The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Uh, nobody, you know what I'm sayin'
Nobody, nobody thought a nigga would be right here, though, you know
That shit make like
That shit make, that shit make a difference in me and you
You was supposed to be here, nigga
Nigga, I wasn't 'posed to be in this motherfucker
Man, you know what I'm sayin'
Give all the glory to God and hard work
But you niggas gotta respect this shit, you know what I'm sayin'
I'm straight from the-
Where I'm at? (Where) Where I go? (How) How did I get here? (How did I get here?)
Walk around with a Smithfield (Smithfield)
I'm from the south, had a gold grill (Gold grill)
Remember doin' shows in Mobile (Mobile)
Go against me and it's roadkill (Roadkill)
Wakin' up to see the sunrise (Sunrise)
I turned five, I got baptized (Baptized)
We was livin' up in College Park (College Park)
Midnight, heard the gunfight (Gunfight)
Playin' football at Forest Park (Forest Park)
Gresham Park where your moment get defined (Get defined)
The story of my life (The life)
Way before I ever wrote a rhyme (Way before)
Have you ever done time? (Time)
Lookin' at my kids through the blinds (Blinds)
Confinement mind (Confinement)
How you feelin' when you face a dime? (Time)
The truth be told (Told)
I'm supposed to be locked up and dead, cold (Cold)
In the mind of an old (He cold) white man, the black man soul
Felt like I was born on Mars (Mars), everybody starin' too hard (Starin')
They didn't really think I was a star (They didn't really)
Then I fucked around, beat the odds (Fucked around)
How did I get right here? (How did I?)
Neck, wrist on chandelier (Chandelier)
Made me wanna drop some tears (Tears)
Thankin' God that I switched gears (Whooo)
I'm from another lightyear, I'm a Martian (Martian)
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
Too fast, everything in slow motion
I get the cash and my money keep grossin' (Get the cash)
Popped a bottle, champagne, we toastin'
Suicide doors on the coupe when they open (Skrrt)
They didn't believe in me (Nah)
Check the stats, number one, you see (You see)
I bet my haters can't breathe
Nigga, don't even compare to me (Nah)
Street niggas, we rare, unique (We rare)
We can fuck 'em by the pair, by the three (By the pair)
Chopper soundin' like a snare in a beat (Like a snare)
I'm from the A, I love your ass, it's a peach (Peach)
Where I'm from, niggas cash, don't lease (Cash)
Where I'm from, the stick's on the backseat (Stick sticks)
Where I'm from, police put you six feet
A lot of bums and they sleepin' on the street (Bums)
Yeah, yeah, that's at home (Yeah)
Nigga, go back to your fam' where you dead wrong (Go back)
Miss my dawg, dead and gone (Miss him)
I can hear his voice telling me "Don't go alone" (Pistol)
Yeah, the money can't fix that (Naw)
Dirty money, had to rinse that (Dirty money)
I try my hardest not to look back (I try)
Not too long ago I would've took that (Gimme that)
This for my niggas had to cook packs (Cook cook)
Million dollar trap fall 'cause of one rat (Rats)
Yeah, ain't no comin' back (Yeah)
How I made it out the jungle, yeah, without a scratch (Hey)
Where I'm at? (Where) Where I go? (How) How did I get here? (How did I get here?)
Walk around with a Smithfield (Smithfield)
I'm from the south, had a gold grill (Gold grill)
Remember doin' shows in Mobile (Mobile)
Go against me and it's roadkill (Roadkill)
Wakin' up to see the sunrise (Sunrise)
I turned five, I got baptized (Baptized)
We was livin' up in College Park (College Park)
Midnight, heard the gunfight (Gunfight)
Playin' football at Forest Park (Forest Park)
Gresham Park where your moment get defined (Get defined)
The story of my life (The life)
Way before I ever wrote a rhyme (Way before)
Have you ever done time? (Time)
Lookin' at my kids through the blinds (Blinds)
Confinement mind (Confinement)
How you feelin' when you face a dime? (Time)
The truth be told (Told)
I'm supposed to be locked up and dead, cold (Cold)
In the mind of an old (He cold) white man, the black man soul
Baptized at First Baptist Church
The pastor name was Reverend Johnson (Okay)
Chastised his shirt and matchin' shoes
But had to front, it never bothered him (Okay)
Hurt his pride but he swallowed it (Okay)
Dirt is all that he spotted
And in the dirty south where bodies pilin' up
So high, they block the birds and rerouted 'em (Damn)
Plenty murderers had observers but
You never heard a peep out of them
So many funerals it ain't enough numerals to keep count of them (Woah)
Look, I'm just settin' the scene
Back when I stared at the phone as I'm lettin' it ring
Another collector, they leave us a message
My mama in deficit, must intervene
I bust out the seams, I'm gettin' too big for these britches now
I invest in the dream, I'm destined for green
I got superstar dick for these bitches now
I got superstar dick for these bitches now
And I think about that when I dig 'em out
(When I dig 'em out, when I dig 'em out)
Where I'm at? (Where) Where I go? (How) How did I get here? (How did I get here?)
Walk around with a Smithfield (Smithfield)
I'm from the south, had a gold grill (Gold grill)
Remember doin' shows in Mobile (Mobile)
Go against me and it's roadkill (Roadkill)
Wakin' up to see the sunrise (Sunrise)
I turned five, I got baptized (Baptized)
We was livin' up in College Park (College Park)
Midnight, heard the gunfight (Gunfight)
Playin' football at Forest Park (Forest Park)
Gresham Park where your moment get defined (Get defined)
The story of my life (The life)
Way before I ever wrote a rhyme (Way before)
Have you ever done time? (Time)
Lookin' at my kids through the blinds (Blinds)
Confinement mind (Confinement)
How you feelin' when you face a dime? (Time)
The truth be told (Told)
I'm supposed to be locked up and dead, cold (Cold)
In the mind of an old (He cold) white man, the black man soul
Nobody, nobody thought a nigga would be right here, though, you know
That shit make like
That shit make, that shit make a difference in me and you
You was supposed to be here, nigga
Nigga, I wasn't 'posed to be in this motherfucker
Man, you know what I'm sayin'
Give all the glory to God and hard work
But you niggas gotta respect this shit, you know what I'm sayin'
I'm straight from the-
Where I'm at? (Where) Where I go? (How) How did I get here? (How did I get here?)
Walk around with a Smithfield (Smithfield)
I'm from the south, had a gold grill (Gold grill)
Remember doin' shows in Mobile (Mobile)
Go against me and it's roadkill (Roadkill)
Wakin' up to see the sunrise (Sunrise)
I turned five, I got baptized (Baptized)
We was livin' up in College Park (College Park)
Midnight, heard the gunfight (Gunfight)
Playin' football at Forest Park (Forest Park)
Gresham Park where your moment get defined (Get defined)
The story of my life (The life)
Way before I ever wrote a rhyme (Way before)
Have you ever done time? (Time)
Lookin' at my kids through the blinds (Blinds)
Confinement mind (Confinement)
How you feelin' when you face a dime? (Time)
The truth be told (Told)
I'm supposed to be locked up and dead, cold (Cold)
In the mind of an old (He cold) white man, the black man soul
Felt like I was born on Mars (Mars), everybody starin' too hard (Starin')
They didn't really think I was a star (They didn't really)
Then I fucked around, beat the odds (Fucked around)
How did I get right here? (How did I?)
Neck, wrist on chandelier (Chandelier)
Made me wanna drop some tears (Tears)
Thankin' God that I switched gears (Whooo)
I'm from another lightyear, I'm a Martian (Martian)
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
Too fast, everything in slow motion
I get the cash and my money keep grossin' (Get the cash)
Popped a bottle, champagne, we toastin'
Suicide doors on the coupe when they open (Skrrt)
They didn't believe in me (Nah)
Check the stats, number one, you see (You see)
I bet my haters can't breathe
Nigga, don't even compare to me (Nah)
Street niggas, we rare, unique (We rare)
We can fuck 'em by the pair, by the three (By the pair)
Chopper soundin' like a snare in a beat (Like a snare)
I'm from the A, I love your ass, it's a peach (Peach)
Where I'm from, niggas cash, don't lease (Cash)
Where I'm from, the stick's on the backseat (Stick sticks)
Where I'm from, police put you six feet
A lot of bums and they sleepin' on the street (Bums)
Yeah, yeah, that's at home (Yeah)
Nigga, go back to your fam' where you dead wrong (Go back)
Miss my dawg, dead and gone (Miss him)
I can hear his voice telling me "Don't go alone" (Pistol)
Yeah, the money can't fix that (Naw)
Dirty money, had to rinse that (Dirty money)
I try my hardest not to look back (I try)
Not too long ago I would've took that (Gimme that)
This for my niggas had to cook packs (Cook cook)
Million dollar trap fall 'cause of one rat (Rats)
Yeah, ain't no comin' back (Yeah)
How I made it out the jungle, yeah, without a scratch (Hey)
Where I'm at? (Where) Where I go? (How) How did I get here? (How did I get here?)
Walk around with a Smithfield (Smithfield)
I'm from the south, had a gold grill (Gold grill)
Remember doin' shows in Mobile (Mobile)
Go against me and it's roadkill (Roadkill)
Wakin' up to see the sunrise (Sunrise)
I turned five, I got baptized (Baptized)
We was livin' up in College Park (College Park)
Midnight, heard the gunfight (Gunfight)
Playin' football at Forest Park (Forest Park)
Gresham Park where your moment get defined (Get defined)
The story of my life (The life)
Way before I ever wrote a rhyme (Way before)
Have you ever done time? (Time)
Lookin' at my kids through the blinds (Blinds)
Confinement mind (Confinement)
How you feelin' when you face a dime? (Time)
The truth be told (Told)
I'm supposed to be locked up and dead, cold (Cold)
In the mind of an old (He cold) white man, the black man soul
Baptized at First Baptist Church
The pastor name was Reverend Johnson (Okay)
Chastised his shirt and matchin' shoes
But had to front, it never bothered him (Okay)
Hurt his pride but he swallowed it (Okay)
Dirt is all that he spotted
And in the dirty south where bodies pilin' up
So high, they block the birds and rerouted 'em (Damn)
Plenty murderers had observers but
You never heard a peep out of them
So many funerals it ain't enough numerals to keep count of them (Woah)
Look, I'm just settin' the scene
Back when I stared at the phone as I'm lettin' it ring
Another collector, they leave us a message
My mama in deficit, must intervene
I bust out the seams, I'm gettin' too big for these britches now
I invest in the dream, I'm destined for green
I got superstar dick for these bitches now
I got superstar dick for these bitches now
And I think about that when I dig 'em out
(When I dig 'em out, when I dig 'em out)
Where I'm at? (Where) Where I go? (How) How did I get here? (How did I get here?)
Walk around with a Smithfield (Smithfield)
I'm from the south, had a gold grill (Gold grill)
Remember doin' shows in Mobile (Mobile)
Go against me and it's roadkill (Roadkill)
Wakin' up to see the sunrise (Sunrise)
I turned five, I got baptized (Baptized)
We was livin' up in College Park (College Park)
Midnight, heard the gunfight (Gunfight)
Playin' football at Forest Park (Forest Park)
Gresham Park where your moment get defined (Get defined)
The story of my life (The life)
Way before I ever wrote a rhyme (Way before)
Have you ever done time? (Time)
Lookin' at my kids through the blinds (Blinds)
Confinement mind (Confinement)
How you feelin' when you face a dime? (Time)
The truth be told (Told)
I'm supposed to be locked up and dead, cold (Cold)
In the mind of an old (He cold) white man, the black man soul
Lyrics submitted by mixmaster95
How Did I Get Here Lyrics as written by Joshua Luellen Andre Proctor
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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So powerful and uplifting!!! Its prime time that we african-americans erase OUR OWN color lines and come face to face with the reality that we are letting OURSELVES down. Bring back the days of morality and home training and lets raise our children with the belief that "They are a direct representation of us from the moment they leave our doorsteps in the morning til when they lay their heads down at night." Lets stop lettin the media raise our kids an do some damn parenting out here!!!