Start from Scratch II
The Game Lyrics


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Yo son, if that nigga prodigy was standin' in my face right now
He'll say "yo, Dunn, you know I really fuck with you"
That's why a nigga out here in Kingston, smokin' the la
Playin' nothin' but Mobb Deep on this motherfuckin' (get away)
And the first beat I ever had on The Documentary came from that nigga Havoc
So I gotta thank (you)
Looked out for a nigga, I owe you one
If I could start from scratch, I'd change hella shit
Would've never went to Hot97 with hella clips
Wouldn't have took Yayo spot even though he irrelevant
I could've left them niggas alive, now I'm stuck with they skeletons
I defended Nas, Joe and 'Kiss, like fuck this group shit
Murder was the case, so I was in New York on my Snoop shit
Shouldn't have told this nigga I'm ridin' in his coupe with
Everybody a opp, shoot, I don't care who you hit
Should've married my baby mama
Either one, probably save me from the drama
Made where my kids stay hotter than a sauna
Had me runnin' from my karma, sometimes a nigga gotta (get away)
Take some time off, clear my head, clear your thoughts
If and when them lines cross
I hop up in a beamer with your girl, you ain't seen her
'Cause we headed to Jamaica on a (getaway)

If my opps listenin', fuck (you)
Sometimes a nigga gotta (get away)
Middle finger in the air, fuck (you)
If I get locked with the Glock
Tell my daughter that her daddy on a (getaway)

If I can rewind the hands of time
I would've walked in the club and let it blam with Shyne
I would've told Big about the Rampart
If you ain't from here, don't come here, you feel it in the air
Just (get away) stay dangerous
And when I got the stainless, I aimed it
Middle finger in the air, fuck (you) and your family, nigga
Picture me sellin' my soul for a Grammy, nigga
If I could start it all over, I would've have went there tipsy
And clapped when they gave it to Missy
It ain't no jealousy with (you) like that convo with Jay
Maybe I misunderstood what he was tryna say
I had to (get away) and head back to L.A.
Keep it real, I ain't talked to Hov' again to this day
If I wasn't hardheaded, could've been signed to the Roc
But I'm not, blown opportunity, too many shots
I let it (get away)

If my opps listenin', fuck (you)
Sometimes a nigga gotta (get away)
Middle finger in the air, fuck (you)
If I get locked with the Glock
Tell my daughter that her daddy on a (get away)
You ain't been fuckin' with me all this time
Stay there, fuck (you)




This rap shit'll take your life
So sometimes you gotta (get away)

Overall Meaning

In "Start from Scratch II," The Game reminisces about his journey in the rap game and reflects on various life-changing decisions he's made along the way. In the opening lines, he pays tribute to the late Prodigy of Mobb Deep, who he says lent him his first beat on The Documentary. The Game expresses regret about some of his past actions, admitting that he could do things differently if he got a second chance to start over. For example, he says he would have handled his beef with G-Unit differently and avoided some of the violence that ensued. He also reflects on lost opportunities such as not signing with Roc-A-Fella Records and selling his soul for a Grammy.


Throughout the song, The Game raps about the importance of being true to oneself and staying out of trouble as much as possible. He acknowledges that the rap game can be dangerous, and sometimes it's necessary to take a step back and clear one's head. The chorus of the song emphasizes this point: "if I get locked with the Glock, tell my daughter that her daddy on a getaway." Overall, "Start from Scratch II" is a reflective and introspective track that showcases The Game's storytelling abilities and his ability to convey deep emotion through his music.


Line by Line Meaning

Yo son, if that nigga prodigy was standin' in my face right now
If Prodigy was here with me now, he would show how much he respects me


He'll say "yo, Dunn, you know I really fuck with you"
He would tell me that he really likes me if he saw me right now


That's why a nigga out here in Kingston, smokin' the la
That's why I'm here in Kingston, Jamaica, smoking marijuana


Playin' nothin' but Mobb Deep on this motherfuckin' (get away)
I am playing only Mobb Deep's music while trying to get away from everything


And the first beat I ever had on The Documentary came from that nigga Havoc
Havoc gave me the first beat that I used on The Documentary


So I gotta thank (you)
I have to thank Havoc for that


Looked out for a nigga, I owe you one
Havoc helped me out, so I owe him a favor


If I could start from scratch, I'd change hella shit
If I could go back in time and start again, I would change a lot of things


Would've never went to Hot97 with hella clips
I wouldn't have brought a lot of guns to Hot97


Wouldn't have took Yayo spot even though he irrelevant
I wouldn't have replaced Yayo even though he is not important


I could've left them niggas alive, now I'm stuck with they skeletons
I should have spared their lives, now I have to deal with the consequences


I defended Nas, Joe and 'Kiss, like fuck this group shit
I stood by Nas, Joe, and Jadakiss even when they were not part of my own group


Murder was the case, so I was in New York on my Snoop shit
Since I was accused of murder, I was in New York avoiding being caught


Shouldn't have told this nigga I'm ridin' in his coupe with
I shouldn't have let this person know that I was riding in his car with him


Everybody a opp, shoot, I don't care who you hit
Everyone is my enemy, so shoot them without caring who gets hurt


Should've married my baby mama
I should have married the mother of my child


Either one, probably save me from the drama
Either one of them would have saved me from all the problems


Made where my kids stay hotter than a sauna
I made the place where my children live very comfortable


Had me runnin' from my karma, sometimes a nigga gotta (get away)
I had to run from my bad luck, so sometimes I just need to escape


Take some time off, clear my head, clear your thoughts
I need to take a break, calm my mind, and think clearly


If and when them lines cross
If and when things go bad


I hop up in a beamer with your girl, you ain't seen her
I will get in a BMW with your girlfriend, and you won't know what happened to her


'Cause we headed to Jamaica on a (getaway)
We are going to Jamaica to escape from everything


If my opps listenin', fuck (you)
If anyone who is against me is listening, they can just go away


Middle finger in the air, fuck (you)
I am showing my middle finger to whoever dislikes me


If I get locked with the Glock
If I get arrested with my gun


Tell my daughter that her daddy on a (getaway)
Tell my daughter that I am escaping from everything


If I can rewind the hands of time
If only I could go back in time


I would've walked in the club and let it blam with Shyne
I would have walked into the club and fired a gun with Shyne


I would've told Big about the Rampart
I would have told Biggie Smalls about the Rampart police scandal


If you ain't from here, don't come here, you feel it in the air
Don't come to this place if you're not from here, you can sense that it's dangerous


Just (get away) stay dangerous
Just escape and stay alert for danger


And when I got the stainless, I aimed it
When I had my gun, I aimed it at people


and your family, nigga
And your family too


Picture me sellin' my soul for a Grammy, nigga
Imagine me trading my integrity for a Grammy award


If I could start it all over, I would've have went there tipsy
If I could do it all again, I would have gone there drunk


And clapped when they gave it to Missy
And I would have clapped when Missy Elliott won her award


It ain't no jealousy with (you) like that convo with Jay
There is no jealousy between us, like the conversation I had with Jay-Z


Maybe I misunderstood what he was tryna say
Maybe I didn't understand what he was trying to tell me


I had to (get away) and head back to L.A.
I had to escape and go back to Los Angeles


Keep it real, I ain't talked to Hov' again to this day
To be honest, I have not talked to Jay-Z since that day


If I wasn't hardheaded, could've been signed to the Roc
If I listened to others, I could have been signed to Jay-Z's record label


But I'm not, blown opportunity, too many shots
But I didn't take it, and now it's too late, I missed too many chances


I let it (get away)
I lost the chance I had to do it right


You ain't been fuckin' with me all this time
You have not been supporting me, all this time


Stay there, fuck (you)
Stay there and forget about me, I don't care anymore


This rap shit'll take your life
This music industry can be deadly


So sometimes you gotta (get away)
So sometimes you just need to escape




Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Jayceon Taylor

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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