Chicago rapper/producer Saba first caught the attention of listeners as a frequent collaborator of Chance the Rapper. Saba's contributions to Chance songs like 2013's "Everybody's Something" and 2015's "Angels" showcased his range as both a rapper and vocalist and paved the way for his introspective debut studio album, Bucket List Project, in 2016. The loss of a close family member inspired 2018's Care for Me, a tragically beautiful album that explored death, mourning, and life after losing a loved one.
Saba (Tahj Malik Chandler) grew up on the West Side of Chicago, specifically within the Austin neighborhood, as part of a deeply musical family. That's also where he formed Pivot Gang, a group of longtime associates that has featured, among others, his brother Jerrel (aka Joseph Chilliams), cousin Walter Long (aka John Walt), Logan Yutters (aka MFn Melo), Frsh Waters, and DJ Damnage. Saba recorded several solo mixtapes -- his first were issued while he was an introverted high-schooler -- and gained traction with ComfortZone, a 2014 release inspired by his father's neo-soul recordings that capitalized on his contributions to awareness-raising tracks by fellow Chicagoans Chance the Rapper and Mick Jenkins. In 2015, Saba appeared as featured artist on several cuts, including Chance's "Angels," Jenkins' "Slumber," and Odd Couple's "What Kings Do." Additionally, he released the reflective Tink collaboration "Temporary," one of his most commercial songs to date.
In late 2016, Saba self-released the LP Bucket List Project, featuring artists like fellow Chicagoan rappers Noname and Twista. In February of 2017, Saba's cousin, mentor, and Pivot Gang collaborator Walter Long was violently murdered by a stranger. Saba reflected on the scars left by this horrible loss throughout his second album, CARE FOR ME, which was released in April of 2018. The vulnerable and emotionally complex album broke through with critics and took Saba's music to new audiences. He followed in November of that year with "Beautiful Smile," a collaborative single with Maryland rapper IDK.
Stoney
Saba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, yeah, ay, ay
Yeah
Pull up in my bucket and I'm feeling like fuck it
Use to dream about it when my cousin had a cutlass
We were making moves, 19 with the shwoop
Hit up Jay Calves, turned it to a video, ay
Coppers tryna impound vehicle, we all see 'em though
Ay, Squeaky had a Buick he would play our latest music, ay
I just backseat drive, catch the vibes, in a hooptie, ay
I don't got a crib but I tell my lady move it, ay
She would take her sister car then someone crashed into her, ay
Yeah, I still wish it
And if it breakdown then I'm getting out and pushin'
Ay, me and Wa was on the E way and we blew the trans
Now I'm on the train, like ehe, damn
Yeah, tryna finesse uber with a new email
Ay, Saba love your story man do please tell
Ay, pull up in my bucket and I'm feeling like fuck it
Felt the same way when I ain't pull up in nothing
CTA short, balling on a budget
Riding in this hooptie 'till the next thing coming
I'ma pull up in my bucket and I'm feeling like fuck it
Felt the same way when I ain't pull up in nothing
CTA short, balling on a budget
Riding in this hooptie 'till the next thing coming, ay
Kobe whipped the station wagon and he hotbox that bih'
He'll pick me up from school, "nephew, hop in"
Came home straight skunk like I know my mama mad, ay
Still don't smoke but I smell like my friends
All my nigga day one like they just got the job
Never bought a train card, but bet they will train hop
Ay, ay, ay, major key, tell them take a seat
Yeah, I just bought a hooptie I can get from A to B
Yeah, wasn't ally swoopin, had to stop with Casa B
Yeah, wildin' with my brother's Waters, can't wait till he free
Yeah, this shit sound like CTA
My new shit coming TBA
Remember they ain't show no love
Now it's only PDA
Yeah, that's as it stands
I just got my L's, now I whip a minivan
Ay, high school in the 'burb but I'm still a city man
Ay, screaming Pivot loud as fuck 'cause that is really fam
Pull up in my bucket and I'm feeling like fuck it
Felt the same way when I ain't pull up in nothing
CTA short, balling on a budget
Riding in this hooptie till the next thing coming
I'ma pull up in my bucket and I'm feeling like fuck it
Felt the same way when I ain't pull up in nothing
CTA short, balling on a budget
Riding in this hooptie till the next thing coming, ay
There are so many reasons to live alone
There is only one reason to die for you
When I'm away, know my heart, it shows
And through Jerusalem will I ride for you
The song "Stoney" by Saba talks about his experiences of riding in a beat-up car, also known as a bucket, with his friends. The song starts with Saba acknowledging that his car is not in the best condition, but he is still “feeling like f*ck it”. He then reminisces about the times when he and his cousin used to ride around in a Cutlass and how they dreamed of success. Saba also talks about riding with his friends and listening to their latest music while cruising around in a hooptie with the windows up to hide the fact that the car is broken down. He also mentions his current situation where he does not have a crib (home) and uses his girlfriend's car to get around, which eventually gets crashed.
He expresses his desire to tell the story of his struggle and how it has made him the person he is today. He talks about his humble beginnings and how he is still riding in a bucket, scrimping on every penny, and balling on a budget by relying on public transportation. Despite not having much, he still values the day ones in his life, who have always been there for him.
In conclusion, the song showcases the journey of Saba and his friends, from cruising in a Cutlass dreaming of success to still cruising in a hooptie despite achieving recognition. The song highlights his humble beginnings, emphasizing that success is not defined by material possessions but the connections that we make and how we stay true to them.
Line by Line Meaning
Pull up in my bucket and I'm feeling like fuck it
I arrive in my old car and I don't care what other people think
Use to dream about it when my cousin had a cutlass
I used to dream about owning a nice car when I was younger and my cousin had one
We were making moves, 19 with the shwoop
We were making money and hustling at 19 with our old car
Hit up Jay Calves, turned it to a video
We made a video with the help of Jay Calves
Riding with the windows up because my shit is broke, just like we were broke
I have to keep the windows up in my car because it's old and broken, like we were broke back then
Coppers tryna impound vehicle, we all see 'em though
Police trying to impound my car, but we all noticed it
Ay, Squeaky had a Buick he would play our latest music
Squeaky had a Buick and he would play our new music in it
I just backseat drive, catch the vibes, in a hooptie
I sit in the backseat and soak up the vibes while riding in an old car
I don't got a crib but I tell my lady move it
I don't have a house, but I still tell my partner to move her car
She would take her sister car then someone crashed into her, ay
My partner took her sister's car and unfortunately someone crashed into her
Yeah, I still wish it
I still wish my partner didn't crash the car
And if it breakdown then I'm getting out and pushin'
If the car breaks down, I'll have to push it myself
Ay, me and Wa was on the E way and we blew the trans
Me and Wa were on the expressway and our car's transmission broke
Now I'm on the train, like ehe, damn
Now I have to take the train instead, which sucks
Yeah, tryna finesse uber with a new email
I'm trying to trick Uber into giving me a discount with a new email account
Ay, Saba love your story man do please tell
Someone named Saba is asking me to tell my story because they appreciate it
Kobe had a station wagon and he hotbox that bih'
Kobe had a station wagon and he smoked weed in it
He'll pick me up from school,"nephew, hop in"
He used to pick me up from school and say "nephew, hop in"
Came home straight skunk like I know my mama mad, ay
I would come home smelling like weed and I knew my mom would be upset
Still don't smoke but I smell like my friends
I don't smoke weed, but I still smell like my friends who do
All my nigga day one like they just got the job
All my friends are loyal to me like they just got a job
Never bought a train card, but bet they will train hop
We never bought train tickets, but we would sneak onto the train
Ay, ay, ay, major key, tell them take a seat
I have some important advice to share, so listen up
Yeah, I just bought a hooptie I can get from A to B
I recently bought an old car just to get around
Yeah, wasn't ally swoopin, had to stop with Casa B
I couldn't ride with my ally anymore, so I had to stop by Casa B
Yeah, wildin' with my brother's Waters, can't wait till he free
I'm hanging out with my friend's younger brother Waters, who is currently in jail
Yeah, this shit sound like CTA
This music sounds like something you would hear on the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
My new shit coming TBA
I have new music coming soon, but I haven't announced the release date yet
Remember they ain't show no love
I remember when people didn't support me or my music
Now it's only PDA
Now I only receive public displays of affection and support
I just got my L's, now I whip a minivan
I just got my driver's license, and now I drive a minivan
Ay, high school in the 'burb but I'm still a city man
I may have gone to high school in the suburbs, but I still identify as a city man
Ay, screaming Pivot loud as fuck 'cause that is really fam
I shout out Pivot (my music collective) loudly because it's like my family
There are so many reasons to live alone
There are many reasons why I should live alone
There is only one reason to die for you
The only reason I would ever die is for you
When I'm away, know my heart, it shows
When I'm not around, you will feel the impact of my absence
And through Jerusalem will I ride for you
I'm willing to go to great lengths to be with you (even if it means traveling to Jerusalem)
I'ma pull up in my bucket and I'm feeling like fuck it
I'm going to pull up in my old car and I don't care what anyone else thinks
Felt the same way when I ain't pull up in nothing
I felt the same way when I didn't have a car at all
CTA short, balling on a budget
I can only afford to take the Chicago Transit Authority and I'm trying to save money
Riding in this hooptie till the next thing coming
I'm going to ride in this old car until I can afford something better
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Written by: Gennae Tiahna Paulyne Bewernick, Michael Neil, Tahj Chandler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@adammullan9720
, ay ay ay ay ay, hahaha
Yeah, yeah, ay, ay
Yeah...
Pull up in my bucket and I'm feeling like fuck it
Use to dream about it when my cousin had a cutlass
We were making moves, 19 with the shwoop
Hit up Jay Calves, turned it to a video
Riding with the windows up because my shit is broke, just like we were broke
Coppers tryna impound vehicle, we all see ‘em though
Ay, Squeaky had a Buick he would play our latest music
I just backseat drive, catch the vibes, in a hooptie
I don't got a crib but I tell my lady move it
She would take her sister car then someone crashed into her, ay
Yeah, I still wish it
And if it breakdown then I'm getting out and pushin'
Ay, me and Wa was on the E way and we blew the trans
Now I'm on the train, like ehe, damn
Yeah, tryna finesse uber with a new email
Ay, Saba love your story man do please tell
Ay, pull up in my bucket and I'm feeling like fuck it
Felt the same way when I ain't pull up in nothing
CTA short, balling on a budget
Riding in this hooptie 'till the next thing coming
I'ma pull up in my bucket and I'm feeling like fuck it
Felt the same way when I ain't pull up in nothing
CTA short, balling on a budget
Riding in this hooptie 'till the next thing coming, ay
Kobe had a station wagon and he hotbox that bih'
He'll pick me up from school, "nephew, hop in"
Came home straight skunk like I know my mama mad, ay
Still don't smoke but I smell like my friends
All my nigga day one like they just got the job
Never bought a train card, but bet they will train hop
Ay, ay, ay, major key, tell them take a seat
Yeah, I just bought a hooptie I can get from A to B
Yeah, wasn't ally swoopin, had to stop with Casa B
Yeah, wildin' with my brother's Waters, can't wait till he free
Yeah, this shit sound like CTA
My new shit coming TBA
Remember they ain't show no love
Now it's only PDA
Yeah, that's as it stands
I just got my L's, now I whip a minivan
Ay, high school in the ‘burb but I'm still a city man
Ay, screaming Pivot loud as fuck ‘cause that is really fam
Pull up in my bucket and I'm feeling like fuck it
Felt the same way when I ain't pull up in nothing
CTA short, balling on a budget
Riding in this hooptie till the next thing coming
I'ma pull up in my bucket and I'm feeling like fuck it
Felt the same way when I ain't pull up in nothing
CTA short, balling on a budget
Riding in this hooptie till the next thing coming, ay
There are so many reasons to live alone
There is only one reason to die for you
When I'm away, know my heart, it shows
And through Jerusalem will I ride for you
@MasterGiffica25
It sounds like he's smiling the whole time he's rapping this song. It makes me smile :D
@vakkius
gay
@whathefuckisthis
thought that was just me lmao it’s fr infectious
@UniverseWillProvide
you good?
@savannahlevy97
@harmando de la vega smiling is gay now appearantly
@i.theworstguys298
fellas is it gay to smile?
@kantorekdunham6904
Unreal track so bouncy, and that bass-line is filthy.
@IsaiahLaRoi
Cheeez
@iamLuco
Can't listen to this without a huge smile on my face
@neildegrassetyson2615
can't listen to this without moving my head.