No Lights
King Gordy Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Intro]
How y'all doin ladies and gentlemen?
My name is King Barry Gordy
And... I have a story for y'all
You know somebody that went through it
I don't care where you from...
East, West, midwest, South, please listen
[Chorus]
Momma why we ain't got no lights?
Why you and auntie fight over a pipe?
Why all these roaches at night?
Why my uncle always come and steal every thing in sight?
Why different guys pick up my sister every day of her life?
Why my brother in the streets always blazing that indo?
Why they sellin crack and blowin up your basement window?
Momma why you send me to school dirty and never clean?
I'm gettin teased cause my clothes smell like kerosene

[Verse 1]
I see my breath in my own house
I notice the eviction notice on the door so I guess we finna get thrown out
Momma please pay the rent when your next check come
She can barely spit out a word cause her mouth is so numb
And big brother I can't believe you
You ridin in cars with these two
and you know we need food
You sellin 'cane outta here
drunk felons hang out in here
You ain't hearing things loud and clear, is you?
You know momma can't take care of us
Face it nigga, you our parents, bro
Cause all our sister want to do is do her hair and fuck
She's the neighborhood rat, all the homies hit it
All the hood niggaz hit it, started yellin at the trick
Me and her don't even hit it
Her conversation strictly money and niggaz
So she just be senseless
Never though a nigga life would ever be this bold
I shouldn't even be seeing this shit, just ten years old

[Chorus]
Momma why we ain't got no lights?
Why you and auntie fight over a pipe?
Why all these roaches at night?
Why my uncle always come and steal every thing in sight?
Why different guys pick up my sister every day of her life?
Why my brother in the streets always blazing that indo?
Why they sellin crack and blowin up your basement window?
Momma why you send me to school dirty and never clean?
I'm gettin teased cause my clothes smell like kerosene

[Verse 2]
My brother's locked up now a nigga really out here
Going to school mad as hell cause I ain't got no gear
Man, I'm fired up
Don't even know the last time I had a haircut
G, is you feelin me? But I'm gettin suspended
Cause I'm always gettin defensive
Feelin offended, swinging on classmates in an instant
Often walking home crying cause my pride is dead
So much pain in society gone take time to heal it
On my way home from school prayin to lord almighty
that when I get to school no one's gon be fittin to be fightin
We'll just leave that shit alone and maybe we'll be alright
But I'll never be ok, there's to much drugs and violence
I see my auntie and here husband move they stuff in
My mommy, what happened to her friend's checks that she does her drugs wit
And when her credit is gone and all the money is out
my uncle leave and take all his stuff out the house

[Chorus]
Momma why we ain't got no lights?
Why you and auntie fight over a pipe?
Why all these roaches at night?
Why my uncle always come and steal every thing in sight?
Why different guys pick up my sister every day of her life?
Why my brother in the streets always blazing that indo?
Why they sellin crack and blowin up your basement window?
Momma why you send me to school dirty and never clean?
I'm gettin teased cause my clothes smell like kerosene

[Verse 3]
My sisters pregnant with her third baby in three years
I'm 13, my mom's still a dope fiend
My brother's outta the pen saying he'll stay clean
No weed or dope sellin, gettin a job wit no felon
Two days later when I see him this shit was so funny
Watch him half kill a friend cause the bitch owe him money
My momma and auntie takin blows in the kitchen
Beefin over a piece of a nickel that came up missin
My uncle all in my brother room, grabbin all his stuff
Uncle when you come home, you know he fuckin you up
But what really fucked up, my sister got me babysitting
I acting like I don't know the bitch like she's just some trick
My brother got caught in the crackhouse, they gave him five
Keep lockin him up lord, just don't take his life




In the end you thought I'd be some thing but I'm not
I'm 18 years old, sellin my momma rocks

Overall Meaning

In King Gordy's song "No Lights," he tells the story of a young boy growing up in poverty-stricken conditions in which his family struggles to make ends meet. The lyrics explore the boy's confusion and despair as he sees his mother struggle with addiction and his older siblings turn to drug dealing and other dangerous activities to try and help the family survive. The chorus of the song highlights the various struggles that the boy faced, such as not having electricity in their home, his brother constantly smoking weed and his sister having different men pick her up every day.


Gordy uses vivid and honest language in his lyrics to communicate the boy's pain and trauma. In the first verse, he expresses how the boy cannot even breathe without seeing his own breath in his own house, and worries about being evicted. Additionally, the young boy has to deal with his sister being called a "rat" and being teased at school due to smelling like kerosene.


In the final verse, as the boy grows older, he also falls victim to the lifestyle that he despised. He gives in to drug dealing like his older brother, selling rocks to his own mother. The song's honest portrayal of the realities of poverty and its negative effects on families is an emotive and storytelling masterpiece.


Line by Line Meaning

How y'all doin ladies and gentlemen?
King Gordy greets the audience.


My name is King Barry Gordy
King Gordy introduces himself.


And... I have a story for y'all
King Gordy states his intention to tell a story.


You know somebody that went through it
King Gordy connects with the audience.


I don't care where you from...
King Gordy emphasizes that this story is universal.


East, West, midwest, South, please listen
King Gordy addresses the entire United States.


Momma why we ain't got no lights?
The singer questions why the household has no electricity.


Why you and auntie fight over a pipe?
The artist questions why his mother and aunt argue over a drug pipe.


Why all these roaches at night?
The artist questions why there are many roaches in the house at night.


Why my uncle always come and steal every thing in sight?
The artist questions why his uncle takes everything in the house.


Why different guys pick up my sister every day of her life?
The singer questions why multiple men come to pick up his sister every day.


Why my brother in the streets always blazing that indo?
The artist questions why his brother smokes marijuana in public.


Why they sellin crack and blowin up your basement window?
The singer questions why people sell drugs and cause damage to their home.


Momma why you send me to school dirty and never clean?
The singer questions why his mother does not prioritize keeping him clean.


I'm gettin teased cause my clothes smell like kerosene
The singer is bullied because his clothes have a bad smell.


I see my breath in my own house
The house is so cold that the artist can see his own breath.


I notice the eviction notice on the door so I guess we finna get thrown out
The artist sees a notice on the door stating they will be evicted.


Momma please pay the rent when your next check come
The singer's mother is asked to pay the rent with her next paycheck.


She can barely spit out a word cause her mouth is so numb
The mother is too high to speak clearly.


And big brother I can't believe you
The artist expresses disapproval towards his older brother.


You ridin in cars with these two
The brother is driving with suspicious people.


and you know we need food
The family is hungry.


You sellin 'cane outta here
The brother sells cocaine from the house.


drunk felons hang out in here
Dangerous individuals are present in the house.


You ain't hearing things loud and clear, is you?
The brother is not listening to reason.


You know momma can't take care of us
The singer acknowledges that his mother cannot take care of them.


Face it nigga, you our parents, bro
The brother is expected to act as the parent.


Cause all our sister want to do is do her hair and fuck
The sister engages in promiscuous behavior and cares only about her appearance.


She's the neighborhood rat, all the homies hit it
The sister is promiscuous with many men in the neighborhood.


All the hood niggaz hit it, started yellin at the trick
The men she's been with fight over her.


Me and her don't even hit it
The singer does not have sexual relations with his sister.


Her conversation strictly money and niggaz
The sister only talks about money and men.


So she just be senseless
The sister is shallow and lacks good judgement.


Never though a nigga life would ever be this bold
The artist did not anticipate living such a difficult life.


I shouldn't even be seeing this shit, just ten years old
The singer is too young to witness such behavior.


My brother's locked up now a nigga really out here
The artist's brother is in jail, and he feels alone.


Going to school mad as hell cause I ain't got no gear
The singer is angry that he does not have nice clothes for school.


Man, I'm fired up
The singer is passionate about this issue.


Don't even know the last time I had a haircut
The singer has not had a haircut in a long time.


G, is you feelin me?
The artist asks his friend if he understands his struggle.


But I'm gettin suspended
The artist is getting in trouble at school.


Cause I'm always gettin defensive
The singer is quick to become defensive.


Feelin offended, swinging on classmates in an instant
The singer fights with his classmates when he feels attacked.


Often walking home crying cause my pride is dead
The artist is often sad and embarrassed about his situation.


So much pain in society gone take time to heal it
The artist acknowledges that society has many problems that will take time to fix.


On my way home from school prayin to lord almighty
The artist prays for a better life.


that when I get to school no one's gon be fittin to be fightin
The singer hopes there will not be any fights at school.


We'll just leave that shit alone and maybe we'll be alright
The artist hopes that everyone can get along.


But I'll never be ok, there's to much drugs and violence
The singer doubts that he will ever feel safe and secure in his environment.


I see my auntie and here husband move they stuff in
The singer's Aunt and her partner are moving in.


My mommy, what happened to her friend's checks that she does her drugs wit
The singer wonders what happened to his mother's friend's financial assistance.


And when her credit is gone and all the money is out
When the mother has no more money left and her credit runs out,


my uncle leave and take all his stuff out the house
The uncle takes his belongings and leaves the house.


My sisters pregnant with her third baby in three years
The singer's sister is pregnant again.


I'm 13, my mom's still a dope fiend
The singer's mother still struggles with addiction.


My brother's outta the pen saying he'll stay clean
The artist's brother promises to stay sober after leaving jail.


No weed or dope sellin, gettin a job wit no felon
The brother is attempting to reform himself and get a job.


Two days later when I see him this shit was so funny
The brother's attempt at reform was short-lived.


Watch him half kill a friend cause the bitch owe him money
The brother is violent towards someone who owes him money.


My momma and auntie takin blows in the kitchen
The mother and aunt are having a physical fight in the kitchen.


Beefin over a piece of a nickel that came up missin
The argument was over a small amount of money.


My uncle all in my brother room, grabbin all his stuff
The uncle is stealing his nephew's belongings.


Uncle when you come home, you know he fuckin you up
The singer warns the uncle that his brother will fight him when he returns home.


But what really fucked up, my sister got me babysitting
The artist is upset that he has to babysit for his promiscuous sister.


I acting like I don't know the bitch like she's just some trick
The artist pretends to not know his sister.


My brother got caught in the crackhouse, they gave him five
The singer's brother was caught selling drugs.


Keep lockin him up lord, just don't take his life
The singer wants his brother to be punished but not harmed.


In the end you thought I'd be some thing but I'm not
The artist reflects on his life.


I'm 18 years old, sellin my momma rocks
The artist has turned to selling drugs.




Lyrics © ASSET DISTRIBUTION, LLC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@MrBarborosa

Most underrated/underappreciated song ever

@cassper2662

Just so you know Jesus listens to this

@dustinmartin3549

Bout time someone re uploaded

@ItsJustRoseLove

Yesssss but I need it on Spotify so I can click out on my phone lol.

@ItsJustRoseLove

I actually wrote a short story back in high school that was like a mixture of 'No Lights' and the novel 'The House on Mango Street' about a girl whose mom is an addict, she meets a girl in school who speaks mostly Spanish and they communicate at first through note passing. The friend was pregnant with her son and the baby's father was violent so they run away together. Never got past the first couple chapters though.

@dustinmartin3549

@Rose M sounds awesome, you should try to finish or rewrite it 🙌🙌

@ryanpayne5758

@@rosem802 sounds good

@sethkern7268

They don’t want the public to know. They need to know

@dudebro8811

Thank you so much

@Nightmarez3130

No problem

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