When I Die
Kanye West & Notorious B.I.G Lyrics

Uhh, uh
Pensive start to the song.

Yeah
Acknowledgement of the start of the song.

Uhh, uhh
Introspective moment by the artist.

Uh! Yeah, yeah
Realization moment.

Uhh
Another introspective moment by the artist.

I'm on
I am feeling very excited and confident about the current situation.

Fuck 'em, yeah, uhh
Disregard for the people against the artist.

With my hands gripped, praise the Lord shit
The artist is ready, focuses and praises God.

Fuck her, never knew her
Disrespectful comment towards a woman.

Screw her, (dump her body, dump her body) sewer
Taking actions towards harming a woman.

Our father, uh-huh
Reference to the Lord's Prayer.

What you expected from his next of kin
The artist is vowing to have the same characteristics as his father figure.

I'm loco bro, but ain't no Mexican
Although the artist is crazy (loco), he does not likely identify as Mexican.

I got nines in the bedroom, Glocks in the kitchen
The artist is well-equipped with weapons.

A shotty by the shower if you wanna shoot me while I'm shittin'
The artist is prepared even in vulnerable moments.

Uhh, the lesson from the Smith and Wesson is depressin'
The artist recognizes that the weaponry culture is depressing.

Niggas keep stressin', the same motherfuckin' question
The artist is tired of being asked the same question over and over again.

How many shots does it take, to make my heart stop
How many bullets would it take to kill me?

And my body start to shake, if I should die before I wake
If the artist should die before he wakes up he hopes God takes him to heaven.

Our father, if I should die before I wake
The artist is praying that he dies once he sees the glory of heaven.

Fluck that
The artist is dismissing his previous statement.

Snap a nigga shit, smash him with the fifth, watch his body lift
If attacked, the artist will use his weapon and cause harm to another individual.

Shut his hottie's lips, bitch screamin', hit her body quick
Disrespectful act towards women.

Got me like the trifest not knowin' how my life is
The artist doesn't know what to expect in life.

My life is, rap sheet long as the Turnpike is
The artist has made several offenses and been in trouble with the law.

The sheistest, hey fella, who bidded with the lifers
The artist is referring to individuals who are corrupt.

Did it with the Glocks, spit it witcha pops, you was in diapers
Committing acts of violence with guns while the artist was young.

Loved me when you came to Rikers
The artist had admiration from fellow inmates when he was imprisoned in Rikers Island.

Hated me all in the free cypher, mad you can't be like us
There are individuals who hate the artist's success and strive to become like him but are having difficulty in doing so.

Some murderers who turn bikers, see Biggie Smalls
Introducing Biggie Smalls as an individual who switched careers from being a murderer to a rapper.

Recruited these snipers, alumni do it just like us
Referring to individuals who commit violent crimes with guns.

Some pied pipers, squeezin' life out y'all
Metaphorically alluding to these people leading others to their doom's.

It's all out war, be all wild as all outdoor
A metaphor coined to denote the impending violence.

If a coward got beef, y'all be checkin' his palm
Encouraging to taking a closer look at people to see if they are worth a fight.

Paralyzin', my niggas thorough kid, how 'bout yours?
Commenting on the fact that the artist's group is more thorough than the listener's.

Real quick to screw a nigga then, hop out four
The artist's group commits acts of violence and quickly leaves the scene.

Clean the wipers, hit the party up and, hop out yours
Clean the car and leave to then go partying before committing more violent acts.

Bitch nigga, whoah
Insult towards male individuals who are weak.

Yo when you fuckin' wit MAC, you fuckin' wit the best
The artist is referring to the quality of his guns.

Still goin' to war with them dusty TECs
The artist is prepared to go to war with anyone with lesser quality weapons.

Man you know how I handle my shit, S.K. can on my shit
The artist is confident in handling any situation and has a silencer on his gun.

Jump out of vans like Hannibal Smith
The artist's group is ready to attack at a moment's notice.

Man I spit a thousand rounds, your squad don't need it
The artist can shoot thousands of rounds while the listener's group can't handle it.

Shredders in a riot pump leave you quadriplegic
The artist's bullets are so powerful that they can leave an individual paralyzed.

When I squeeze don't breathe keep it lined and even
How to properly use the gun.

So when niggas get hit, they be cryin' screamin'
The artist enjoys seeing his target in pain.

Lyin' bleedin', from that iron steamin'
The bullet wound that the artist inflicted is painful.

And I ain't tryin' to hear that bullshit, I ain't mean it
Even though the artist hurt the target, he is not remorseful.

Niggas start bitchin', when that pistol in they face
When faced with a gun, the listener's group panics.

Or I sick two pits to come and get you in your place
The artist has his dogs attack his targets.

If I catch you in my shit, I'm wakin' my bitch
If someone were to break into the artist's house, he would wake his wife to alert her.

Hear take this shit, crackin' the brick, facin' that shit
The artist offers drugs to a listener.

Takin' two sniffs, grabbin' my shit
The listener agrees to try the offered drugs and gets ready to leave.

Best believe if I get hit, y'all niggas takin' some shit
If the artist is attacked, he will retaliate.

Picture niggas takin' my shit
The artist is aware of the possibility of his things getting stolen.

Niggas never thought they'd see Cube and Biggie
The artist is surprised to be in the company of Cube and Biggie.

In the year 2000, all drunk and pissy
The year it happened and both artists were drunk.

Off whiskey, you can miss me, actin' gay
The artist is against homosexuality.

He's the King of New York, I'm the King of L.A.
The artist is claiming his title as the King of Los Angeles while acknowledging that Biggie is the King of New York.

Doin' it the OG way, it's sorta like
Referencing the gangsta culture from the past.

The Brooklyn Way, it's just the crook in me
The culture of Brooklyn is relevant to what makes the artist a crook.

So this is dedicated to the memory of
The remainder of the song is dedicated to Notorious B.I.G.

The Notorious One, the glorious one
Acknowledging Notorious B.I.G.'s fame.

And if you go for your gun, I got to go for mine
The artist is ready to defend himself if necessary.

Cock my nine, and seperate yo' head from yo' spine
Threatening to inflict harm on the listener.

So, "Grab yo' dicks if you love hip-hop" and
Quoting a famous line from a Biggie Smalls song.

Fuck you niggas that shot Big Pop'
The artist is upset about the incident that led to Notorious B.I.G.'s death.

The conspiracy, of this nation, for assassination
The artist believes that the nation is responsible for the assassination of individuals.

Of the young black male in this black hell
The artist believes that young black males face many barriers.

And I can tell, no matter the weather
The artist can tell regardless of outside circumstances.

That you and Tupac got yo' shit together
Referencing Tupac Shakur and their friendship before their deaths.

California Love
Referring to a famous Tupac song.