To Pimp a Butterfly

Alright

​Alls my life I has to fight, nigga
Alls my life I...
Hard times like yah
Bad trips like "God!"
Nazareth, I'm fucked up
Homie you fucked up
But if God got us then we gon' be alright

[Hook - Pharrell Williams:]
Nigga, we gon' be alright
Nigga, we gon' be alright
We gon' be alright
Do you hear me, do you feel me? We gon' be alright
Nigga, we gon' be alright
Huh? We gon' be alright
Nigga, we gon' be alright
Do you hear me, do you feel me? We gon' be alright

Uh, and when I wake up
I recognize you're lookin' at me for the pay cut
Behind my side we lookin' at you from the face down
What mac-11 even boom with the bass down
Schemin'! And let me tell you bout my life
Painkillers only put me in the twilight
Where pretty pussy and Benjamin is the highlight
Now tell my mama I love her but this what I like
Lord knows, 20 of 'em in my Chevy
Tell 'em all to come and get me, reapin' everything I sow
So my karma coming heavy
No preliminary hearings on my record
I'm a motherfucking gangster in silence for the record
Tell the world I know it's too late
Boys and girls I think I've gone cray
Drown inside my vices all day
Won't you please believe when I say

[Pre-hook:]
When you know, we been hurt, been down before, nigga
When our pride was low, lookin' at the world like, "where do we go, nigga?"
And we hate Popo, wanna kill us dead in the street for sure, nigga
I'm at the preacher's door
My knees gettin' weak and my gun might blow but we gon' be alright

[Hook]

What you want, you a house you a car
40 acres and a mule, a piano a guitar
Anything, see my name is Lucy, I'm your dog
Motherfucker you can live at the mall
I can see the evil, I can tell it I know it's illegal
I don't think about it, I deposit every other zero
Thinkin' of my partner put the candy, paint it on the regal
Diggin' in my pocket ain't a profit, big enough to feed you
Everyday my logic, get another dollar just to keep you
In the presence of your chico... ah!
I don't talk about it, be about it, everyday I see cool
If I got it then you know you got it, Heaven, I can reach you
Pet dog, pet dog, pet dog, my dog that's all
Pick back and chat I shut the back for y'all
I rap, I'm black, on track so rest assured
My rights, my wrongs I write till I'm right with God
[Pre-hook]

[Hook]

I keep my head up high
I cross my heart and hope to die
Lovin' me is complicated
Too afraid, a lot of changes
I'm alright and you're a favorite
Dark nights in my prayers

I remembered you was conflicted
Misusing your influence, sometimes I did the same
Abusing my power full of resentment
Resentment that turned into a deep depression
Found myself screamin' in the hotel room
I didn't wanna self destruct, the evils of Lucy was all around me
So I went runnin' for answers

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  1.           In the chapter “Teaching Values”, hooks discusses how impactful Black authored literature was for the Black populace during the Civil Rights Movement. hooks argues this “literature of resistance” is needed because “its purpose was to educate and transform consciousness” (hooks 97). Lamar’s album in it’s entirety fits this definition of resistant literature because it educates the Black populace on multiple Black issues in America. By using the song to discuss means to combat oppression, Lamar opened the conversation of how to resist, which hooks argues is pivotal in a Black person’s fight to decolonize their mind. She writes, “The consciousness-raising group, the political rally, the political discussion taking place at the social hour were all spaces where individuals could find support for education for critical consciousness… And in this atmosphere of independent thinking black folks were learning how to decolonize our minds and build healthy self-esteem.” (hooks 99). Simply, the song’s uplifting tone relays the message that we have the power to always improve ourselves, and each other, regardless of external oppression.
     

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