The Heart Part 5
Kendrick Lamar Lyrics

As I get a little older, I realize life is perspective
As I age and gain more experience, I come to understand that life is subjective

And my perspective may differ from yours
And my point of view may not align with yours

I wanna say thank you to everyone that's been down with me
I express gratitude to all those who have supported me

All my fans, all my beautiful fans
Including all my dedicated and amazing fans

Anyone who's ever gave me a listen, all my people
Anyone who has taken the time to listen to my music, all my supporters

I come from a generation of pain, where murder is minor
I come from a generation where experiencing pain is common, where murder is seen as insignificant

Rebellious and Margielas'll chip you for designer
Being rebellious, people are willing to harm others for designer items like Margielas

Belt buckles and clout, overzealous if prone to violence
People value flashy accessories and social status, and are overly aggressive if they have a predisposition to violence

Make the wrong turn, be it will or the wheel alignment
If you make a mistake or your life veers in the wrong direction, whether by choice or through uncontrollable circumstances

Residue burned, mist of the inner-city
The remnants of destruction and chaos in the inner city

Miscommunication to keep homi' detective busy
Lack of effective communication leads to detectives investigating homicides, always busy with solving crimes

No protection is risky
Lack of protection puts one at risk

Desensitized, I vandalized pain
Due to becoming numb from constant exposure to pain, I have become destructive towards it

Covered up and camouflaged
Hiding behind disguises and blending in with the crowd

Get used to hearin' arsenal rain
Becoming accustomed to the sound of gunfire and violence

Analyze, risk your life, take the charge
Analyzing situations to determine whether it's worth risking your life, and being willing to accept the consequences

Homies done fucked your baby mama once you hit the yard, that's culture
Your friends will sleep with your significant other once you enter prison, and that's considered part of the culture

Twenty-three hour lockdown, then somebody called
Being confined to a cell for 23 hours a day, then receiving a phone call

Said your lil' nephew was shot down, the culture's involved
Informing you that your young nephew was killed due to the influence of the street culture

I done seen niggas do seventeen, hit the halfway house
I have witnessed people serving seventeen years in prison and then transitioning to a halfway house

Get out and get his brains blown out, lookin' to buy some weed
Only to be killed soon after release while searching for drugs

Car wash is played out, new GoFundMe accounts'll proceed
Traditional car wash fundraisers are outdated; now people create GoFundMe accounts to raise money

A brand-new victim'll shatter those dreams, the culture
A fresh victim will ruin any hope for success, as dictated by the culture

(I want, I want, I want, I want)
Expressing desires and wants repeatedly

But I want you to want me too (I want, I want, I want, I want)
But I also hope that you have a desire for me in return

I want the hood to want me back (I want, I want, I want, I want)
I want the community I come from, the 'hood', to appreciate and support me in the same way

I want the hood
I desire the love and respect of my neighborhood

Look what I done for you (look what I done for you)
Reflecting upon the positive contributions I have made to the community

I said I'd do this for my culture
I promised to use my platform and music to represent and uplift my culture

To let y'all know what a nigga look like in a bulletproof Rover
To showcase the image of a successful Black man driving a bulletproof SUV

In my mama's sofa was a doo-doo popper
I used to hide a gun in the cushions of my mother's couch

Hair trigger, walk up closer, ain't no Photoshoppin'
I have a quick temper, and if you approach me too closely, there's no editing or manipulation of the situation

Friends bipolar, grab you by your pockets
My friends can be unreliable and unpredictable, they may even steal from you

No option if you froze up, always play the offense
If you hesitate or become paralyzed with fear, there's no alternative but to be on the offensive

Niggas goin' to work and sellin' work, late for work
People are balancing legal jobs and illegal activities, often making them late for their regular job

Workin' late, prayin' for work, but he on paperwork
Working overtime, hoping for more illegal opportunities, but instead being under surveillance

That's the culture, point the finger, promote ya
That's the way things are in this culture, people are quick to place blame on others and boost their own image

Remote location, witness protection, they gon' hold ya
Being relocated to a distant place, where you'll be in witness protection because your life is in danger

The streets got me fucked up, y'all can miss me
The streets have negatively impacted my mental state, I don't care about your opinions

I wanna represent for us
I want to be a representative for our community and culture

New revolution was up and movin'
There is a new movement for change and revolution happening

I'm in Argentina wiping my tears full of confusion
I find myself in Argentina, feeling confused and emotional

Water in between us, another peer's been executed
Physical distance separates us, and another person from our community has been killed

History repeats again
Once again, history repeats itself

Make amends, then find a nigga with the same skin to do it
We need to reconcile with each other, then find someone with the same ethnicity to continue the cycle

But that's the culture, crack a bottle
But that's how things are in this culture, we celebrate with alcohol

Hard to deal with the pain when you're sober
It's difficult to face the pain and reality of life when you're not under the influence

By tomorrow, we forget the remains, we start over
By the next day, we forget about the hardships we faced and move forward

That's the problem
That's the issue we need to address

Our foundation was trained to accept whatever follows
Our upbringing has conditioned us to simply accept whatever comes next

Dehumanized, insensitive
We are treated as less than human and have become desensitized

Scrutinize the way we live for you and I
Our way of life is constantly scrutinized by society, both for us individually and collectively

Enemies shook my hand, I can promise I'll meet you
Even those who pretended to be friendly will eventually face the consequences of their actions

In the land where no equal is your equal
In a place where those who aren't equal to you can't truly understand your struggles

Never say I ain't told ya, nah
Never claim that I didn't warn you

In the land where hurt people hurt more people
In a place where those who have been hurt go on to hurt others even more

Fuck callin' it culture
I reject labeling this dysfunction as simply 'culture'

(I want, I want, I want, I want)
Expressing desires and wants repeatedly

But I want you to want me too (I want, I want, I want, I want)
But I also hope that you have a desire for me in return

I want the hood to want me back (I want, I want, I want, I want)
I want the community I come from, the 'hood', to appreciate and support me in the same way

I want the hood
I desire the love and respect of my neighborhood

Look what I done for you (look what I done for you)
Reflecting upon the positive contributions I have made to the community

Take the drums out
Remove the drumbeat from the music

Phew, phew
The sound of gunshots

Celebrate new life when it come back around
We should celebrate and appreciate new opportunities and second chances

The purpose is in the lessons we learnin' now
We find our purpose in the lessons we are currently learning

Sacrifice personal gain over everything
Prioritize the greater good and sacrifice personal desires

Just to see the next generation better than ours
In order to witness the next generation surpassing our own accomplishments

I wasn't perfect, the skin I was in had truly suffered
I acknowledge that I am not perfect, and the experiences I have had in my own skin have caused me great pain

Temptation and patience, everything that the body nurtures
Desires and the ability to wait for them to be fulfilled, these are the things our bodies crave

I felt the good, I felt the bad, and I felt the worry
I have experienced both positive and negative emotions, as well as feelings of anxiety

But all-in-all, my productivity had stayed urgent
Despite everything, I have remained focused and driven to be productive

Face your fears, always knew that I would make it here
Confront your fears, I always had confidence that I would achieve success

Where the energy is magnified and persevered
In a place where positive energy is amplified and preserved

Consciousness is synchronized and crystal-clear
Awareness and understanding are in perfect harmony and clarity

Euphoria is glorified and made His
A feeling of intense happiness is praised and attributed to a higher power

Reflectin' on my life and what I done
Contemplating on my life and the actions I have taken

Paid dues, made rules, change outta love
Paid the necessary dues, established my own guidelines, and embraced change out of love for my craft

Them same views made schools change curriculums
My perspectives and ideas have influenced educational institutions to modify their curriculums

But didn't change me starin' down the barrel of that gun
However, these accomplishments did not alter the fact that I have stared down the barrel of a gun

Should I feel resentful I didn't see my full potential?
Should I be bitter that I haven't reached my fullest potential?

Should I feel regret about the good that I was into?
Should I feel remorse about the positive actions I have taken?

Everything is everything, this ain't coincidental
Everything is connected and happens for a reason, this is not a matter of chance

I woke up that mornin' with more heart to give you
I woke up that morning with a renewed determination to give my all to you

As I bleed through the speakers, feel my presence
As my words and emotions are transmitted through the singers, feel my presence

To my brother, to my kids, I'm in Heaven
To my sibling and children, I am now in Heaven

To my mother, to my sis, I'm in Heaven
To my mother and sister, I am now in Heaven

To my father, to my wife, I am serious, this is Heaven
To my father and wife, I am conveying a sincere message, this is Heaven

To my friends, make sure you countin' them blessings
To my friends, be sure to appreciate and acknowledge all the blessings in your lives

To my fans, make sure you make them investments
To my fans, make sure you invest in yourselves and your futures

And to the killer that sped up my demise
And to the person who hastened my death

I forgive you, just know your soul's in question
I forgive you, but understand that your soul is now in doubt

I seen the pain in your pupil when that trigger had squeezed
I witnessed the pain in your eyes when you pulled the trigger

And though you did me gruesome, I was surely relieved
Although you caused me great harm, I felt a sense of relief

I completed my mission, wasn't ready to leave
I fulfilled my purpose, but I wasn't prepared to depart from this world

But fulfilled my days, my Creator was pleased
However, I lived my life to the fullest, and my Creator was satisfied with me

I can't stress how I love y'all
I cannot emphasize enough how much I love all of you

I don't need to be in flesh just to hug y'all
I don't need to be physically present to embrace and show affection to all of you

The memories recollect just because y'all
The memories come flooding back simply because of all of you

Celebrate me with respect
Celebrate and honor me with respect

The unity we protect is above all
The unity we safeguard is more important than anything else

And Sam, I'll be watchin' over you
And Sam, I will be looking after you

Make sure my kids watch all my interviews
Ensure that my children watch all of my interviews

Make sure you live all the dreams we produce
Make sure you fulfill all the dreams and aspirations we created together

Keep that genius in your brain on the move
Continue to nurture and stimulate your intellect

And to my neighborhood, let the good prevail
And to my neighborhood, let positivity and goodness triumph

Make sure them babies and them leaders outta jail
Ensure that the children and potential leaders are kept away from incarceration

Look for salvation when troubles get real
Search for salvation and spiritual deliverance when faced with difficult times

'Cause you can't help the world until you help yourself
Because you cannot positively impact the world until you first take care of yourself

And I can't blame the hood the day that I was killed
And I cannot place blame on the community on the day of my death

Y'all had to see it, that's the only way to feel
You all had to witness it, that's the only way to truly understand and connect with the situation

And though my physical won't reap the benefits
Even though I am no longer alive, I won't experience the positive outcomes

The energy that carry on emits still
The energy and impact I left behind still resonates

I want you
I desire your love and support