J. Cole

Released: June 18, 2013

Featuring: James Fauntleroy

Songwriter: James Fauntleroy J. Cole

Producer: J. Cole

[Intro: J. Cole]
Yeah
Hey

[Verse 1: J. Cole]
Spinning in circles, live my life without rehearsal
If I died today my nigga, was it business, was it personal?
Should this be my last breath I'm blessed cause it was purposeful
Never got to church to worship lord but please be merciful
You made me versatile, well-rounded like cursive
Know you chose me for a purpose, I put my soul in these verses
Born sinner, was never born to be perfect
Sucker for women licking they lips and holding these purses
Back when we ran the streets who would think we'd grow to be murderers
Teachers treated niggas as if they totally worthless
And violent, and hopeless, I saw but never noticed
That a college point us right to "Be all that you can be" posters, uh
Rest in peace to Tiffany, I don't know if
This the realest shit I wrote, but know the realest nigga wrote this
And signed it, and sealed it in a envelope and knew one day you'll find it
And knew one day you'd come back and rewind it, singing

[Chorus: James Fauntleroy]
I'm a born sinner
But I'll die better than that, I swear
You were always where I needed you to be
Whether you were there or not there (I was there)
I was born sinning
But I live better than that (better than that)
If you ain't fucking with that, I don't care
(Ooh, ooh, ooh) Yeah, yeah, yeah

[Verse 2: J. Cole]
Yeah, this music shit is a gift
But God help us make it 'cause this music bizz is a cliff
I got her life in my grip, she holding tight to my wrist
She screaming: "Don't let me slip"
She see the tears in my eyes, I see the fear on her lips
True when I told you: "You the only reason why I don't flip
And go insane"; My roof in the pouring rain
You knew me before the fame, don't lose me the more I change, no
Just grow with me, go broke you go broke with me
I smoke you gon' smoke with me
Woman's curse since birth, man lead her to the hearse
I go Bobby you go Whitney damn
Listen here, I'll tell you my biggest fears
You the only one who knows 'em
Don't you ever go expose 'em
This life is harder than you'll probably ever know
Emotions I hardly ever show, more for you than for me
Don't you worry yourself, I gotta do this for me
They tell me life is a test, but where's the tutor for me?
Pops came late, I'm already stuck in my ways
Ducking calls from my mother for days
Sometimes she hate the way she raised me but she love what she raised
Can't wait to hand her these house keys with nothing to say
Except

[Chorus: James Fauntleroy]
I'm a born sinner
But I'll die better than that, I swear
You were always where I needed you to be
Whether you were there or not there (I was there)
I was born sinning
But I live better than that (better than that)
If you ain't fucking with that, I don't care
(Ooh, ooh, ooh) Yeah, yeah, yeah

[Chorus: Choir]
I'm a born sinner
But I'll die better than that, I swear
You were always where I needed you to be
Whether you were there or not there (I was there)
I was born sinning
But I live better than that (better than that)
If you ain't fucking with that, I don't care
(Ooh, ooh, ooh) Yeah, yeah, yeah

[Outro: J. Cole]
This shit is a gift

Jermaine Lamarr Cole (b. January 28th, 1985), better known as J. Cole, is a rapper and producer who was born in Frankfurt, Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He gained a passion for rap at a young age and first went by the names Blaza and Therapist (the latter was given to him by Bomb Sheltah, a respected rap group from Fayetteville) before settling on his own name.

He first started getting recognition in 2007 with the release of his debut mixtape The Come Up. First, after a failed attempt to share a CD of his with Jay-Z, it would later be Hov, that would come to his attention after he heard Cole’s song “Lights Please”, Jay-Z would go on to make J. Cole his first signing to his then newly formed record label, Roc Nation, in 2009.

Since then he has become one of the biggest names of the “new school” era, with the release of five platinum certified albums. His debut release Cole The Sideline Story defied industry expectations by selling over 200,000 copies in its first week without a top 40 hit single at the time and his sophomore Born Sinner, saw him go head-to-head with Kanye West in a now iconic sales battle in Hip-Hop. Before this, Cole released two projects that would eventually become his Truly Yourz series, the third project debuted on the deluxe edition of Born Sinner.

more tracks from the album

Born Sinner (Deluxe Version)

From the albums

Born Sinner (Deluxe Version) (2013)
Born Sinner (2013)

J. Cole popular songs

Born SinnerJ. Cole

J. Cole

Born Sinner (Deluxe Version)