Dreamer
K\'naan Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Yeah
Believe it or not
What kept me alive
Is my dreams

[Chorus:Repeat x2]
I'm a dreamer
But I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world
From here to your hood
We alive man
It's OK to feel good

I got a friend named Flow,
Who got a friend named blow
With a finger named clap
That'll leave you on the side like a Kangol hat.
He ain't have no choice he was born this way
These streets will pull your number like a phone display
You gotta be defensive with your life
You gotta be like Bush and take Pre-emptive strikes
And the boys from the hood are always hard
Let alone in Mogadishu it's a mastered art
If you bring the words hood to a seminar
We from the only place worse then Kandahar,
Now that's kinda hard
But we still like to party and hardy har
Something good happens we say Mashalla
Something bad happens Kay Sara Sara.
I close my eyes and all I can see is you dancing with me

[Chorus]

It's ok to feel good, it's the truth
Yo check it out

What would it take for a boy about my age to hear cheers in his head upon that stage
And the cheers that would drowned out the tears from my brown eyes
Come on back stage you see the screams ain't the screams from gun shot streams
In my dreams these screams are from hot teens
And I'm barely thirteen but I pack dirty, a Russian fire arm that shoots thirty
Just then I hear the bus engine I'm transcending I'm crowd surfing I can't see the time burning I'm not hurting with my mahogany pen.
I'm on a world tour with Mohammad and them.
And we be over sees and not in these trees where my peeps stay alive like the Bee gees
And the likes of JZ would save my steeze and singing handily brought Hip-Hop peace

[Chorus]

Sometimes we just like to have fun,
Man we like to forget all the fighting
All the guns and the tires burning,

Back on the verse
Imagine crack was in birth
Imagine the earth wasn't hurt
Imagine no homeland alerts
Imagine no record locater so I wouldn't have to get a criminal waiver
Imagine if peace wasn't in my briefs
Instead peace could stretch across the sees
So finally we could just rest and in easy no refugees
And you, well you could dress in a book
And I can read your body in less then a look
I got a dream girl in my mind and that the hook,
An intellectually, sexual and still can cook

Yeah, and I feel good right now
I feel good right here
You feel good?

[Chorus]

We not down and out, just cause times are hard
Yeah shout out to the struggeler's,
In my country, hardest place on earth
But still
I still know how to get down,
I still know how to vibe out,




I still know how to talk to a pretty girl.
Take it easy now.

Overall Meaning

The song "Dreamer" by K'naan is a powerful anthem about the power of dreams and the struggles of living in poverty and violence. In the chorus, K'naan sings about being a dreamer but acknowledges that he and others like him have problems. However, that doesn't stop them from loving to have fun and enjoying their world, even if it's a tough one. The lyrics also touch on themes of violence, survival, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.


K'naan goes on to describe his friend Flow, who has a friend named Blow. The lyrics suggest that Blow may be involved in drugs and violence, but that he was born into that life with no choice. K'naan recognizes that living in the hood means having to be defensive with their lives and taking preemptive strikes to survive. Despite the difficulties, K'naan and his crew still like to party and celebrate the good things in life, saying "something good happens, we say mashallah, something bad happens, kay sera sera."


Line by Line Meaning

Yeah
An expression of affirmation and agreement


Believe it or not
Whether you believe it or not


What kept me alive
My dreams are what kept me going in life


Is my dreams
My dreams were the reason behind my survival


[Chorus:Repeat x2]
Repeating the chorus twice


I'm a dreamer
I am a person who always dreams


But I ain't the only one got problems
I am not the only one facing problems in life


But we love to have fun
Despite the hardships, we still love to enjoy life


This is our world
This world belongs to all of us


From here to your hood
This applies to everyone, no matter where you live


We alive man
We are alive and living life to the fullest


It's OK to feel good
It's okay to be happy and feel good about ourselves


I got a friend named Flow,
I have a friend named Flow


Who got a friend named blow
Flow has a friend named Blow


With a finger named clap
Blow has a finger that makes a clapping sound


That'll leave you on the side like a Kangol hat.
His clap is so powerful that it can knock you out


He ain't have no choice he was born this way
He had no control over the circumstances of his birth


These streets will pull your number like a phone display
These streets can claim your life at any moment


You gotta be defensive with your life
One has to be always on guard to protect their life


You gotta be like Bush and take Pre-emptive strikes
Being proactive and taking steps to protect yourself


And the boys from the hood are always hard
People from the hood are tough and resilient


Let alone in Mogadishu it's a mastered art
This is even more prevalent in Mogadishu


If you bring the words hood to a seminar
If you talk about the hood at a seminar or conference


We from the only place worse then Kandahar,
The hood is worse than Kandahar, a city in Afghanistan known for frequent conflict


Now that's kinda hard
It's a difficult fact to accept


But we still like to party and hardy har
Despite everything, we like to have fun and enjoy ourselves


Something good happens we say Mashalla
We express gratitude when something good happens in our life


Something bad happens Kay Sara Sara.
We let go of things that we cannot control


I close my eyes and all I can see is you dancing with me
Thinking of the person one loves and misses


Sometimes we just like to have fun,
We just want to enjoy ourselves sometimes


Man we like to forget all the fighting
We want to forget about all the conflicts


All the guns and the tires burning,
All the violence and destruction happening around us


Back on the verse
Returning to the rap verse


Imagine crack was in birth
Imagining a world without the drug problem


Imagine the earth wasn't hurt
Imagining a world where there was no environmental degradation


Imagine no homeland alerts
Imagining a world where there were no threats to our homeland


Imagine no record locater so I wouldn't have to get a criminal waiver
Imagining a world where there were no criminal records or the need to obtain a pardon


Imagine if peace wasn't in my briefs
Imagining a world where peace wasn't just an idea but a reality


Instead peace could stretch across the sees
Imagining a world where peace would prevail all over the world


So finally we could just rest and in easy no refugees
A world where people wouldn't have to leave their homeland and become refugees


And you, well you could dress in a book
You would look beautiful, almost like a character in a book


And I can read your body in less than a look
Knowing your partner so well that you can understand them with just a glance


I got a dream girl in my mind and that's the hook,
This is about the ideal girl someone has in their mind


An intellectually, sexual and still can cook
A partner who is intelligent and attractive, yet still knows how to cook


Yeah, and I feel good right now
Feeling good and positive right now


I feel good right here
Feeling good in this moment


You feel good?
Asking the listener if they feel good


[Chorus]
Repeating the chorus


We not down and out, just cause times are hard
Being optimistic even in hard times


Yeah shout out to the struggeler's,
Saluting all those who are struggling


In my country, hardest place on earth
Referring to Somalia as one of the hardest places in the world to live


But still
Despite everything


I still know how to get down,
Still knowing how to have fun and let loose


I still know how to vibe out,
Still being able to connect and relate to people


I still know how to talk to a pretty girl.
Still knowing how to woo and impress a girl


Take it easy now.
Closing the song with a message of peace and relaxation




Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALEMAYEHU ESHETE, BRIAN WEST, GERALD EATON, KEINAN WARSAME

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@mehmetsaylar599

I know i know im a hero

Lyrics;



Yeah, believe it or not
What kept me alive is my dreams
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
We alive man, it's okay to feel good
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
Lock me up now, it's okay to feel good
I got a friend named Flow
Who got a friend named Blow
With a finger named Clap
That'll leave you on the side like a Kangol hat
He ain't have no choice, he was born this way
These streets pull your number like a phone display
And you gotta be defensive with your life
You gotta be like Bush and take pre-emptive strikes
And the boys from the hood are always hard
Let alone in Mogadishu it's a mastered art
If you bring the world hoods to a seminar
We from the only place worse then Kandahar
Well, that's kinda hard
But we still like to party and hardy hard
Something good happens we say, 'Mashallah'
Something bad happens, 'Que Sera Sera'
I close my eyes and all I can see is you dancing with me
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
We alive man, it's okay to feel good
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
Lock me up now, it's okay to feel good
I'm a dreamer
It's okay to feel good, yeah, it's the truth
Ay, yo' check it out
What would it take for a boy about my age
To hear cheers in his head upon that stage
And the cheers that would drown out
The tears from my brown eyes?
Come on back stage, you see the screams
Ain't the screams from gunshot streams
In my dreams, these screams are from hot teens
And I'm barely thirteen, I pack dirty
Old Russian firearm that shoots thirty
Just then I hear the bus engine
I'm transcending, I'm crowd surfing
I can't see the time burning
I'm not hurting with my mahogany pen
I'm on a world tour with Mohammad and them
And we'd be overseas and not in these trees
Where my peeps stay alive like the Bee Gees
And the likes of JZ would save my steeze
Singing handily brought Hip Hop peace
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
We alive man, it's okay to feel good
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
Lock me up now, it's okay to feel good, I'm a dreamer
Sometimes we just like to have fun
Man, we like to forget all the fighting
All the guns and the tires burning
Back on the verse, imagine crack was in birth
Imagine the earth wasn't hurt, imagine no homeland alerts
Imagine no record locater
So I wouldn't have to get a criminal waiver
Imagine the peace wasn't in my briefs
Instead peace could stretch across the seas
So finally we could just rest and ease, no refugees
And you, well, you could dress in a book
And I can read your body with less then a look
I got a dream girl in my mind that's the hook
An intellectual, sexual and still can cook
Yeah, and I feel good right now
I feel good right here, you feel good right now?
You feel good?
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
We alive man, it's okay to feel good
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
Lock me up now, it's okay to feel good
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
We alive man, it's okay to feel good
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
Lock me up now, it's okay to feel good
Yeah, we not down and out just because the times are hard
Yeah, shout out to the struggler's in my country
The hardest place on earth right now but still
I still know how to get down, I still know how to vibe out
I still know how to talk to a pretty girl, take it easy now, yeah



All comments from YouTube:

@darki244

It's actually rere to find in new gen, the instruments are really well played, I like the intro so much. This is so good. It's not just a great song, but wholly,pure talent of spreading inspirational messages to every generation who has came across this masterpiece. It's really good.

@taco285

He is like other rappers in his backgroubd...yet he decided to take his experiences and make great music...knaan is the best!!

@Eisendahl

#1 reason I'm proud to be canadian.

@PeaceHippieChickk

k'naan has got to be my fave rapper because he's different to all the other mainstream rappers who rap about the same crap i hope he does well and keeps making music!

@16jlf

The lyrics are so intelligent and the clip is so thought out. PERFECT!

@mehmetsaylar599

I know i know im a hero

Lyrics;



Yeah, believe it or not
What kept me alive is my dreams
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
We alive man, it's okay to feel good
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
Lock me up now, it's okay to feel good
I got a friend named Flow
Who got a friend named Blow
With a finger named Clap
That'll leave you on the side like a Kangol hat
He ain't have no choice, he was born this way
These streets pull your number like a phone display
And you gotta be defensive with your life
You gotta be like Bush and take pre-emptive strikes
And the boys from the hood are always hard
Let alone in Mogadishu it's a mastered art
If you bring the world hoods to a seminar
We from the only place worse then Kandahar
Well, that's kinda hard
But we still like to party and hardy hard
Something good happens we say, 'Mashallah'
Something bad happens, 'Que Sera Sera'
I close my eyes and all I can see is you dancing with me
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
We alive man, it's okay to feel good
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
Lock me up now, it's okay to feel good
I'm a dreamer
It's okay to feel good, yeah, it's the truth
Ay, yo' check it out
What would it take for a boy about my age
To hear cheers in his head upon that stage
And the cheers that would drown out
The tears from my brown eyes?
Come on back stage, you see the screams
Ain't the screams from gunshot streams
In my dreams, these screams are from hot teens
And I'm barely thirteen, I pack dirty
Old Russian firearm that shoots thirty
Just then I hear the bus engine
I'm transcending, I'm crowd surfing
I can't see the time burning
I'm not hurting with my mahogany pen
I'm on a world tour with Mohammad and them
And we'd be overseas and not in these trees
Where my peeps stay alive like the Bee Gees
And the likes of JZ would save my steeze
Singing handily brought Hip Hop peace
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
We alive man, it's okay to feel good
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
Lock me up now, it's okay to feel good, I'm a dreamer
Sometimes we just like to have fun
Man, we like to forget all the fighting
All the guns and the tires burning
Back on the verse, imagine crack was in birth
Imagine the earth wasn't hurt, imagine no homeland alerts
Imagine no record locater
So I wouldn't have to get a criminal waiver
Imagine the peace wasn't in my briefs
Instead peace could stretch across the seas
So finally we could just rest and ease, no refugees
And you, well, you could dress in a book
And I can read your body with less then a look
I got a dream girl in my mind that's the hook
An intellectual, sexual and still can cook
Yeah, and I feel good right now
I feel good right here, you feel good right now?
You feel good?
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
We alive man, it's okay to feel good
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
Lock me up now, it's okay to feel good
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
We alive man, it's okay to feel good
I'm a dreamer but I ain't the only one got problems
But we love to have fun
This is our world, from here to your hood
Lock me up now, it's okay to feel good
Yeah, we not down and out just because the times are hard
Yeah, shout out to the struggler's in my country
The hardest place on earth right now but still
I still know how to get down, I still know how to vibe out
I still know how to talk to a pretty girl, take it easy now, yeah

@devilonroads_forever

Aye bruh! You ARE a hero <3

@somrazy3

i wish we had more people like Knaan in our country (somalia) :(

@maxieyellowbobpants

KNAAN IS THE GREATEST MUZIK ARTIST ALIVE :)))) HE CAME FROM STRUGGLE TO SOMTHING GREAT YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP TO THIS STRUGGLER MANGGGG THE BEST DUSTY FOOT PHILOSOPHER OUT DERE

@RuckFepublicans1

Great song! I look forward to the new full album, "Country, God, or the Girl"!

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