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Like Smoke Lyrics
[Amy]
I never wanted you to be my man
I just need your company
Don't wanna get dependent on
Your time or who you spend it on
Then lose the way you love me
Like smoke, I hung around in the unbalance
[Nas]
It's not a movie, this is not a script to proofread
I'll spit some untruths to dumb fools and groupies
Fun to punctuate, pronunciate
The funds I make, the miles I take, put in your face
Oh my mistake, you're not a floozy? Then excuse me
Before I tout my style, introduce me
Get your name and phone number like 1-2-3
Y'all know the story, y'all know the commentary
I kick the narrative, this is legendary
The good Samaritan, hood thespian
Like a polygamist, with a twist
Will I marry again? Maybe, I guess
I hold a lady's interest I just met
The love scholar, she the teacher's pet
Every other eve we meet and make each other sweat
I feel triumphant, no strings
Just a fling to have fun with
I'll be out in London, Camden
Huntin' for the answers
Why did God take away the homie?
I can't stand it
I'm a firm believer that we all meet up in eternity
Just hope the big man show me some courtesy
Why? ‘Cause I'm deemed a heart breaker
Like smoke, girls linger ‘round a player
Yeah-uh
[Amy]
I never wanted you to be my man
I just need your company
Don't wanna get dependent on
Your time or who you spend it on
And lose the way you look at me
Like smoke I hang around in the unbalance
[Nas]
Yo, this recession is a test
It's affecting my complexion
Misdirecting my affection
My concerns are bill collections
The facts is the taxes, they after me
Chapter three, my property
My handlers, they dealt with me improperly
I say some things I should probably keep privately
Evaluate the world bank trusts like I'm IEG
Those fly suites and my bourgeoise
Tall freak, she wouldn't protest with me at Wall Street
She says, "No, you're so deep"
I said, "No let's go through it historically
So ruthless feds came for Joe Louis"
She said, "My man, you need to laugh sometime"
Classifies me as a whore, I told her, "Have some wine
You' colder than penguin pussy", at her dismay
She's thinkin' that's just so silly to say
But if you really think about it hussy
See a penguin, he drags his ass on the ground all day
In there's a drag, in there's a bust, and you're in tune with just lust
I'm through with you after I crush, so is that humorous enough?
The smoke I puff
Tell the car to go to Aura, Funky Buddah, Whisky Mist on Mayfair
I hope I meet some 'Monie Love' so she can show me love
NYC to UK, I might stay there
Everybody in the club tonight say, “Yeah”
You know how me and Amy are, straight players
[Amy]
I never wanted you to be my man
I just need your company
Don't wanna get dependent on
Your time or who you spend it on
And lose the way you look at me
Like smoke I hang around in the unbalance
I never wanted you to be my man
I just need your company
Don't wanna get dependent on
Your time or who you spend it on
Then lose the way you love me
Like smoke, I hung around in the unbalance
It's not a movie, this is not a script to proofread
I'll spit some untruths to dumb fools and groupies
Fun to punctuate, pronunciate
The funds I make, the miles I take, put in your face
Oh my mistake, you're not a floozy? Then excuse me
Before I tout my style, introduce me
Get your name and phone number like 1-2-3
Y'all know the story, y'all know the commentary
I kick the narrative, this is legendary
The good Samaritan, hood thespian
Like a polygamist, with a twist
Will I marry again? Maybe, I guess
I hold a lady's interest I just met
The love scholar, she the teacher's pet
Every other eve we meet and make each other sweat
I feel triumphant, no strings
Just a fling to have fun with
I'll be out in London, Camden
Huntin' for the answers
Why did God take away the homie?
I can't stand it
I'm a firm believer that we all meet up in eternity
Just hope the big man show me some courtesy
Why? ‘Cause I'm deemed a heart breaker
Like smoke, girls linger ‘round a player
Yeah-uh
I never wanted you to be my man
I just need your company
Don't wanna get dependent on
Your time or who you spend it on
And lose the way you look at me
Like smoke I hang around in the unbalance
Yo, this recession is a test
It's affecting my complexion
Misdirecting my affection
My concerns are bill collections
The facts is the taxes, they after me
Chapter three, my property
My handlers, they dealt with me improperly
I say some things I should probably keep privately
Evaluate the world bank trusts like I'm IEG
Those fly suites and my bourgeoise
Tall freak, she wouldn't protest with me at Wall Street
She says, "No, you're so deep"
I said, "No let's go through it historically
So ruthless feds came for Joe Louis"
She said, "My man, you need to laugh sometime"
Classifies me as a whore, I told her, "Have some wine
You' colder than penguin pussy", at her dismay
She's thinkin' that's just so silly to say
But if you really think about it hussy
See a penguin, he drags his ass on the ground all day
In there's a drag, in there's a bust, and you're in tune with just lust
I'm through with you after I crush, so is that humorous enough?
The smoke I puff
Tell the car to go to Aura, Funky Buddah, Whisky Mist on Mayfair
I hope I meet some 'Monie Love' so she can show me love
NYC to UK, I might stay there
Everybody in the club tonight say, “Yeah”
You know how me and Amy are, straight players
I never wanted you to be my man
I just need your company
Don't wanna get dependent on
Your time or who you spend it on
And lose the way you look at me
Like smoke I hang around in the unbalance
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this was finally a song that she felt some kind of redemption for the love history she's had...and with Nas, it was perfect, the lyrics and the flow are beyond perfection...i pray everyday that her death never happened
So good listen to song at work on the bus when i get home one of my favs
I've been listening to this song non-stop since I got the album. Amy is just absolutely wonderful.
i think the lyrics in the chorus are
I never wanted you to be my man, I just needed company, Don't wanna get dependent on Your time or who you spend it on But I lose it when you look at me.
Love this bitch man
O.K., I think I finally figured it out. There are two versions of the chorus: the first chorus and then the last two. The first, as printed in the liner notes, is: I never wanted you to be my man I just need your company Don't want to get dependent on Your time or who you spend it on Or lose the way you love me Like smoke I hung around And be your balance
The second, used twice, is: I never wanted you to be my man I just needed company Don't want to get dependent on Your time or who you spend it on And lose the way you look at me Like smoke I hang around In the unbalance
Great song.
Ulmanor, "Like smoke, I hung around and be your balance" is incorrect (and doesn't make sense, grammatically), but you are right when you say that the lyric is "Like smoke, I hang around in the unbalance" rather than "unbalanceD", which seems to be the most common mix-up here. I fixed that and made some other edits to the lyrics on this page (still pending approval) so hopefully that will be fixed soon.
My interpretation of this song (specifically, the chorus) is that she has developed more romantic feelings for a guy with whom she has a casual, sexual relationship. She knows that she's one of his many 'lady friends' and that he's too cool to settle down with her, but she doesn't want to break it off, so she's trying not to blow it with him by getting too clingy or revealing her true feelings and scaring him off... "I never wanted you to be my man, I just need your company" sounds to me like she's being a bit defensive, possibly after being accused of trying to tie him down or worm her way into a 'girlfriend' position, while "Don't wanna get dependent on your time or who you spend it on and lose the way you look at me" sounds more like her inner monologue as she's trying to remind herself to be cool and not let him catch on that she's become attached to him.
I believe she's using a play on words with the phrase "hanging in the balance", which means to be reliant on some external factor that you can't control in order to survive or succeed (or in Amy's case, get what she wants)... She's holding her breath waiting for him to come around and fulfill her secret wish to be his one and only, even though she's pretty sure it won't happen. There is very little chance that she'll get what she wants, but she's choosing to stay anyway, because she thinks that breaking it off completely would be worse than being strung along (because in that scenario, at least she still gets to spend time with him). She's hanging in the UNbalance. Just my thoughts.
Also, Nas kind of echoes that idea when he says "Like smoke, girls linger 'round a player"... he's a bit cocky and he knows that he can keep girls on the hook, getting what he wants from them sexually without having to commit, and that they'll keep coming back for more because his lovin' is just THAT good. lol. It's kind of true... a lot of women can't resist trying to tame the wild ones, even though they know all too well that they'll get scratched up a bit in the struggle!