Ab-Souls Outro
Kendrick Lamar Lyrics

What's your life about, enlighten me
Kendrick is posing a question about the purpose and direction of one's life

Is you gonna live on your knees, or die on your feet
Will you choose to live in servitude or fight for your beliefs?

Fire in the street, fire in my swisher
There is turmoil and danger outside and within Kendrick's smoking material

Fire in between the two legs of your little sister
Suggestive line about the tumultuous sexual experiences of a younger girl

Just get a sip of this elixir
Kendrick encourages the listener to try what he is promoting, whatever that may be

Before they crop us out the picture
Act before you are ignored or removed altogether

I've never seen a crop circle
Kendrick is referencing paranormal happenings, indicating that he has never seen a UFO.

But I've seen a cop circled the block
In contrast to the previous sentence, Kendrick reflects on seeing a police car patrol the area

I puff squares, but I swear one day I'ma stop my nerves itch
Kendrick smokes cigarettes but is aware of the negative effects and desires to quit

On the brink of my career
Kendrick is near the start of his career, on the edge of success

While my peers struggle for employment
Despite being near success, those around Kendrick are struggling with finding work

Can you hear the screams (Uncle Sam ain't no kin to me)
Kendrick is referencing the struggles of black people in America, with Uncle Sam symbolizing the government

One two, three four grams and a fifth of Hennessy
Kendrick recites a drink order, indicating a carefree attitude to life

A bad bitch, fuck the penitentiary
Kendrick desires a relationship but is against the idea of a marriage or long-term commitment

Section 80's babies, blame Ronald Reagan, we raising hell
Kendrick places the blame for the struggles of his age group on the Ronald Reagan administration

Lord forbid
A phrase indicating the start of a negative hypothetical situation

The homie got wet, so we trying to soak it in
Kendrick and others cope with the death of a friend

The president is black, but you can't vote for skin
While promoting political action, voting for someone simply because of their skin color is pointless.

You vote for the better man
Voting for a better-representing candidate is more productive

Come to our show you can see the diversity
Kendrick's music is open to all people regardless of their background or experiences

Unified people they going to peep it universally
People are able to connect with Kendrick's music across cultures and backgrounds

We might not change the world
While they may not enact complete change, Kendrick and others hope to inspire people to do better

But we going to manipulate it
Kendrick strives to change the world through music and through inspiring others

I hope you participating
Kendrick encourages the listener to be active in their efforts toward changing the world

Ayo Dot, won't you let these cats know
Kendrick speaks to one of his collaborators, Dot, and asks him to share their message to others

We knew we'd be here, like back in 04'
Kendrick and his collaborators knew they would be successful someday, much like they did in 2004

Started hiiipower because our generation
The hip-hop supergroup was started because of the troubles of a generation filled with economic and social struggles

Needed a generator and a system, meant to disintegrate us
The group believed they needed a new system to improve their situation, as the current one seemed to be actively destructing them

And all we do is assist them
Despite needing a new system, the group feels like they are only helping maintain the current broken system

We're not victors, we're victims
Despite their current position of success, Kendrick and others still feel like they are victims of their circumstances

The bigger picture hasn't developed yet
There is still much work to do before the final, complete change can be implemented.

Like what if Keisha were celibate
The song poses hypothetical questions about what would happen if certain people altered their lifestyle

What if Tammy came across a real man
The song poses hypothetical questions about what would happen if certain people encountered better people in their lives

Who didn't play games like children
Kendrick suggests that some people play games during their relationships and that it is childish

My nigga cheated on his girlfriend with his girlfriend's girlfriend
Kendrick gives an example of relationship issues that often lead to more tumultuous and unfulfilling experiences

Let the world end
A line indicating defeat, often used when people feel hopeless or helpless

And everybody tripping off 2012
At the time of the song's release, the Mayan calendar predicted the world would end in 2012, causing panic and concern

And the extraterrestrial presence as well (Our Future's odd)
Kendrick references impending and possibly catastrophic events, including possible alien contact

But our future is not
Despite the horrors of the present and potential future, there is still possibility for progress and prosperity

that Martial law shit dropped
Martial law is a state of temporary military control over a region, and Kendrick suggests that it might be implemented in their future

We gonna all get got
Kendrick suggests that all people will be involved in these trials if they come to pass

So keep that question mark on your face
Kendrick suggests that people constantly question their circumstances and their authorities

Eat that fast food, and use that flouride toothpaste
Kendrick suggests that people might be unknowingly impacting their own negative health through their habits and products they use

Hide your feelings from the public
Kendrick suggests people should conceal their emotions from public view, possibly due to societal stigma or judgement

Work a long nine to five, don't forget to pay your tithes
Kendrick suggests the monotony of adult life, including work and religious practices like tithing

And to thank God you're alive (Hiiipower)
Despite the bleak outlook, Kendrick suggests that people should still be grateful for their life

And on another note
Kendrick changes the subject of the song

We focused like the Hubble Telescope, Soul
Kendrick and his collaborator, Soul, are focused and directed in their efforts much like the Hubble Telescope in space

Life is a traffic jam (Life is a traffic jam)
A repeated phrase about the struggles and stagnation of life

I wrote this because I was ordered to
Kendrick suggests that he is not in complete control of his creations and has been instructed to create music

People say I speak for generation Y
Kendrick's music is said to represent the views and struggles of generation Y, often referred to as millennials

Why lie, I do, Section 80
Kendrick admits that he does attempt to represent and speak for his generation, as seen in his album Section.80

Your son will play me if the radio won't
Kendrick suggests that his music will still be heard and resonate with future generations, even if current radio stations do not play his songs

True story, hm, can you repeat that for me Soul
A request for a repeated comment or story

Is you gonna plead the fifth, or sound the horn
Will you remain silent in the face of injustice, or speak out against it?

The time is now my child, come on
Act on what you believe now, do not wait any longer.

See a lot of ya'll don't understand Kendrick Lamar
Many people do not understand Kendrick's message or methods

Because you wonder how I could talk about money
Kendrick addresses criticism that he often discusses topics seen as materialistic or unimportant

Hoes, clothes, god and history all in the same sentence
Kendrick promotes the pervasive nature of these subjects in everyday life, and suggests their interconnectedness

You know what all the things have in common
Even though they may seem different, they are all related and involve complex themes related to one another

Only half of the truth, if you tell it
If you tell the partial truth of a situation, it becomes distorted and lost in translation

See I've spent twenty three years on the earth searching for answers
Kendrick has spent his life trying to discover the truth and navigate his troubled world

Til' one day I realized I had to come up with my own
After much searching, Kendrick realized that he had to create and dictate his own path in life

I'm not on the outside looking in
Kendrick feels as though he is not an observer but an active participant in his world

I'm not on the inside looking out
Kendrick feels as though he is not trapped in his world and is not looking for a way out

I'm in the dead fucking center, looking around
Kendrick feels as though he is at the center of everything happening around him and is observing it all

You've ever seen a newborn baby kill a grown man
A hypothetical question raising the idea of innocence and the corruption of it by the world around us

That's an analogy for the way the world make me react
The feeling of your life being in danger, much like the newborn baby, can be intensified under the pressure of the world

My innocence been dead
Kendrick's experience and engagement with the world has killed his innocence

So the next time I talk about money, hoes, clothes, god and history all in the same sentence
Kendrick reiterates that these subjects are all interrelated, and that he will continue to discuss them in his music

Just know I meant it, and you felt it
Kendrick means everything he says, and people listening to his music feel the weight of his words

Because you too are searching for answers
Kendrick sees himself in his listeners, knowing that they too struggle with the weight of the world

I'm not the next pop star
Kendrick sees himself as something different from the usual pop music and culture

I'm not the next socially aware rapper
Kendrick does not classify himself under a label meant for those who are conscious of social issues

I am a human motherfucking being, over dope ass instrumentation
Kendrick is simply a human being and not an entity meant for a label or label-like category

Now fuck em' up Terrace (Soul!)
Terrace and Soul are Kendrick's collaborators, and he encourages their efforts in their musical performance.