Here there are many people just like you, except that they don't wear those fashionable little pants you have on or those "hot" sneakers that you picked up on sale at an urban boutique. In your pockets are nothing but a pint of E & J and an expired bus pass. The cracked pavement on which you stand is littered with hand-rolled cigarette butts, losing lottery scratchers, and murky puddles of city juice that faintly reflect the half-illuminated neon lights of forgotten bars and liquor stores that you are not welcome in. The dark sky above you is blanketed in an ominous fog so suffocatingly thick that God himself knows not what happens here. Hollow gusts of wind echo through the streets with a voice so human that they seem to whisper in your ear, "give me your shoes....or I will open you up with this piece of broken glass". The cold night air is ripe with the aromatically intoxicating scent of long-neglected plumbing problems, bus exhaust, and the most luxurious of transvestite perfume. What is this place? You ask. How did I get here and why should I care who this guy is or where he comes from? It's a mystery. And that's why so is Richie Cunning.
Smoke
Richie Cunning Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I heard somebody say that life ain′t fair
Nobody listens when you bitch and complain
Fare is what you pay to get on a train
It's a heartbreaking pitiful shame
When you can tell yourself tommorrow′s gonna be different
But the shit is the same
Put your smoke in the air
Let whoever's watching know that you're here
This is it.
And ain′t that about a son of a bitch
When you can open up to know that your ain′t gonna be rich
Man, all i got in my pocket's the better part of a buck
So pardon my french but fuck it if the market is ---
It ain′t no help for me, It ain't no help for you
We both missed a lot of ---, what the fuck else is new?
Another night, another personal struggle
Your back′s sore, muscles hurt and --- double
You had a bitch of a day, you got a bitch of a boss
And everybody at your shitty job is pissing you off
Well, amen, son! I really know what you're sayin′
I know you lay awake at night and you be hopin and prayin
And know you tell yourself: "It wasn't supposed to be like this, man!"
It wasn't supposed to be like this!
What happened to all of the things i said i wanted to do?
What happened to all the people i never wanted to lose?
How come i do everything half-assed and i call it my best?
And why am i still smokin′ these damn cigarettes? Come on.
(Breathe in...)
--- people in my life
(Breathe out...)
All my troubles --- long nights, come on.
--- we gonna smoke a cigarette,
Because it′s late and i only got one left.
(Breathe in...)
Just a couple of minutes to get straight
(Breathe out...)
Tell myself it ain't already too late.
Come on, --- we gonna smoke a cigarette
Because it′s late and i only got one left.
I heard somebody say that life ain't fair
Nobody listens when you bicker and fuss
Fare is what you pay to get on a bus
Son, it really ain′t shit to discuss
Things are tough for everybody
Suck it up and quit thinking of dust
--- to people like us
Put your glass in the air
Call me an asshole and ask if i care, fuck it.
Call me a pessimist, a son of a bitch
But it's slowly becoming clear that i ain′t gonna be rich
If i make an honest living, it's gonna be on rapping
But try to be realistic, it probably won't happen
I promise i won′t stop until every bone in my body is broke
But the promise alone just don′t hack it
Sometimes the world seems like it's playing you, don′t it?
You said you'd be living out your life, but not the way that you wanted
And ain′t nobody winning, because life ain't a dice game
Life is a night train and you gotta pay to get on it
Truth is, the world′s a cold place and people are jerks
And don't nobody care about the dude --- worse.
So wipe the sweat off your dome to the sleeve of your shirt
Cause that's the way it′s gonna stay until we′re sleeping in dirt
And sometimes i ain't afraid of the day that my quest ends
Cause it′s been a minute since i've been with my best friend
Until then, i tough it out and take whatever i get
And try to stop smoking these damn cigarettes, come on
(Breathe in...)
--- people in my life
(Breathe out...)
All my troubles --- long nights, come on.
--- we gonna smoke a cigarette,
Because it′s late and i only got one left.
(Breathe in...)
Just a couple of minutes to get straight
(Breathe out...)
Tell myself it ain't already too late.
Come on, --- we gonna smoke a cigarette
Because it′s late and i only got one left.
The lyrics to Richie Cunning's song "Smoke" portray a sense of frustration and hopelessness in the face of life's difficulties. The opening verses state that life is not fair and that complaining does not solve anything. Cunning suggests that the most one can hope for is to get on the train of life by paying its fare. He also alludes to a sense of stagnation and disappointment with life's repetition, and urges listeners to find solace in a drink or a smoke.
The rest of the song continues with the theme of existential angst, highlighting how life is a struggle for everyone, and that sometimes people hope for a better future, only to be let down by reality. There is also an allusion to the illusion of the American Dream in the lines about not being rich, only having a few dollars in one's pocket, and the difficulty of making an honest living through rap music. The song ends with a sense of resignation to the harshness of life and the need to find solace in small pleasures like smoking a single cigarette, even when hope seems to be in short supply.
Overall, the song "Smoke" by Richie Cunning is about the struggle of life and how small pleasures like smoking a cigarette can provide temporary relief from the difficulties one faces. It is also about the sense of disillusionment with the American Dream and how life can sometimes seem repetitive and hopeless.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard somebody say that life ain′t fair
Some people believe that life is unfair.
Nobody listens when you bitch and complain
People tend to ignore you when you constantly whine and complain.
Fare is what you pay to get on a train
The cost of a train ticket is called a fare.
It's a heartbreaking pitiful shame
It's sad and unfortunate.
When you can tell yourself tommorrow′s gonna be different
You can convince yourself that tomorrow will be better.
But the shit is the same
But nothing ever changes.
So have a drink if it gets rid of your pain
If alcohol helps alleviate your pain, then drink up.
Put your smoke in the air
If you're smoking, raise your cigarette to the sky.
Let whoever's watching know that you're here
Let anyone observing you know that you exist.
And ain′t that about a son of a bitch
Isn't that ironic?
When you can open up to know that your ain′t gonna be rich
When you come to the realization that you won't be wealthy.
Man, all i got in my pocket's the better part of a buck
I only have a little money on me.
So pardon my french but fuck it if the market is ---
Excuse my swearing, but I don't care about the stock market.
It ain′t no help for me, It ain't no help for you
We're both in the same boat with no help in sight.
We both missed a lot of ---, what the fuck else is new?
We've both missed out on opportunities, what else is new?
Another night, another personal struggle
Another night of facing personal hardships.
Your back′s sore, muscles hurt and --- double
Your back is aching, your muscles are sore, and your problems are multiplying.
You had a bitch of a day, you got a bitch of a boss
You had a terrible day, and your boss is terrible too.
And everybody at your shitty job is pissing you off
Everyone at your awful job is getting on your nerves.
Well, amen, son! I really know what you're sayin′
I emphatically agree with what you're saying.
I know you lay awake at night and you be hopin and prayin
I know you lie awake at night, hoping and praying for a better day.
And know you tell yourself: "It wasn't supposed to be like this, man!"
You tell yourself that your life wasn't supposed to turn out this way.
What happened to all of the things i said i wanted to do?
What happened to all of my aspirations?
What happened to all the people i never wanted to lose?
What happened to all the people I never wanted to lose?
How come i do everything half-assed and i call it my best?
Why do I only put in half-hearted effort and still consider it my best?
And why am i still smokin′ these damn cigarettes? Come on.
And why am I still smoking these cigarettes?
(Breathe in...) --- people in my life
Inhale deeply and think of the people in your life.
(Breathe out...) All my troubles --- long nights, come on.
Exhale and release all of your troubles and worries. It's been a long night.
--- we gonna smoke a cigarette, Because it′s late and i only got one left.
We're going to smoke a cigarette because it's late and I only have one left.
(Breathe in...) Just a couple of minutes to get straight
Take a few deep breaths to clear your head.
(Breathe out...) Tell myself it ain't already too late.
Exhale and reassure yourself that it's not too late.
Call me an asshole and ask if i care, fuck it.
Go ahead and insult me, I don't care.
Call me a pessimist, a son of a bitch
Refer to me as a negative person.
But it's slowly becoming clear that i ain′t gonna be rich
It's gradually becoming apparent that I won't be wealthy.
If i make an honest living, it's gonna be on rapping
If I want to make a living honestly, it will be through rapping.
But try to be realistic, it probably won't happen
But realistically speaking, it probably won't come to fruition.
I promise i won′t stop until every bone in my body is broke
I promise to continue until I'm dead tired.
But the promise alone just don′t hack it
Promising to work hard isn't enough.
Sometimes the world seems like it's playing you, don′t it?
Sometimes it feels like the world is working against you.
You said you'd be living out your life, but not the way that you wanted
You thought you'd be living your life differently than you currently are.
And ain′t nobody winning, because life ain't a dice game
No one's winning at life because it's not a game of chance.
Life is a night train and you gotta pay to get on it
Life is like a train that travels only at night, and you have to pay to board.
Truth is, the world′s a cold place and people are jerks
The world can be a harsh place and people can be unkind.
And don't nobody care about the dude --- worse.
No one cares about the person who has it the worst.
So wipe the sweat off your dome to the sleeve of your shirt
Wipe the sweat off your head with your shirt sleeve.
Cause that's the way it′s gonna stay until we′re sleeping in dirt
That's the way it will be until we're dead and buried.
And sometimes i ain't afraid of the day that my quest ends
Sometimes I'm not afraid of the day when my journey is complete.
Until then, i tough it out and take whatever i get
Until that day, I'll persevere and accept whatever comes my way.
And try to stop smoking these damn cigarettes, come on
And I will try to quit smoking these cigarettes.
Writer(s): richie cunning
Contributed by Colton O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.