Butter
Tribe Called Quest Lyrics

1988 Senior Year, Garvey High
The time was 1988, when I was a senior at Garvey High.

Where all the guys were corny but the girls were mad fly
The guys weren't very cool, but the girls were attractive.

Lounging with the Tipster, Cooling with Sha
I was hanging out with my friends Tipster and Sha.

Scoping out the honeys, they know who they are
We were checking out the attractive girls, who were well aware of their appeal.

I was the B-ball playing fly rhyme saying
I played basketball and was good at rapping.

Fly girl getting but never was I sweating
I was good with the ladies, but never desperate.

'Cause when it came to honeys I would go on a stroll
I would casually approach attractive women.

Until I met my match, her name was Flo
However, I found someone who was my equal, her name was Flo.

Yeah - I messed around with the one called Flo
I had a romantic encounter with Flo.

All the troopers round the way used to call her a ho
However, people in the area referred to Flo as a promiscuous woman.

But deep down in my heart I knew that Flo was good to go
Despite what others thought, I knew that Flo was interested in me.

'Cause I thought it was me, like Bell Biv Devoe
I was convinced that Flo was interested in me, similarly to the song 'Do Me!' by Bell Biv Devoe.

But little did I know that she was playin' with my mind
However, I was unaware that Flo was manipulating me.

The only thing I learned is, good girls are hard to find
I realized that finding someone who was genuinely interested in me was challenging.

I feel like Heavy D I need somebody for me
I started feeling like I wanted someone genuine in my life, like Heavy D sings about.

Not someone who's mind is blank and tryin' to juice me for my bank
I didn't want someone who was just after my money.

Swingin' with my main man Lucky behind my back
I found out that Flo was cheating on me with my friend Lucky.

What type of crap is that, yo, how's about a smack?
I was angry about the situation and felt like hitting someone.

Word life, I can't front, thought I was all that
I had to be honest with myself and realize that I was being conceited.

But now it seems, I met my match
I met someone who was my equal and could challenge me.

Was a stone cold lover, you couldn't tell me jack
I thought of myself as a great lover and didn't want to hear otherwise.

Settlin' down with one girl, wasn't tryin' to hear that
I wasn't interested in settling down with just one woman.

I had Tonya, Tamika, Sharon, Karen
I had relationships with multiple women, such as Tonya, Tamika, Sharon, and Karen.

Tina, Stacy, Julie, Tracy
I also had relationships with Tina, Stacy, Julie, and Tracy.

Used ta love 'em, leave 'em, skeeze 'em, tease 'em
I was known for dating multiple women and not sticking around for long.

Find 'em, lose 'em, also abuse 'em
I would also leave them and mistreat them.

My whole attitude was new day, next hon
I had a flippant attitude toward dating, always moving on to the next person.

And believe it or not, they all got done
I had relationships with many women, and none of them lasted.

Well here comes Flo, with the crazy whip appeal
Then Flo caught my attention because of her attractive car.

And I'm all true man, like Alexander O'Neal
I prided myself on being a true man, as Alexander O'Neal sings about.

Is this really love, then again, how would I know
I wasn't sure if my feelings for Flo were love or just infatuation.

After all this time tryin' to be a superhoe
I had spent a long time dating multiple women and trying to seem like a ladies' man.

She finally played me, but yo, I'd find another
However, Flo eventually cheated on me, but I knew I could find someone else.

'Cause I got the crazy game and yo, I'm smooth like butter
I had confidence in myself and my ability to attract women, since I was smooth like butter.

Butter, like butter baby
My smooth moves were like butter, in that they were effortless.

Butter, like butter baby
I was smooth and cool, like butter.

Not no Parkay, not no margarine
I was the real deal, not a cheap substitute like margarine.

Strickly butter baby, strictly butter
I was absolutely cool and smooth, like butter.

I remember when
I recall a time when things were different.

Girls were goodie two shoes, but now they turned to freaks
Women used to be more conservative, but now things had changed.

Allofasudden "We love you Phife" ease of ho, my name's Malik
Women would suddenly show interest in me, but would call me by the wrong name.

Phife this, Phife that, where you goin', where you at
People were suddenly interested in me, but only because of my successful rap career.

These girls don't know me from jack, yet I feel like the Mack
Despite this, women acted like I was someone special.

You didn't want me then, so hon, don't want me now
I realized that women who ignored me before wouldn't suddenly want me now.

Here, here, take the towel, wipe off your brow
I was telling women who suddenly showed interest in me that they shouldn't be nervous or desperate.

And take the contact out your eye, you're far from lookin' fly
I didn't find certain women attractive, despite their efforts to look good.

You get an E for effort, and T for nice try
I commended their attempts to look attractive, but it didn't change my opinion of them.

Now tell me what's the reason, for dyin' your hair
I was curious why some women would dye their hair, as it didn't make them more attractive.

Slum village gold still dangling in your ear
I noticed some women wearing cheap jewelry, like a Slum Village necklace.

You barely have a neck but still sportin' a rope
Some women would wear large necklaces, despite having very short necks.

Four-finger ring just so Phifer can scope
Other women wore flamboyant jewelry so that I would notice them.

You looked in the mirror, didn't know what to do
Some women seemed lost and confused about their appearance.

Yesterday your eyes were brown but today they are blue
I observed women who wore colored contact lenses to change their eye color.

Your whole appearance is a lie and it could never be true
I felt that women who altered their appearance were being dishonest about who they were.

And if you really loved yourself then you would try and be you
I believed that women should embrace their true selves instead of trying to look like someone else.

If your hair and eyes were real, I wouldn't have dissed ya
If women didn't alter their appearance, I might be more attracted to them.

But since it was bought, I had to dismiss ya
However, since they had altered their appearance, I wasn't interested in them.

If you can't achieve it, then why not try and weave it
If women couldn't grow their hair, they might try wearing hair extensions.

If you can't extend it then you might as well suspend it
If extensions wouldn't work, they could try different hairstyles.

If you can't braid it, best thing to do is fade it
If women couldn't style their hair in certain ways, they should choose a different hairstyle.

I asked who did your hair and you tell me "Diane made it"
When I asked women about their hair, they would often say that someone named Diane did it.

If you were you and just you, talk to you, maybe
I believed that women should value themselves for who they were as individuals.

But I can't stand, no bionic lady
However, I wasn't interested in women who altered their appearance to the point of seeming cyborg-like.

Tryin' hard to look fly, but yo, you're lookin' dumber
Despite their attempts to look good, some women ended up looking foolish.

If I wanted someone like you I woulda swung with Jamie Summers
I wasn't interested in women who were trying too hard to look cool.

You want to be treated right, see Father MC
If women wanted a man who would treat them well, they should look to the rapper Father MC.

Or check Ralph Tresvant, for sens-a-tiv-I-ty
Ralph Tresvant was known for being sensitive, so women might find him more attractive.

See I am not the one, I got more game than Parker Brothers
I had many options when it came to women, and wasn't interested in ones who didn't meet my standards.

Phife Dog is on the mic and I'm smooth like Butter
As a rapper, I was smooth and confident, like butter.