I Wish
R. Kelly Lyrics

I wish, I wish, I wish
Expressing a deep longing for a particular thing or situation

To every city
To all the cities, across the nation

Every hood
To all the deprived and poor neighborhoods

And every block
To every street corner and every lane of the said neighborhoods

Ghetto America!
Refering to the collective societal problems and issues of poor neighborhoods across America

Rollin' through the hood
Traveling down the street through the poor neighborhoods

Just stopped by to say what's up
Just dropped in to say hello and catch up

And let you know
Inform you of something

Your baby boy ain't doing so tough
I am not doing as well as I'd like to be

And even though you passed
Despite the fact that you've passed away

Going on four long years
It's been almost four long years now

Still waking up late at night crying tears
I still sometimes wake up in the middle of the night crying and feeling sad

Just thinking about those days
Recalling cherished memories from the past

You used to talk to me
You used to have long conversations with me

Smilin' while I'm sippin' on this Hennessey
Drinking Hennessy while remembering good times

And remember we bragged on how rich we would be
Remembering how we used to talk about becoming rich

To get up out this hood was like a fantasy
It seemed like an unrealistic dream to leave the poor neighborhood

And now you hear my songs the radio is bangin'
Now my songs are popular and played on the radio

Oh, I can't believe my ears
Expressing astonishment about the newfound fame

And what everybody's sayin'
Referring to the praise and positive feedback

And boy I'll tell you, folks don't know the half
Saying that people only know a part of the story

I would give it all up, just to take one ride
Meaning R. Kelly would trade his newfound fame and riches to relive the memories of him and his friend again

(With you)
Expressing the desire to relive past moments with a special person in their life

How I used to kick it on the front porch
Reminiscing about the good times they had with friends on the front porch

And how I used to lay back and smoke weed
Remembering times when they laid back and smoked marijuana

And all the little basement party joints we'd do
Referring to the small house parties that they used to have

Now I'm just missing you
Expressing how much the absence of that special person still affects him

How I wish
Expressing a deep longing for a particular thing or situation

I wish that I could hold you now
Expressing a desire to hold the special person again

I wish that I could touch you now
Expressing a desire to touch the special person again

I wish that I could talk to you
Wishing to have a conversation with the special person

Be with you somehow
Expressing a desire to be reunited with the special person

I know you're in a better place
Expressing the belief that the special person is in a better place now

Even though I can't see your face
Even though the special person is not there physically, they live in memories

I know you're smiling down on me
Believing that the special person is watching over them and is happy

Saying everything's okay
Expressing the belief that the special person is at peace

And if I make it out this thug life
If R. Kelly overcomes the many challenges of life in a poor neighborhood

I'll see you again someday
Looking forward to reuniting with the special person again someday

Now ever since this money come
Since his success as a musician and the money that has come with it

It's been nothing but stress
Despite his success, R. Kelly deals with stress and pressure

Sometimes I wish that I could just trade in my success
Expressing a desire to trade his success for a less stressful and chaotic life

Y'all look at me and say boy you've been blessed
People view R. Kelly as lucky and blessed to have achieved so much success

But y'all don't see the inside of my unhappiness
Although he is successful, R. Kelly is unhappy and unsatisfied

Man I swear this shit gets heavy like a ton
Expressing how burdensome the pressure and weight of success feels sometimes

That's why you hear me shootin', this real shit off like a gun
Explaining why R. Kelly sings about real-life struggles and issues that come with stardom

Hmm, I wonder how my friends would treat me now
Expressing curiosity about how his friends would treat him if he didn't have the material possessions he has now

If I wasn't iced up with a Bentley and a house
Referring to the material possessions he has gained since achieving success

That's why fake ass niggas get fake ass digits
Explaining how people pretending to be his friends or pretending to care often have fake phone numbers

And fake ass playas get a real playa hatin' 'em
Saying that fake people who try to act cool often get hate from real players

Honey Love goes platinum and y'all ass come around
Explaining how people only show up and act interested in his life once he has achieved success

But y'all don't want to raise the roof
People who are only interested in his life now don't put in any effort to help him achieve success

Until my shit is going down
People don't show interest in helping him until he starts losing success or money

How I used to hoop off in them tournaments
Recollecting memories of playing basketball in tournaments

And how I used to club hop on weekends
Remembering days when he used to go out clubbing on weekends

Your family called the morning of the tragic end
Referring to the day his friend passed away

Damn, my condolences
Expressing condolences and sadness for the loss of a loved one

Voices in my head be telling me to come to church
Recollecting how he used to be told to go to church when he was feeling low or down

Said the Lord is the only way for you to stop the hurt
Referring to how religion was seen as the only true way to find peace, comfort and happiness in life

Dreaming of windows black tinted like a hearse
Having nightmares of darkly tinted windows often associated with hearses and funerals

When waking up to life sometimes seems worst
Feeling down and troubled with daily life

And all I ever wanted is to be a better man
Expressing the desire to grow, develop and improve as a person

And I try to keep it real with my homies now
Saying he tries to be honest and genuine with his friends

For me to save the world I don't understand
Expressing confusion of how he is supposed to use his success to help the world

How did I become the leader of a billion men?
Expressing confusion about how he became such a big influence on people

How I used to street perform on Friday
Recalling a time when he used to perform on the street on Fridays

And how I used to go to church on Easter Sunday
Remembering a time when he used to visit the church on Easter Sunday

Standing here throwing them songs at me
Receiving criticism and insults for his music career

Somebody pray for me
Asking the listeners for prayers for help and assistance