Heard 'Em Say
Kanye West Lyrics


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(West, Mr. West) uh, yeah
Uh, yeah, uh, yeah, uh, yeah

And I heard 'em say, nothing's ever promised tomorrow today
From the Chi, like Tim it's a harder way
So this is in the name of love like Robert say
Before you ask me to go get a job today
Can I at least get a raise of the minimum wage?
And I know the government administer AIDS
So I guess we just pray like the minister say
Allahu Akbar and throw in some hot cars
The things we seen on the screen that's not ours
But these niggas from the hood so these dreams not far
Where I'm from, the dope boys is the rock stars
But they can't cop cars without seein' cop cars
I guess they want us all behind bars, I know it

Uh, and I heard 'em say (ooh)
Nothing's ever promised tomorrow today
And I heard 'em say
Nothing's ever promised tomorrow today
But we'll find a way
And nothing lasts forever but be honest, babe
It hurts but it may be the only way

They say people in your life are seasons
And anything that happen is for a reason
And niggas gun clappin' and keep to squeezin'
And gran' keep prayin' and keep believin'
In Jesus, and one day that you see him
'Til then walk in his footsteps and try to be him
The Devil is alive, I feel him breathin'
Claimin' money is the key so keep on dreamin'
And put those lottery tickets just to tease us
My aunt Pam can't put those cigarettes down
So now my lil' cousin smokin' them cigarettes now
His job trying to claim that he too nigger-ish now
Is it 'cause his skin blacker than licorice now?
I can't figure it out, I'm sick of it now, uh, uh

And I heard 'em say (ooh)
Nothing's ever promised tomorrow today
And I heard 'em say
Nothing's ever promised tomorrow today
But we'll find a way
And nothing lasts forever but be honest, babe
It hurts but it may be the only way

With every worthless word we got more far away
And nothing's ever promised tomorrow today
And nothing lasts forever but be honest, babe




It hurts but it may be the only way
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

Overall Meaning

In "Heard 'em Say," Kanye West reflects on the hardships of growing up in Chicago, where it's a struggle to make it out of poverty. He acknowledges that life is unpredictable and that the future is uncertain, but he remains optimistic in the face of adversity. Kanye compares his journey to that of Tim, a local hero from his hometown, who paved the way for others despite the odds against him. The song is a tribute to perseverance despite the obstacles thrown in one's path.


In the second verse, Kanye addresses social issues, specifically the discrimination faced by Black people in America. He speaks out against systemic racism, the criminalization of Black youth, and the beliefs held by some that money is the key to happiness. Kanye also condemns government policies that he believes contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS. Throughout the song, he interweaves references to faith, family, and the pursuit of one's dreams. "Heard 'em Say" is a powerful reflection of one man's experience growing up in the inner city and the challenges he faced along the way.


Line by Line Meaning

And I heard 'em say, nothing's ever promised tomorrow today
The people around me say that there is no guarantee for tomorrow.


From the Chi, like Tim it's a harder way
Chicago is a difficult place to live, like the rapper Tim.


So this is in the name of love like Robert say
I am doing what I do out of love, like how singer Robert did.


Before you ask me to go get a job today
Don't ask me to get a job immediately.


Can I at least get a raise of the minimum wage?
Can I at least earn a little more money than what's minimal?


And I know the government administer AIDS
I believe that the government is responsible for the spread of AIDS.


So I guess we just pray like the minister say
The only thing we can do is pray, like the minister encourages.


Allahu Akbar and throw in some hot cars
God is great and we'll add some fancy cars to the mix.


The things we seen on the screen that's not ours
We watch things on TV that we can't afford ourselves.


But these niggas from the hood so these dreams not far
But since we're from the same neighborhood, these dreams aren't impossible.


Where I'm from, the dope boys is the rock stars
In my neighborhood, drug dealers are seen as celebrities.


But they can't cop cars without seein' cop cars
But they can't buy nice cars without attracting attention from the police.


I guess they want us all behind bars, I know it
I'm pretty sure the government wants to lock us all up.


And I heard 'em say, nothing's ever promised tomorrow today
Once again, I hear people saying that nothing is guaranteed for tomorrow.


But we'll find a way
Despite this, we will figure things out.


They say people in your life are seasons
People come into your life for a certain period of time.


And anything that happen is for a reason
Everything that happens to you has a purpose behind it.


And niggas gun clappin' and keep to squeezin
People are shooting guns and not stopping.


And gran' keep prayin' and keep believin'
My grandmother keeps praying and having faith.


In Jesus, and one day that you see him
She believes in Jesus and believes she will meet him one day.


'Til then walk in his footsteps and try to be him
Until then, she will try to live the way Jesus did and be like him.


The Devil is alive, I feel him breathin'
I believe the devil is real and feel his presence around me.


Claimin' money is the key so keep on dreamin'
People believe that money is the solution to their problems, but it's just a dream.


And put those lottery tickets just to tease us
The lottery is just a tease to people who can't afford to play it.


My aunt Pam can't put those cigarettes down
My Aunt Pam is addicted to cigarettes.


So now my lil' cousin smokin' them cigarettes now
As a result, my young cousin is now smoking too.


His job tryna claim that he too nigger-ish now
His employer is discriminating against him because he's black.


Is it 'cause his skin blacker than licorice now?
Is it because his skin is darker than normal?


I can't figure it out, I'm sick of it now, uh, uh
I don't understand it and I've had enough.


With every worthless word we get more far away
Every useless conversation pushes us further apart.


And nothing's ever promised tomorrow today
And once again, nothing is guaranteed for tomorrow.


And nothing lasts forever but be honest, babe
Everything is temporary, but always be truthful, my love.


It hurts but it may be the only way
It may be painful, but it could be the only solution.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Gerry Goffin, Adam Levine, Michael Masser, Kanye West

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

As C Gaelle

[Verse 1: Kanye West]
And I heard 'em say, nothing's ever promised tomorrow today
From the Chi, like Tim it's a harder way
So this is in the name of love like Robert say
Before you ask me to go get a job today
Can I at least get a raise on the minimum wage?
And I know that the government administer AIDS
So I guess we just pray like the minister say
Allāhu Akbar and throw in some hot cars
The things they seen on the screen is not ours
But these niggas from the hood so these dreams not far
Where I'm from, the dope boys is the rock stars
But they can't cop cars without seeing cop cars
I guess they want us all behind bars, I know it

[Chorus: Adam Levine & Kanye West]
And I heard 'em say, nothing's ever promised tomorrow today
And I heard 'em say
That nothing's ever promised tomorrow today
And nothing lasts forever but be honest, babe
It hurts but it may be the only way

[Verse 2: Kanye West]
They say people in your life are seasons
And anything that happen is for a reason
And people gun clapping and keep to squeezing
And Gran keep praying and keep believing
In Jesus, and one day that you see him
'Til then walk in his footsteps and try to be him
The devil is alive, I feel him breathin'
Claiming money is the key, so keep on dreamin'
And put them lottery tickets just to tease us
My Aunt Pam can't put them cigarettes down
So now my little cousin smokin' on cigarettes now
His job try to claim that he too niggerish now
Is it 'cause his skin blacker than licorice now
I can't figure it out, bring the drums in now, uh

[Chorus: Adam Levine & Kanye West]
And I heard 'em say, nothing's ever promised tomorrow today
And I heard 'em say
That nothing's ever promised tomorrow today
And nothing lasts forever but be honest, babe
It hurts but it may be the only way

[Post-Chorus: Adam Levine & Kanye West]
Uh, and I heard 'em say
With every worthless word, we get more far away
And nothing's ever promised tomorrow today
And nothing lasts forever but be honest, babe(What?)
It hurts but it may be the only way

[Outro: John Legend & Kanye West]
And I heard 'em say
Oh, oh, oh, oh-oh
Yeah, and I heard 'em say
Yeah, A-Trak
John Legend, ladies and gentlemen
Oh, oh, oh, oh-oh (Yeah)
I heard 'em say
Oh, oh, oh, oh-oh
I heard them say
Oh, oh, oh, oh-oh
Nothing's ever promised, no, no
Yeah, Tracey, I know how much you like John
I told y'all I'd bring you a surprise
Thank you!



All comments from YouTube:

J Smoove 276

This song gets to me everytime I hear it. The old kanye will be truly missed.

Dayone gaming

on God i think the same think every time i hear his graduation album

Nancy Drew Baker

Yeh well today he's announced he's running for President, he says his brain is sprained, like a sprained ankle and that he's calling his political party The Birthday Party.
God Bless YE!

Inkblot 314

Facts man

Trucker Bere

Yes R.i.p Old Kanye

The A. & L. Family

Meet too I think about my fam that pass on and i didnt get to see them because of COVID.

56 More Replies...

itsddashrock

As a kid I looked past this song and as a man it gets me so overwhelmed with emotion. Truly a gem.

Shabar FORTRUTH

Period

Terrell Otto

💯💯

Souljah4ThaMostHigh

Yo facts

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