artist would be lost without the woman.

Don't let us die in vain
They don't want to die or suffer without a purpose.

Don't let them see our pain
They don't want others to see their suffering.

Wash these demons away
The singer wants to be cleansed of their internal demons (or perhaps drug addiction).

You are all unwelcome to Sin City
The artist is warning people that the city is no good.

Yet the population still increases its density
Despite the warning, more and more people continue to come to the city.

And that increases its intensity
The population increase makes the city even more intense and dangerous.

Which increases the propensity
The increased intensity makes it more likely that people will get caught up in bad situations.

To complicate your simplicity
Even those who are trying to maintain a simple life may get caught up in the complications of the city.

No matter your ethnicity
The city doesn't discriminate based on ethnicity; everyone is at risk.

All for the sake of publicity, in this city
Everything is done for the sake of attention/publicity.

Huh, bad bitches with ass shots
The city is full of women who have had cosmetic surgery to enhance their appearance.

Use a house as a stash spot
People use their own homes to store drugs.

Lexus coupe with the rag-top
Drug dealers may use flashy cars to keep up appearances.

I'm in the loop, warm tie like a ascot
The singer is part of the drug-dealing loop and dresses up like a gentleman.

I used to run with the have-nots
The singer came from a poor background but now associates with those who have more.

Kept the ave' hot just so we could have knots
The artist sold drugs to make money and improve their living situation.

A lot of niggas see they dreams in a glass pot
Many people see a future in selling drugs (or other illegal activities).

Until the judge throw you in that box and watch your ass rot
Things may seem good while selling drugs, but eventually it will catch up with you and you'll go to jail.

We broke all the commandments
The singer has broken all moral laws and values.

Authentic, I'm hand-stitched
The artist is genuine and handmade.

Come spend a day in my Hamlet
Come see what my life is like.

My city lost, some say it's Atlantis
The city is so bad that some people believe it to be like the mythical lost city of Atlantis.

I went to Cannes with a tan bitch, Francis
The singer had an attractive woman with him when he went to Cannes.

She rode the broom on the beach, that's a sand witch
A humorous reference to the woman being a 'witch' (and perhaps also good in bed).

So I ate her like it, haters hate to like it
The singer is unapologetic about enjoying sex with the woman.

Sex, drugs, and playin' dices, those are our favorite vices
The singer enjoys sex, drugs, and gambling.

But this life'll take a toll on ya
This kind of lifestyle is dangerous and takes a toll on your health and wellbeing.

Well I guess you gotta pay the prices
You have to face the consequences for your actions.

I know who Christ is
The artist knows who Jesus Christ is and what he represents.

And he never hung with the Saints it makes no sense to save the righteous
Jesus didn't hang out with just 'good' people, so it doesn't make sense to only try to save people who are already following a moral code.

By the age ten, we were caged in
The singer (and perhaps others) were already living in bad situations by the time they were ten years old.

Now they raise men in the state pen
Nowadays, it seems like more people are raised and educated in prison rather than outside of it.

Fake friends, forgive 'em for they sins
The artist acknowledges that some of their friends may not be truly loyal, but still forgives them for their mistakes.

God bless the city, amen
Despite all the bad things that happen in the city, the artist still wishes for God's blessings.