Released: November 15, 2011
Songwriter: Childish Gambino
Producer: Ludwig Göransson Childish Gambino
[Chorus]
Oh, I want it, yeah
Whenever you need my hand
I'll hold you down, oh
Oh, you want it, yeah
Why in the fuck these niggas
Tryin' to hold me down, oh
Yeah, uh
Why in the fuck these niggas
Try and hold me down, ohh
[Verse 1]
"You such a fuckin' lame!"
It's what they used to yell back in seventh grade
My mama said she'd get me that new jacket when the cost go down
Hit the office, stole some Tommy Hill from lost and found
Not bad for a family of foster child
Lookin' fly man, I'm flossin' now
But them niggas saw through me
"Are you serious? What is this?"
Took the jacket off third period, ellipsis
Listening to "Sky Is the Limit" on my Walkman
Thinking if Biggie can make it through it, man then I can
Dope-boy swag, I always wanted that
But my persona was always more of that Arthur Ashe
But no love for the son of a commuter who was a radio head
And okay at them computers at the post office
It's funny how you smoke niggas then you start coffins
All my people need throat lozenge
My fear is dead, ambition drove the hearse
But niggas got me feelin' I ain't black enough to go to church
Culture shock at barber shops cause I ain't hood enough
We all look the same to the cops, ain't that good enough?
The black experience is black and serious
Cause being black, my experience, is no one hearin' us
White kids get to wear whatever hat they want
When it comes to black kids one size fits all
[Chorus]
Oh, I want it, yeah
Whenever you need my hand
I'll hold you down, oh
Oh, you want it, yeah
Why in the fuck these niggas
Tryin' to hold me down, oh
[Break]
We the baddest nigga
We the baddest nigga, yeah
We the baddest nigga, we the baddest nigga, uh
We the baddest nigga, we the baddest nigga, uh
We the baddest nigga, uh, we the baddest nigga
[Verse 2]
The reason that they say I'm nothin' what they seen or heard's
The same reason Will Smith always opposite Latino girls
They only see you how they wanna see you
'Til you make them see you in some other way
I'm trippin' off the other day
'Cause God knows what these white kids sayin' dude
You're not not racist 'cause The Wire's in your Netflix queue
Subtle racism, it's hard to pin it
'Cause you'd only understand if you were me for just a minute
This one kid said somethin' that was really bad
He said I wasn't really black because I had a dad
I think that's kinda sad
Mostly 'cause a lot of black kids think they should agree with that
If you're a father, you should stick around if you could
'Cause even if you're bad at it, you could Tiger Woods or MJ
We warriors, we all need senseis
Change everything that we've done so far
I don't mean makin' B.E.T. T.E.R
I mean just the way that we see each other
I won't stop until they say:
"James Franco is the white Donald Glover"
Yeah, these niggas wanted Cookie, but instead I gave 'em Loch Ness
Sick Boi for life, my swag is in a hospice
Aimin' for the throne, Jay and Ye said to watch that
They ask me what I'm doin', and I said I'm stealin' rock back
Nigga
[Chorus]
Oh, I want it, yeah
Whenever you need my hand
I'll hold you down, oh
Oh, you want it, yeah
Why in the fuck these niggas
Tryin' to hold me down, oh
Oh, I want it, yeah
Whenever you need my hand
I'll hold you down, oh
Oh, you want it, yeah
Why in the fuck these niggas
Tryin' to hold me down, oh
Oh, I want it, yeah
Whenever you need my hand
I'll hold you down, oh
Oh, you want it, yeah
Why in the fuck these niggas
Tryin' to hold me down, oh
Yeah, uh
Why in the fuck these niggas
Try and hold me down, ohh
[Verse 1]
"You such a fuckin' lame!"
It's what they used to yell back in seventh grade
My mama said she'd get me that new jacket when the cost go down
Hit the office, stole some Tommy Hill from lost and found
Not bad for a family of foster child
Lookin' fly man, I'm flossin' now
But them niggas saw through me
"Are you serious? What is this?"
Took the jacket off third period, ellipsis
Listening to "Sky Is the Limit" on my Walkman
Thinking if Biggie can make it through it, man then I can
Dope-boy swag, I always wanted that
But my persona was always more of that Arthur Ashe
But no love for the son of a commuter who was a radio head
And okay at them computers at the post office
It's funny how you smoke niggas then you start coffins
All my people need throat lozenge
My fear is dead, ambition drove the hearse
But niggas got me feelin' I ain't black enough to go to church
Culture shock at barber shops cause I ain't hood enough
We all look the same to the cops, ain't that good enough?
The black experience is black and serious
Cause being black, my experience, is no one hearin' us
White kids get to wear whatever hat they want
When it comes to black kids one size fits all
[Chorus]
Oh, I want it, yeah
Whenever you need my hand
I'll hold you down, oh
Oh, you want it, yeah
Why in the fuck these niggas
Tryin' to hold me down, oh
[Break]
We the baddest nigga
We the baddest nigga, yeah
We the baddest nigga, we the baddest nigga, uh
We the baddest nigga, we the baddest nigga, uh
We the baddest nigga, uh, we the baddest nigga
[Verse 2]
The reason that they say I'm nothin' what they seen or heard's
The same reason Will Smith always opposite Latino girls
They only see you how they wanna see you
'Til you make them see you in some other way
I'm trippin' off the other day
'Cause God knows what these white kids sayin' dude
You're not not racist 'cause The Wire's in your Netflix queue
Subtle racism, it's hard to pin it
'Cause you'd only understand if you were me for just a minute
This one kid said somethin' that was really bad
He said I wasn't really black because I had a dad
I think that's kinda sad
Mostly 'cause a lot of black kids think they should agree with that
If you're a father, you should stick around if you could
'Cause even if you're bad at it, you could Tiger Woods or MJ
We warriors, we all need senseis
Change everything that we've done so far
I don't mean makin' B.E.T. T.E.R
I mean just the way that we see each other
I won't stop until they say:
"James Franco is the white Donald Glover"
Yeah, these niggas wanted Cookie, but instead I gave 'em Loch Ness
Sick Boi for life, my swag is in a hospice
Aimin' for the throne, Jay and Ye said to watch that
They ask me what I'm doin', and I said I'm stealin' rock back
Nigga
[Chorus]
Oh, I want it, yeah
Whenever you need my hand
I'll hold you down, oh
Oh, you want it, yeah
Why in the fuck these niggas
Tryin' to hold me down, oh
Oh, I want it, yeah
Whenever you need my hand
I'll hold you down, oh
Oh, you want it, yeah
Why in the fuck these niggas
Tryin' to hold me down, oh
more tracks from the album
From the album
- Camp (2011)
Childish Gambino popular songs
- This Is America
- Redbone
- V. 3005
- IV. Sweatpants
- Bonfire
- Heartbeat
- Freaks and Geeks
- III. Telegraph Ave. (”Oakland” by Lloyd)
- I. The Worst Guys
- You See Me
- Sober
- Me and Your Mama
- II. Zealots of Stockholm [Free Information]
- I. Crawl
- Feels Like Summer
- II. Worldstar
- III. Life: The Biggest Troll [Andrew Auernheimer]
- That Power
- L.E.S.
- I. Flight of the Navigator
- II. Shadows
- Do Ya Like
- Backpackers
- Because the internet Screenplay - Part 1