All For Us
Labrinth & Zendaya Lyrics
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I'm taking it all
Taking it all for us
Oh, I'm doing it all for love
I'm doing it all
Doing it all for love
Taking it all for us, all
Yeah-eah, yeah-eah
Too much in my system (famine, famine)
Money MIA (pockets hella empty)
Mama making ends meet (making ends meet)
Working like a slave (Mississippi, ay, ay)
Daddy ain't at home, no (father, father)
Gotta be a man (Michael Corleone)
Do it for my homegrowns (sisters, brothers)
Do it for the fam (yeah, so tell 'em, Labby)
Ay (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Just for your love, yeah, I'll (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Give you the world (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Mona Lisa's smile (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Hey (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Hell, I'll do twenty-five to life (oh, oh, oh, oh)
If it makes me a king (oh, oh, oh, oh)
A star in your eyes (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Guilty or innocent
My love is infinite, I'm giving it
No need for prisoners
Bitch, please, hands up
This is a stickup, 'cause I'm
Hey, yeah
I'm taking it
Yeah-eah
I'm taking it all for us, all
Doing it all for love
Yeah-eah, yeah-eah
Guess you figured my two times two
Always equates to one
Dreamers are selfish
When it all comes down to it
I hope one of you come back
To remind me of who I was
When I go disappear
Into that good night
(Good night, good night, good night, good night)
I'm taking it all for us, all
Doing it all for love
Yeah-eah, yeah-eah
The lyrics of "All For Us" by Labrinth and Zendaya may be interpreted as an ode to unconditional love and sacrifice. The singer expresses their willingness to give everything, from material possessions to personal freedom, for the sake of their loved ones. They refer to the difficulties and hardships that they and their family face, such as financial struggles, absent parents, and societal expectations of manhood, but they remain determined to overcome them. They view their love as infinite and all-encompassing, indifferent to the judgment of others. Even if they have to go to extreme lengths, such as going to jail or dying, to prove their love, they will do it gladly.
In many ways, the lyrics can be seen as a commentary on the cultural and political climate of the present, where people are divided by race, gender, and class. The singer is aware of these divisions but chooses to reject them in favor of something more meaningful and fulfilling, which is love. Through their words, they urge others to do the same and to join them in creating a more inclusive and compassionate world.
Line by Line Meaning
Taking it all for us
Going to the extreme in order to provide for us
Taking it all
Going all in, with everything he's got
Taking it all for us
Doing everything possible to ensure our future
Doing it all for love
Putting in all the effort because of his deep affection for us
Doing it all
Working hard on every aspect of his life
Doing it all for love
Working hard because of the love he has for us
Taking it all for us, oh
Sacrificing everything for our benefit
Doing it all for love
Giving his all because of his love for us
Too much in my system (famine, famine)
Drinking too much and dealing with the consequences
Money MIA (pockets hella empty)
Being broke and struggling financially
Mama making ends meet (making ends meet)
His mother struggling to put food on the table
Working like a slave (Mississippi, ay, ay)
Working very hard, like a slave in the fields of Mississippi
Daddy ain't at home, no (father, father)
Growing up without a father figure in his life
Gotta be a man (Michael Corleone)
Having to step up and be the man of the house, like Michael Corleone from The Godfather
Do it for my homegrowns (sisters, brothers)
Doing everything for his family, including his siblings
Do it for the fam (yeah, so tell 'em, Labby)
Putting in all the hard work for the sake of his family
Just for your love, yeah, I'll (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Doing anything for the love of his life
Give you the world (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Willing to go to any lengths to make her happy
Mona Lisa's smile (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Her smile is so beautiful, like the Mona Lisa
Hell, I'll do twenty-five to life (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
He would do anything for her, even if it means spending most of his life in jail
If it makes me your king (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Willing to be her king, and anything else she wants him to be
A star in your eyes (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Wants her to see him as the best thing she's ever had, like a shining star in her eyes
Guilty or innocent
Regardless of his faults or past mistakes
My love is infinite, I'm giving it
His love for her knows no bounds and he will always give it to her
No need for prisoners
There's no room for hesitation, just give it your all
Bitch, please, hands up
Giving the listener orders to raise their hands
This is a stickup, 'cause I'm
Asserting dominance and control over the situation
Guess you figured my two times two
Assuming the listener has figured out something that he has not
Always equates to one
Referring to a mathematical equation- that his two parts always make one whole
Dreamers are selfish
Acknowledging that he is selfish for pursuing his dreams, but making no apologies for it
When it all comes down to it
Ultimately, when the big picture is viewed
I hope one of you come back
Hoping that someone from his past will come back and remind him of his roots
To remind me of who I was
Wanting to stay grounded and stay connected to his roots
When I go disappear
When he dies or fades away
Into that good night
Referencing the famous poem- that he may die, but at least he'll go into it with a sense of peace
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Timothy Lee McKenzie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@santiagorodriguez288
ALL FOR US LYRICS EXPLAINED:
In general, the song is about Rue's addiction. Rue is the protagonist in this song, and drugs are the enemy of this protagonist.
The verses "taking it all for us, doing it all for love" have 2 meanings, depending on whether the choir (which represents drugs) or Rue is singing.
When the drugs (the chorus) say "taking it all for us" they are referring to how Rue takes the drug. When they say "doing it all for love" they mean that Rue takes the drug because of the "love" she has for them. Clearly that it´s not love, it´s addiction. It's not good for her, and she knows it, but because of her addiction she can't contain herself and takes the drugs.
When only Rue says the verses, it´s when she lets us know that she is " taking it" (or putting up with) her addictions for her loved ones and for herself, and she is doing it because of the love she has for them.
Now I will explain my theory of what each verse means (this last scene and this song have a lot of content)
|| Too much in my system (famine, famine)
Here Rue lets us know that she was very eager or very hungry to take drugs, and she probably overdosed.
|| Money MIA (pockets hella empty). Mama making ends meet (making ends meet) working like a slave (Mississippi, ay, ay)
Rue's mother has 2 jobs since Rue's father became sick, so it is clear that the effort she is putting into keeping the family going and continuing to be financially stable is impressive, that' s why Rue says she works like a slave. Now, what does "mississippi" mean in all this? Well, relating Mississippi to slavery in this verse is just a historical reference, because Mississippi is the U.S. state that took the longest to abolish slavery.
|| Daddy ain't at home, no (father, father)
Rue´s father died, that´s why she says he´s not at home.
|| Gotta be a man (Michael Corleone)
When Rue says "gotta be a man" she means that, like all humans, her father was unfortunately going to die one day. This shows that Rue really misses her father. In fact, just when Rue says the phrase "gotta be a man" her father (which Rue is imagining) grabs her.
Michael Corleone is a character in the film The Godfather. This character cared a lot about his family and gave everything for them. That connects with the next verse of the song:
|| Do it for my homegrowns (sisters, brothers), do it for the fam.
Rue imagines that she sees her father again. He tells her indirectly that it´s not yet her time to die (because he grabs her first and then releases her), that she must fix her life, and that she must do it for her family.
|| Just for your love, yeah, I'll give you the world. Mona Lisa´s smile.
Rue tries to tell us that she would do the impossible (impossible as the Mona Lisa's smile) for the love of her family.
INCISE: The "OH's" that the choir sings, represent drugs tormenting Rue's life and thoughts.
|| Hell, I'll do twenty-five to life if it makes me your king. A star in your eyes.
This verse reinforces the previous. No matter what sacrifices she makes, if they make her a better person it will be worth it.
|| Guilty or innocent, my love is infinite. I'm giving it. No need for prisoners. Bitch please hands up, this is a stickup.
This is a metaphor for drugs trying to convince Rue not to let them go, and doesn't matter whether she feels guilty or innocent about it. Of course, in the most ironic way possible (if you notice this line it´s only sung by the chorus, which symbolizes the drugs in the scene, because they carry it around and basically don't let her go). The love of her family is infinite and, also, drugs do make you a prisoner.
Drugs really have nothing to defend themselves with, they have no arguments to convince Rue after all she has been through, and that´s why they finally say to Rue "hands up, this is a stickup", referring to the fact that drugs will steal the love she could give to her loved ones.
|| Guess you figured my two times two always equates to one
Rue makes an assumption: Her family believes that she never stopped drugging, even though she told them otherwise, since, as I said at the beginning, she fell into another overdose (that's why 2x2=1, it's like a metaphor for her being drugged because clearly 2x2 is not 1 lol).
|| Dreamers are selfish
Many people relate it to Jules, but I think Rue says it to herself. Her dream is to be clean and finally be happy with her family and herself. But, even so, to have at least one joy for a second she takes drugs, and so she calls herself selfish. This theory takes strength when we see the scene. Just when Rue says "dreamers are selfish" she throws herself into the chorus, which as I have said several times, represents drugs.
|| When it all comes down to it
When she says "When it all comes down to it" she means "when i wake up in the hospital" because it is most probable, as i said before, that she has overdosed, and if so, it´s most logical to think that she will wake up in a hospital.
This theory takes strength thanks to what is heard after the song ends in the last chapter of the first season: if you remember, at the beginning of the last chapter, when Rue is in the hospital because of her renal infection, she tells us that at night, when everyone is asleep, she closes her eyes in the hospital room and imagines that the little beeps are sounds of birds and that the warm air coming out of the duct is a warm breeze. Well, this is precisely what you hear after "All For Us" ends; sounds of birds and a breeze. She says it in this unclear way because she doesn't feel proud of what is happening, so in order not to feel so bad with herself she expresses it that way.
|| I hope one of you come back to remind me of who I was when I go disappear into that good night
Rue is requesting this of her loved ones. She says she "disappears" because, as I said before, she overdosed. She says that is a "good night" because the drugs make her feel """good""".
That´s my theory. I hope you like it :)
@RoyalVibesOfficial
What do you guys think of this collab between Labrinth and Zendaya?
We love it! ❤️
@btsislifeyallifeellikeapro7193
Love it 💗
@tieishierwhite2718
Awesome
@emoji934
It's amazing
@dayolivrr936
I loved the song 😍
@notdestinedotps329
Adore it😍
@s08184
their voices go so well together
@po1sonivy
Fr
@shaniasworld4934
@@po1sonivy happy pride month
@po1sonivy
@@shaniasworld4934 thank you:)!