Verse 1
Damned if I do, damned if I don’t
You know I got a girl back home
You got a man, what you want, what you want?
What these bitches want from a nigga?
On some DMX shit, huhI know them other niggas love tricking
On some BMX shit, but not me
Now I’m sure you done heard about me
A black star, Mos Def, Kweli
Good so them bad hoes try me, they try meThis is Martin Luther King in the club, getting dubs
With a bad bitch in his ear, sayin’ that she down for whateverIn the back of his mind is Coretta
Sementara itu, pada bagian verse, Cole bercerita tentang percintaannya. Ia menyebut punya pacar di kampung halaman, tetapi mendapat godaan dari wanita lain.
Dalam kondisi ini, J. Cole merasa dilema dan membandingkan dirinya dengan tokoh ikonik, seperti Martin Luther King Jr.
Chorus
And she knows, she knows
And I know she knows, and I know she knows
And deep down, she knows, she knows
And I know she knows, and I know she knows
Selanjutnya, pada bagian chorus, Cole merasa bersalah dan sadar bahwa wanita yang bersamanya sudah tahu kebusukannya. Itu artinya, J. Cole dan sang kekasih sudah sama-sama tahu tentang perselingkuhan tersebut.
Refrain
Well, alright, oh, I, oh, I-I-I
I can’t be what you want from me, well, alright
Oh, I, oh, I-I-I
I can’t be what you want from me, well, alright
Niggas say, "Turn up," hoes say, "Turn up"
Only bad thing 'bout star is they burn up
Niggas say, "Turn up," hoes say, "Turn up"
Only bad thing 'bout star is they burn up
Rest in peace to Aaliyah
Rest in peace to Left Eye (Left Eye)
Michael Jackson I'll see ya just as soon as I die (I die)
Got me up so high, try and get a pice o that apple pie, uh
Dalam lagu ini, J. Cole juga menyebutkan sejumlah musisi yang meninggal pada puncak kariernya. Kematian para musisi yang disebut J. Cole itu masih menimbulkan banyak pertanyaan, di antaranya ada Aaliyah, Left Eye, dan Michael Jackson.
Lirik bagian tersebut menjadi ramai di TikTok usai kasus P Diddy terungkap. Publik menduga bagian lirik tersebut memiliki hubungan dengan P Diddy, Beyonce, hingga Jay Z.
Verse 2
I’m passing up on bad hoes
Trying to be the man that she want, what she want?
What she—What she want from a nigga?
To put a ring on it
Got a bitch on my dick right now
And she just want to sing on it
Got me up so high, try and get a piece of that apple pie
I be up so high, try and get a piece of that apple pie
Dancehall vibes with my pants on fire
‘Cause I told her I was sleep
‘Cause I creep with this pretty young thing that I chose
She could be doing the same thing, I suppose
Lirik di atas menceritakan konflik batin J Cole antara kesetiaannya dan ketertarikannya pada wanita lain. J. Cole merasa menginginkan hubungan serius dan memasang cincin. namun, ia juga sadar bahwa ia tengah terlibat dengan seseorang yang hanya ingin hubungan biasa.
Kontributor : Hillary Sekar Pawestri