Broken
Madlib Lyrics

Yeah, Allah the merciful, the beneficent
Acknowledging the mercy and goodness of God

Curse over blessing, pray it be heaven sent
Preferring curses over blessings and hoping for divine intervention

Forgive me, my dirty deeds was desperate
Asking for forgiveness for past desperate actions

Fuck the government, I got my own deficit
Disregarding the government and acknowledging personal financial struggles

Death to me the only thing that's definite
Recognizing that death is the only certainty in life

Money rule the world, but when you dead that shit's irrelevant
Acknowledging the importance of money in the world, but ultimately recognizing its irrelevance after death

Fingers numb from coka selling, no vote, but out for presidents
Numbing of the fingers from drug dealing, not participating in voting but still seeking power like presidents

Granny found my dope, I told her I would stop for selling it
Grandmother finds drugs and the artist makes an empty promise to stop selling them

Nigga please, she knew I was lying before I even spoke it
Grandmother saw through the artist's lies before he even spoke them

Empty promises left them all broken
The artist's broken promises have disappointed those affected by them

She said Jamel, I can tell your perspective out of focus
Grandmother comments on the singer's distorted perspective

You too obsessed with the liquor, bitches and weed smoking
Grandmother points out the artist's unhealthy obsessions

A young nigga that's been thugging since the old days
The singer has been involved in criminal activity since a young age

Promise I've done seen everything but old age
Despite being young, the singer feels like they have seen everything

Pray my demons never catch up from my old ways
The singer hopes their past doesn't come back to haunt them

Keep the heat cause I was going through a cold phase
Carrying a weapon because the artist was going through a rough period

Surviving off cold cuts and cold Spam
The artist is surviving off of cheap and low-quality food

Can't see eye to eye with my old man
The singer doesn't have a good relationship with their father

Hiding my insecurities with this gang flag
The singer uses a gang flag to hide their insecurities

We both despise the police, but he wore the same badge
The artist and their father both hate the police, but the father used to be a police officer

And as I child I admired that, now I wonder how
The artist used to look up to their father's job, but now questions his occupation

He was a pig, but you was barely making 20 thou
The father was a corrupt police officer who didn't make much money

I guess that's why you put me on that lick for 20 pounds
The father taught the singer how to steal

A life of crime is all we ever shared from then to now
The artist and their father only have a shared history of criminal activity

And I'm a crook and you crooked, that's all we got in common
The singer and their father only share their criminal tendencies

He chunked the deuce to my mama, so much for family bonding
The father split up with the singer's mother, showing a lack of familial attachment

But how could something so destined to be just get demolished?
The singer reflects on how something that seemed destined to work out ended up failing

Running through groupies and whoppers, I guess I got it honest
The artist is following in their father's promiscuous footsteps

And honestly I know I'm out here fucking up
The artist is aware of their mistakes and wrongful behavior

Seven grams of rock, I stuff 'em in my nuts
The singer hides drugs in their pants

And seven bucks an hour wasn't good enough
The singer didn't feel satisfied with their previous job's wage

Cause seven days a week I'm living in a rush
The artist is constantly on the go and feeling rushed

It's mandatory for me to live
The artist feels like hustling is necessary for survival

I hustle harder than the next dude
The artist hustles more aggressively than others

Remember, everybody is out to get you
The singer feels like everyone is their enemy

Niggas don't respect to live and let live
The artist feels like people don't have mutual respect and understanding

So I pack a .40 caliber 'cause that's how shit is
The singer carries a gun for self-defense

Out here, no fear, fuck feelings
The singer is fearless and doesn't care about emotions

Trigger man rule, that's the art of drug dealing
The singer follows the rule of violent aggression in the drug trade

I'm trying to stack my money to the ceiling
The artist is working to accumulate a lot of money

No new friends, don't wanna talk about old business
The artist doesn't want new friends and doesn't want to discuss past experiences

Sex on the beach, sipping Guinness
The singer enjoys sexual experiences on the beach while drinking Guinness beer

With a bitch so thick she can't take no dick
The singer is with a woman who is unable to handle sexual penetration

Imagine working grave-yard shifts
The artist imagines how difficult it would be to work overnight shifts

Lost friends steady talking that shit
The artist has lost friends who constantly gossip about them

A million a day is for minimum wage
A million dollars a day is what the artist considers the minimum wage for themselves

Work a nigga like a slave 'til he put him in his grave
The singer is willing to work others to death for their own benefit

Frail moments, same page
The artist experiences moments of weakness but is still on the same path