J. Cole

commonplace; a trite or obvious remark

Went and found a man, but I'm hopin' you're alone now

Can't help but feeling like I dropped the ball, cliché

I used to pop up on you at the mall each day

period; a definite length of time marked off by two instants

I want it in physical

A million dollars, I count up in intervals

Without it I'm miserable

remain; remain present although waning or gradually dying

I stare at the screen a while before I press decline

But she plants the seed and it still lingers in my mind

Told myself I'm strong enough to shake it and I'm trying

huge; of great force or power

Haven't you heard? I'm as cold as the tip

Tip of the iceberg that tipped the Titanic

No tip-toein' around it, my shit is gigantic

inactive; in a condition of biological rest or suspended animation

Know it's on sight when I see you, I'm workin' at Squarespace

Yeah, top of the mornin', I know that you thought I was dormant

Woke up early from shots that were swarmin'

show; break the trust of; reveal unintentionally

When I'm in love, I love heavily (on God)

If you betray me, you dead to me (21)

I disrespect you respectfully (straight up)

division; being twofold; a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses

Make you have to use your last resort and pull a robbery

Pride be the reason for the family dichotomy

Got uncles and some aunties that's too proud to give apologies

very gifted young person; an unusually gifted or intelligent (young) person

Make a baby mama make shit harder than it gotta be

Make you have to take the bitch to court to see your prodigy

Make you have to use your last resort and pull a robbery

effectiveness; the power or right to give orders or make decisions

Like lettin' a nigga come sleep on your couch and he eatin' up all yo' groceries

My nigga repeated this quote to me, I felt its potency

Said, "Most of these niggas gon' hang themselves, just give 'em the rope and see"

product; the result of mathematical differentiation

Just to get by for a limited time, the steepest of mountains they tryna climb

I'm here tryna find the derivative

You niggas don't feel me, you see the clout

assist; make easier

Are you doin' this work to facilitate growth or to become famous?

Which is more important?

forewarning; a feeling of evil to come

He said "Listen, I got no time to dive into descriptions

But I've been having premonitions, just call it visions from the other side

I got a feeling I won't see tomorrow, like the time I'm living on is borrowed

disgrace; cause to be distrusted or disbelieved

My friends went to war, I walked away with all they blood on me

Now some will discredit me, try wipe away my pedigree

But please, find a nigga out that's rappin' this incredibly, uh

exclusive group; an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose

Put your hood up

Put your clique up

Put your clique up

verse; a fixed number of lines of verse forming a unit of a poem

My hands are full with grands I pulled

From stanzas, no, I can't go slow

I'm Sandra Bull, either proceed with speed or don't breathe

conduct; (behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people

By gunshot wound, the other violent type of endings

I kept a tough demeanor on the surface but was mostly just pretending

Luckily my bluff was working way more often than not

warp; make false by mutilation or addition; as of a message or story

But I know depression and drug addiction don't blend

Reality distorts and then you get lost in the wind

And I done seen the combo take niggas off the deep end

profitable; producing a sizeable profit

Feelin' worried in a hurry like a two-minute drill

To make a couple mil' off a lucrative deal

Selling train of thought, name a artist who could derail

legal identification; any authorization to pass or go somewhere

Tryna make it back before my class started

Country nigga never seen a passport

'Til I popped off and got a bag for it

violation; the act of transgressing; the violation of a law or a duty or moral principle

'Cause even though I need a new start

Due to my past transgressions, you believed in me

I guess the light I see in you is what you see in me, lord

lying down; having a tendency (to); often used in combination

We from the South where we learn all about stashin'

Where niggas prone to shoot first and run they mouth last

And if you run your mouth, bitch, you goin' out sad

organize; a law officer having duties similar to those of a sheriff

One-third of a human, just partial (One third)

I'm the Sergeant, the Captain, the Marshal (Serge)

I start to barf, it was too much potion

sophistication in speaking; using language effectively to please or persuade

If we the new slaves

I am Frederick Douglass of rhetoric ahead the the others

You motherfuckas better get free

rot; ripen and generate pus

Uh, applying pressure

Started my grind with crime festers

And nines showing like they in they second trimesters

fake; intended to deceive

So they know the difference between you

The real niggas, and the motherfucking fraudulent niggas, man

Don't never get it fucked up

amusing; humorously sarcastic or mocking

No criminal record but I'm makin' criminal records

Isn't it ironic? Isn't it iconic?

Jacket so expensive you wouldn't even try on it

dishonest; not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness

Your soul lookin' down over your body in suspension

The critics, they be on me, but they all be disingenuous

Bitch, I came up 'round addiction, seen like 40 interventions

disaster; an event resulting in great loss and misfortune

Shit profound, we propagating more profanity

Paid off collections from recollections of calamity (oh shit, look, that nigga 'bout to shoot)

The shit pop off, I learned to duck under the canopy (oh shit, run, nigga, run)

deep; showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth

I got more cribs than Habitat for Humanity

Shit profound, we propagating more profanity

Paid off collections from recollections of calamity (oh shit, look, that nigga 'bout to shoot)

scheming; indirect in departing from the accepted or proper way; misleading

Hey make that ass drop (Drop, drop)

Now if you only had one wish is it devious?

'Cause you already know who your genie is

government; the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit

Just a little piece, I ain't tryna make a scene

Like it's something it's not, my whole regime is up in the spot

Carefully watched by dozens of thots

silly; not serious in content or attitude or behavior

And I'm conflicted with no digits to show

But fantasies of frivolous hos grippin' this pole

The temperature's low

out-of-date; obsolete or old-fashioned

Planted in the latest of trends

Stranded in this land of the antiquated ways of the men

Standard in the state of revenge, seeking a way to defend

pitiless; without mercy or pity

Uh, you hear my words, but don't got no clue 'bout who I really am

From shark-infested waters, phrases like that make me sound harder and more ruthless

But the truth is that I merely swam, out the stolo, semis blam willy-nilly

shuffle; walk by dragging one’s feet

And I promise to treat her right

Unlike what I had seen in my life as examples, marriages in shambles

And I can tell I found a real one

fond remembrance of the past; longing for something past

I pray you get to see it across the Atlantic

Tonight, I stepped out with my niggas and felt the organic nostalgia

That arouses when I'm with the rest of the bandits

force back; cause to move back by force or influence

Whether the weather is warm, it's just to cover the form

When doin' regular things, try to repel gettin' swarmed

But yesterday I was drivin', Trap Muzik album did blast

wasteful; a recklessly extravagant consumer

But the only real change come from- (yeah)

Prodigal son, got a new gun, this one

Don't run out of ammo, lately been working on my handles

stray; turn aside; turn away from

My fears alleviate, my tears evaporate (mmm)

My faith don't deviate, ideas don't have a date

But see, I'm growing and getting stronger with every breath (mmm)

relieve; provide physical relief, as from pain

I sit in silence and find whenever I meditate

My fears alleviate, my tears evaporate (mmm)

My faith don't deviate, ideas don't have a date

amaze; an overwhelming feeling of wonder or admiration

Fuck 'em all, they don't know all the pain I felt

I'm in awe, after all the fame I felt, I evolved (ooh)

I no longer bury demons

cruel; disposed to seek revenge or intended for revenge

Snatch your soul and pose for pictures, holding it

Revenge of the Dreamers, so vindictive

Back for more, that whack shit's over with

sparkle; a flash of light (especially reflected light)

The sky was covered by clouds like the color of the smoke

I couldn't see the sun, I couldn't see the sun, but I come to a glimmer of hope

A thousand miles from Heaven and a block away from the slums

fall; drop sharply

No frontin', I keep it one hunnid

If you was to leave me, I know I'm gon' plummet

I know I'm gon' plummet

warn; admonish or counsel in terms of someone’s behavior

I promise you pray for forgiveness, the Lord's wrath can astonish you

I'd rather admonish you on this record than impress with perceptions of a designer shoe

Fuck Gucci, fuck Louis, fuck Chanel, fuck Balenciaga, how we gon' excel?

seriousness; the state of being sober and not intoxicated by alcohol

Meet a young Dennis, the menace to society

Check my sobriety, fuck hoes in varieties

Shame that these things is the reasons you admire me

out of date; so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period

And dog, you know how come

Labels are archaic, formulaic with their outcomes

They don't know, they just study the charts

examine; any tiny hole admitting passage of a liquid (fluid or gas)

Henny pour on any floor

Pain seepin' out my memories' pores

Lord forgive me for the times I didn't follow

honorable; having a good reputation

Like the rose that grows from out the concrete of bold, you gotta just go no matter the gold

You're from a beautiful, but not reputable place

You seen your fair share of funeral dates

misinterpret; interpret in the wrong way

I'm all ears like I'm Ross Perot

Please don't misconstrue that shit that I said

Sometimes gettin' older's hard, you know?

melt or fuse; extract (metals) by heating

Like the skeletons of these fellas locked in the closet

I smelt it from the jump 'cause it felt too awkward around it

I fell back, my dog in heaven pushin' Hellcats would tell ya

overly narrow representation; a conventional or formulaic conception or image

Talk is cheap, it's like y'all grew up in a Jewish home

Hah, pardon the stereotype

But y'all giving me mixed feelings like I married a white woman

severity; something hard to endure

Play my album for the corpse in a hearse

It's so live, the flow could make the rigor mortis on a mortal reverse (Clue)

These niggas reckless, tryna disrespect the Lord of the church

delicate; characterized by lightness and insubstantiality

Like overdosin' off a myriad of various pills

You're not alone when you experience ethereal thrills

Even niggas burnin' in Hell, when they hear me, get chills

careful; marked by keen caution and watchful prudence

Ain't gonna be no more kings

Be wary of any man that claims

Because deep down, he clings onto the need for power

wander; lose clarity or turn aside from the main subject in writing or speaking

Like several vultures ain't come after me, still, I keep it P

Yeah, we still digress, and I'm playin' checkers, I ain't playin' chess

'Cause I don't go 'round on niggas, we go over niggas

theft; the act of taking something from someone unlawfully

Cutting hoes like a varsity coach

Caught fire, no larceny, please, you gotta pardon these boasts

A lot of niggas pray to God that he choke

obstinate; habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition

And you will never hear from me, never hear from me, uh

See, I'm headstrong, kept on through the fall

Stepped on all them niggas tryna dim my light, dim my light

mild; humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness

Shawty a deep, shawty a freak, whatever I want, gold on my feet

Down to my last, I was fucked up, I was down bad like cornrow Meek

See, hoochies pop coochies for Gucci

very bad; conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible

Proceed with throat-cut procedures

He look rich, but he broke, just egregious

Don't trust rappers, ho, trust in Jesus