Don't Understand
Kendrick Lamar Lyrics

His eyes bloodshot red
His eyes are red from crying and/or anger.

I watched him as he took a fifth of Henny to the head in memory of his brother
I watched him take a big drink of Henny to remember his deceased brother.

Reminiscing on them playing Sega with each other
He was remembering playing Sega games with his brother.

He was hurting, I can see it, plenty tears, no Kleenex
He was in pain and shedding lots of tears without any tissues.

I stood by his side because that was my homie
I stood with him because he was my friend.

Gave him a hug, some of his brother's blood got on me
I hugged him, and some of his brother's blood got on me.

Clinching his fist on some angry shit
He was clenching his fist in anger.

Stood up, sat back down on the curb and asked me who they be hangin' with
He stood up and then sat back down on the curb, asking me who 'they' are hanging out with.

I wasn't sure so I gave him no answer
I didn't know the answer, so I didn't say anything.

But I was sure that he had him a blammer and wanted war
I was certain he had a gun and wanted to start violent conflict.

Revenge, what do you say to a good friend
What do you say to a friend who wants revenge?

That just lost it and grabbin' choppers out of the closet
That has lost control and is now getting guns out of the closet.

I tried my best to make him renig
I tried to convince him to change his mind.

But he was like, my nig this feeling is more than personal
But he thought that his emotions and desire for revenge were more important than anything.

I stood down
I gave up trying to change his mind.

He hopped in a four door, Honda Accord before he
He got into a four-door Honda Accord before he left.

Bent the block, he said K Dot
He drove around the block and said to Kendrick, 'K Dot.'

These streets can turn a kid to killer in minutes
The environment of these streets can make a child into a killer in a matter of minutes.

Not by choice, but forced to be a menace
They became menaces to society not because they wanted to but because they felt forced to.

Can someone just pray for me, or war
Can someone either pray for me or go to war with me on these streets?

(Or at least, try to understand) the city pressure
Please try to understand the pressure that comes with living in the city.

The AK-47, twin MAC-11s
Various types of guns such as the AK-47 and MAC-11 are common on the streets.

The Desert Eagle, shotty and the Smith & Wessons
There are also Desert Eagles, shotguns, and Smith & Wessons present.

Corners become monuments for the dead
Street corners where people have died often become memorials for the deceased.

Candles on the pavement, postcard read
Lit candles decorate the pavement and often have postcards attached with a message for the deceased.

Rest in peace, the yellow tape blockin' off the streets
The police use yellow tape to block off the location of a crime scene where someone has died, often telling them to 'rest in peace'.

A baby mama yellin at the police
A woman who is a baby mama (mother of a child) is yelling at the police.

But you don't understand
You don't know what it's like to live in these conditions and experience what we do.

You figure that we're just a bunch of niggas but the picture here's a story untold
You see us as a group of individuals, but there is a deeper story behind what you're observing.

Y' see this wasn't in our plans
This isn't what we wanted or planned for our lives.

Babies from the late 80s wasn't born crazy, we was raised that way
People who were born in the late 80s, including myself, were not inherently crazy, but the environment and circumstances in which we were raised led to it.

Put that Malcom X book down then raise that K
We grew up with Malcolm X, but violence is what we heard and absorbed.

Complete chaos when we off x pills and St. Ides
Things are chaotic when we are high on ecstasy and drinking St. Ides malt liquor.

Look the devil in the face, from a sane eye
We face hellish circumstances while seemingly being in our right mind.

Cast the spell on you like Akeelah and the Bee
We can get to you in ways you wouldn't expect, even like Akeelah casting a spell on her opponent in the spelling bee.

Every killer in the street is a teen with a corrupted, mind
Every street killer is a teenager who was influenced by their surroundings.

Substance, time, is no longer an issue
The drugs and time we spend on the streets do not matter anymore.

We don't have it, so pass the tissue
We don't have money to buy tissues, so pass me one please.

Then close the casket, kiss the momma when you can
When someone has died, we close the casket and show love to the mother.

And tell her you understand, but you don't understand
We try to tell the grieving mother that we understand what she's going through, but we really don't.

He came back fifteen minutes later
He returned fifteen minutes later.

He said, 'Dot, I went on one, do me this favor
He said, 'K Dot, I got into a difficult situation. Please do me a favor.'

Dump these guns in a safe place, let nobody see you
Hide these guns where no one will find them or see you do it.

This as critical as it gets, my nigga I need you'
This is as important it gets. I need your help, homie.

I said alright, so what happened? 'Seen a few niggas slippin
I agreed to help and asked what happened. He said he saw some people alone and vulnerable.

And I just started clappin, I didn't care who I was hittin
He shot at them without caring who they were.

That's wild shit, but anyway I got you
That's insane, but I'll still help you out.

I love you nigga make sure you hit me up by tomorrow
I care for you and make sure to contact me tomorrow.

I woke up the next mornin' with a cold
I woke up not feeling well due to a cold.

Allergies got me sneezin and wipin' my nose when it was leaking
I was sneezing and wiping my nose from a runny nose due to allergies.

Checked the medicine cabinet, lookin for some Dayquil
I checked the medicine cabinet for some Dayquil.

But all I seen was some Asprin, just my luck
All I found was some aspirin, which wasn't what I was hoping for.

I got up, went to Rite Aid
I went to the drugstore 'Rite Aid'.

Hoping that the pharmacy department had the right aid
I was hoping the pharmacy had the medicine I needed.

-I bought it and left
I bought the medicine and left the store.

Walked to the parking lot, when I see the faces of death
As I walked to the parking lot, I saw the faces of people who were going to kill or do serious harm.

Said they was lookin for my man with a chopper in they hand
They were looking for my friend with a machine gun in their hands.

Prayin it would jam, but you don't understand
I hoped the gun would jam, but you can't understand the depth of my worries and fears.