Til The War Is Won
Nas Lyrics

You know I love you different, my queen, my mother, sister
The singer loves the women in his life deeply and holds them in high regard.

Protect you with my life, let's deconstruct the myth, uh
The singer is willing to do anything to protect the women in his life, and he wants to break down the harmful myths surrounding gender roles and expectations.

You just depressed a bit, and only good for sexin' with you
The singer recognizes that society unfairly devalues women who are struggling with mental health issues or only values them for sexual purposes, and wants to challenge these harmful beliefs.

Let's dismantle that, it's a man you lack
The artist believes that women don't need men to fulfill their lives and wants to empower them.

You don't need us, you could handle that
The artist believes in the strength and resilience of women and wants to support them in their independence.

Let's see where the black family at
The singer wants to promote and strengthen black families, which he believes can be a powerful force for change.

We need each other, with bad tempers, we defeat each other
The singer believes that the community needs to come together in order to combat the issues it faces, and that infighting and anger only hold people back.

Single mothers, my heart's bleeding for you
The artist has empathy for the struggles that single mothers face and wants to show his support.

These coward men, that were beating on you (never me)
The artist condemns the abusive behavior of some men and wants to make it clear that he does not share those beliefs or actions.

Let's silence them, with a silencer
The artist wants to put a stop to the abuse and violence against women, using a metaphorical silencer to quiet those who perpetrate it.

For the violence of relationships
The singer specifically refers to the violence that can occur within intimate relationships, and wants to put an end to it.

Hold your head up, don't take that shit, run away from it
The artist encourages women to stand up for themselves, leave abusive situations, and to never accept or tolerate mistreatment.

I shoulda ran away myself, the amount of pain I was dealt
The singer recognizes that he too has faced pain in his life and wishes he had left his difficult situation earlier.

And I'm a man, my job is to help
The singer believes that as a man, it is his duty to support and empower women.

Single parent home, came up, now the man is grown
The singer grew up in a single parent home and has now become an adult himself.

Mom's gone, pop's here, wish God reversed the roles
The artist's mother has passed away, and he wishes that his father had been the one to leave instead.

Sometimes witnessin' the most foulest things would arouse us
The artist was exposed to a lot of horrible things growing up, and sometimes it made him feel numb or desensitized to further negativity.

We became numb like pure 'caine on the tongue
The singer uses a metaphor to describe how the negativity he witnessed had a numbing effect on him, similar to the way cocaine can desensitize and numb the tongue.

To the pains from economical strains
The singer has experienced economic hardship and recognizes how it can cause pain and strife in life.

2020 flows, everything getting exposed (exposed)
The artist is acknowledging the changes happening in 2020 and the exposure of deeply ingrained issues in society.

Who ready to let it go? All the grudges we hold (uh)
The artist wants people to let go of past grudges and come together to make positive changes for the future.

These laws made to slaughter us (damn)
The artist recognizes the ways in which laws and policies can harm black people.

I was servin' out my mama crib, she ain't know about it (she ain't know about it)
The singer was involved in illegal activity as a young person, and his mother was not aware of his actions.

Complaining about my rent, but I know my mama got me (my mama got me)
The artist is grateful for his mother's support, even when he was struggling to make ends meet.

University of the streets, I ain't plan on going to college (oh yeah)
The singer did not plan on going to college and instead learned about life through the school of hard knocks.

Better hold your head, I know it don't feel fair
The singer acknowledges that life can feel unfair but encourages people to stay strong and keep going.

Black-on-black crime, they still do it to whoever (whoever)
The singer recognizes the problem of violence within the black community and that it affects everyone, regardless of their background or status.

Talking to the trenches, we just gotta do better (do better)
The artist wants to communicate with those who are struggling and marginalized (the trenches) and encourage them to strive for change and improvement.

I'm talking where we from, we carry MACs, but no computers (no computers)
The artist is referencing the prevalence of guns and violence in his community, but also the lack of access to modern technology and education.

She do the best to raise our young
The singer acknowledges the hard work and sacrifices that mothers make in raising their children.

Ooh, she independent and she don't depend on no one
The singer admires women who are independent and self-reliant.

Women, stop chasing your man away
The artist wants women to recognize their worth and not to tolerate men who treat them poorly.

Men, stop acting crazy, chasing your woman away
The artist is addressing men and encouraging them not to behave destructively or abusively towards women.

We all we have 'til the war is won, baby
The artist believes that the community has to come together and support one another in order to overcome the challenges they face.