Drowning
Mick Jenkins (rapper) Lyrics

We gon' need some drugs for the situation
They need drugs for what's about to happen

Shout out to my plug, its a lituation
Acknowledging the drug dealer for providing the drugs for the situation

Won't we need the litigation
Wondering if they'll need a lawyer

All we ask is ventilation
They just need some fresh air

I can't breathe, I can't breathe
Struggling to breathe

When the real hold you down, you supposed to drown right?
When society oppresses you, you're supposed to suffer and not fight back

Wait, wait, that don't sound right
Realizing that being okay with oppression doesn't make sense

Just wait, one second, that don't sound right
Trying to make sense of the contradiction

I was high and I was startin' to lose focus
Being under the influence was affecting their mental clarity

Then I stumbled in the water, I was trippin', I was chokin'
Being underwater while intoxicated made them feel like they were drowning

Started floatin' way out in the open
Their body was floating aimlessly

'Fore I knew it I was driftin' in the middle of the ocean
They were far away from land, unable to find their way back

Started whalin', started flailin'
Panic and struggle set in as they realized the severity of the situation

I was splashing, waves crashing all around me
The water was rough and violent

Felt the passion of the water
Being engulfed by the water made them feel helpless

Dial tone on my hotline, it don't bling much
Nobody's answering their calls for help

Sing songs like Tubman
Using music to send messages like Harriet Tubman did with the Underground Railroad

Young Stephen Morris, I ain't seen much
Comparing himself to a rookie who hasn't had much experience

Just a couple motherfuckers tryna rape the culture
People trying to exploit the culture for their own gain

Tell the vultures I don't need lunch
They won't let people use them for their own benefit

It's like morse code
The message they want to communicate is complex and indirect

Gotta be in touch to communicate it to the people
They need to have a connection with the audience to share their message

Love heals all
Believing that love is the solution to society's problems

Best get your immunization, that THC
Marijuana is a cure-all for society's ills

So we smoking in here like we fumigating
Smoking so much that it's like they're exterminating pests

For the fuckboys too much truth in me
Their honesty offends people who are insincere

I don't trust niggas
They don't trust anyone

I ain't preaching at you
Their message is not intended to lecture or admonish

I don't touch boys
Asserting that they are not a pedophile

Brought the baggage with me
Carrying their emotional baggage with them

Like a bus boy I don't need tips
Their value is not measured by how much they're tipped

You could see mines
What they think is evident

Rap Genius, you could read mines
Their lyrics are clear and meaningful

In between lines
Their message can be found in the subtext

Yeah they act genius but the way society is set up
People pretend to be knowledgeable but society is misleading

Almost like they read minds
Preempting other people's thoughts and actions

You heard Alchemy, boy I'm Magneto
Their music is transformative and powerful like Magneto from X-Men

They can't read mines
People can't predict what they're going to do

Niggas bark loud
People make a lot of noise without saying anything of substance

Talkin' revolution, when the waves come they turn feline
People talk about change but don't follow through when things get tough

I been turnin' tricks
They have been doing sketchy things to get by

In the coldest part of the deepest water like a sealion, you could see why
They are resilient despite the odds, like a sealion surviving in the harshest conditions

When the real, hold you down, you supposed to drown
Society expects you to give up and suffer instead of fighting back

When the real, oh hold you down, you supposed to drown
Reiterating the idea that society wants you to give up and suffer

I can't breathe I can't breathe no no no no no no no no no no no aw!
Desperately struggling to breathe

Yeah, I can't breathe (I can't breathe with this muhfuckin' flag round my neck)
Struggling to breathe due to an oppressive symbol

Saying, I can't breathe (I can't breathe with this muhfuckin' flag round my neck)
Repeating that the oppressive symbol is suffocating them

Saying, I can't breathe (I can't, I can't breathe with this muhfuckin' flag round my neck)
Continuing to express that they are suffocating due to an oppressive symbol