How Much a Dollar Cost
Kendrick Lamar Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

How much a dollar really cost?
The question is detrimental, paralyzin' my thoughts
Parasites in my stomach keep me with a gut feeling, y'all
Gotta see how I'm chillin' once I park this luxury car
Hopping out feeling big as Mutombo
Twenty on pump six dirty Marcellus called me Dumbo
Twenty years ago, can't forget
Now I can lend him a ear or two how to stack these residuals
Tenfold, the liberal concept of what men'll do
Twenty on six, he didn't hear me
Indigenous African only spoke Zulu
My American tongue was leery
Walked out the gas station
A homeless man with a semi-tan complexion
Asked me for ten rand
Stressin' about dry land
Deep water, powder blue skies that crack open
A piece of crack that he wanted, I knew he was smokin'
He begged and pleaded
Asked me to feed him twice, I didn't believe it
Told him, beat it
Contributin' money just for his pipe, I couldn't see it
He said, my son, temptation is one thing that I've defeated
Listen to me, I want a single bill from you
Nothin' less, nothin' more
I told him I ain't have it and closed my door
Tell me how much a dollar cost

It's more to feed your mind
Water, sun and love, the one you love
All you need, the air you breathe

He's starin' at me in disbelief
My temper is buildin', he's starin' at me, I grab my key
He's starin' at me, I started the car then I tried to leave
And somethin' told me to keep it in park until I could see
A reason why he was mad at a stranger like I was supposed to save him
Like I'm the reason he's homeless and askin' me for a favor
He's starin' at me, his eyes followed me with no laser
He's starin' at me, I notice that his stare is contagious
'Cause now I'm starin' back at him, feelin' some type of disrespect
If I could throw a bat at him, it'd be aimin' at his neck
I never understood someone beggin' for goods
Askin' for handouts, takin' it if they could
And this particular person just had it down pat
Starin' at me for the longest until he finally asked
Have you ever opened up Exodus 14?
A humble man is all that we ever need
Tell me how much a dollar cost

It's more to feed your mind
Water, sun and love, the one you love
All you need, the air you breathe

Guilt trippin' and feelin' resentment
I never met a transient that demanded attention
They got me frustrated, indecisive and power trippin'
Sour emotions got me lookin' at the universe different
I should distance myself, I should keep it relentless
My selfishness is what got me here, who the fuck I'm kiddin'?
So I'ma tell you like I told the last bum, crumbs and pennies
I need all of mines, and I recognize this type of panhandlin' all the time
I got better judgement, I know when nigga's hustlin'
Keep in mind, when I was strugglin', I did compromise
Now I comprehend, I smell grandpa's old medicine
Reekin' from your skin, moonshine and gin
Nigga your babblin', your words ain't flatterin', I'm imaginin'
Denzel but lookin' at O'Neal, Kazaam is sad
Thrills, your gimmick is mediocre, the jig is up
I seen you from a mile away losin' focus
And I'm insensitive, and I lack empathy
He looked at me and said, "Your potential is bittersweet"
I looked at him and said, "Every nickel is mines to keep"
He looked at me and said, "Know the truth, it'll set you free"
You're lookin' at the Messiah, the son of Jehova, the higher power
The choir that spoke the word, the Holy Spirit, the nerve
Of Nazareth, and I'll tell you just how much a dollar cost
The price of having a spot in Heaven, embrace your loss, I am God

I wash my hands, I said my grace, what more do you want from me?
Tears of a clown, guess I'm not all what is meant to be




Shades of grey will never change if I condone
Turn this page, help me change, to right my wrongs

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Kendrick Lamar's song How Much a Dollar Cost create a deep sense of introspection and contemplation in the listener. The song is about an encounter between Kendrick and a homeless man in South Africa who asks for a dollar, but when Kendrick refuses, the man tells him a parable from the Bible. The question in the chorus, "How much a dollar cost?" is not just about the monetary value of a dollar, but it also refers to the cost of individualism and selfishness in society. The homeless man challenges Kendrick to pay attention to the spiritual cost of his actions and to consider the value of empathy and generosity.


Kendrick's use of dialogue in the song, with the homeless man's parable and their back and forth conversation, creates a powerful and thought-provoking narrative. The man’s parable from Exodus 14 is about the Pharaoh who refused to let the Israelites go free, and the idea of a person who is in a position of power refusing to help those in need is seen as the root of the problem. This message links to the idea of the American Dream and its emphasis on individualism, and how this can lead to a lack of empathy and understanding for those who are struggling.


Line by Line Meaning

How much a dollar really cost?
This question is important and is making me anxious.


The question is detrimental, paralyzin' my thoughts
The question is causing me harm and making me unable to think.


Parasites in my stomach keep me with a gut feeling, y'all
I have a bad feeling about this.


Gotta see how I'm chillin' once I park this luxury car
I want people to see that I'm doing well.


Hopping out feeling big as Mutombo
I feel powerful and important.


Twenty on pump six dirty Marcellus called me Dumbo
A man called me a name and made me feel stupid.


Twenty years ago, can't forget
I remember something that happened in the past.


Now I can lend him a ear or two how to stack these residuals
I know how to make money and I can teach him too.


Tenfold, the liberal concept of what men'll do
People have an idea of what men will do to become wealthy.


Twenty on six, he didn't hear me
The man didn't hear me when I spoke.


Indigenous African only spoke Zulu
The man only spoke a language I didn't understand.


My American tongue was leery
I was hesitant to speak because of language differences.


Walked out the gas station
I left the gas station.


A homeless man with a semi-tan complexion
I saw a homeless man.


Asked me for ten rand
He asked me for money.


Stressin' about dry land
He was worried about his situation.


Deep water, powder blue skies that crack open
The environment around us wasn't ideal.


A piece of crack that he wanted, I knew he was smokin'
He wanted drugs.


He begged and pleaded
He begged me to help him more.


Asked me to feed him twice, I didn't believe it
He asked for more help but I didn't think he really needed it.


Told him, beat it
I told him to leave me alone.


Contributin' money just for his pipe, I couldn't see it
I didn't want to give him money for drugs.


He said, my son, temptation is one thing that I've defeated
He claims to have overcome temptation.


Listen to me, I want a single bill from you
He only wanted one dollar from me.


Nothin' less, nothin' more
He didn't want anything other than a dollar.


I told him I ain't have it and closed my door
I didn't have any money to give him.


It's more to feed your mind
There are things more important than material possessions.


Water, sun and love, the one you love
Things that truly matter in life are love and the essentials needed to sustain life.


He's starin' at me in disbelief
The man was surprised by my words.


My temper is buildin', he's starin' at me, I grab my key
I was getting angry and ready to leave.


He's starin' at me, I started the car then I tried to leave
I was trying to get away from him.


And somethin' told me to keep it in park until I could see
I felt compelled to stay and listen to him.


A reason why he was mad at a stranger like I was supposed to save him
He was angry at me, as if I was responsible for helping him.


Like I'm the reason he's homeless and askin' me for a favor
He believed I was partly responsible for his situation.


He's starin' at me, his eyes followed me with no laser
He was glaring at me without breaking his gaze.


He's starin' at me, I notice that his stare is contagious
I felt drawn to him and his gaze.


'Cause now I'm starin' back at him, feelin' some type of disrespect
I was staring back at him, but felt disrespected.


If I could throw a bat at him, it'd be aimin' at his neck
I was so angry that I wanted to hurt him.


I never understood someone beggin' for goods
I never understood why people beg for things.


Askin' for handouts, takin' it if they could
I thought people begged and took what they could.


And this particular person just had it down pat
This man knew how to beg well.


Starin' at me for the longest until he finally asked
He stared at me for a long time before asking.


Have you ever opened up Exodus 14?
He asked me if I knew a specific passage from the Bible.


A humble man is all that we ever need
He was trying to teach me the importance of humility.


Guilt trippin' and feelin' resentment
I feel guilty and resentful.


I never met a transient that demanded attention
I have never seen a homeless person demand attention.


They got me frustrated, indecisive and power trippin'
He made me feel frustrated and unsure of myself.


Sour emotions got me lookin' at the universe different
I started to feel negative emotions and view the world differently.


I should distance myself, I should keep it relentless
I should avoid situations like this in the future.


My selfishness is what got me here, who the fuck I'm kiddin'?
I realize that my own selfishness and choices have led me to this moment.


So I'ma tell you like I told the last bum, crumbs and pennies
I told the homeless man that I only had a little bit of money.


I need all of mines, and I recognize this type of panhandlin' all the time
I need to keep what little money I have, and I recognize begging when I see it.


I got better judgement, I know when nigga's hustlin'
I have good judgement and can tell when someone is trying to manipulate me.


Keep in mind, when I was strugglin', I did compromise
I remember when I was struggling and had to make compromises.


Now I comprehend, I smell grandpa's old medicine
I understand things better now and can relate to older generations.


Reekin' from your skin, moonshine and gin
He smelled of alcohol.


Nigga your babblin', your words ain't flatterin', I'm imaginin'
I didn't like what he was saying to me.


Denzel but lookin' at O'Neal, Kazaam is sad
He was making a comparison between me and two different actors.


Thrills, your gimmick is mediocre, the jig is up
He called me out on being fake and said I was exposed.


I seen you from a mile away losin' focus
He knew that I was easily distracted and losing focus.


And I'm insensitive, and I lack empathy
He called me insensitive and lacking in empathy.


He looked at me and said, 'Your potential is bittersweet'
He said that I have potential, but it comes with drawbacks.


I looked at him and said, 'Every nickel is mines to keep'
I told him that I wanted to keep all the money I had.


He looked at me and said, 'Know the truth, it'll set you free'
He gave me some advice about the truth.


You're lookin' at the Messiah, the son of Jehova, the higher power
He claimed to be the Messiah and a higher power.


The choir that spoke the word, the Holy Spirit, the nerve
He used religious language to describe himself.


Of Nazareth, and I'll tell you just how much a dollar cost
He identified himself as being from Nazareth, and said he can tell me what a dollar is worth.


The price of having a spot in Heaven, embrace your loss, I am God
He said that the cost of getting into heaven is high, and that he is God.


I wash my hands, I said my grace, what more do you want from me?
I feel like I have done what I can.


Tears of a clown, guess I'm not all what is meant to be
I feel like I am not living up to expectations.


Shades of grey will never change if I condone
Things won't get better if I simply accept them as they are.


Turn this page, help me change, to right my wrongs
I want to turn over a new leaf and do better in the future.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., Royalty Network, Missing Link Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James Edward II Fauntleroy, Kendrick Duckworth, Josef Leimberg, Terrace Jahmal Martin, Rose Ann Mckinney, Ronald Isley, Rose McKinney, Terrace Martin, James Fauntleroy

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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