Barbed Wire

[Intro: Kendrick Lamar]

One time

Reporting live

Compton, California

[Verse 1: Kendrick Lamar]

Have you ever felt like, like you never get life?

Like you never did right, sort of like a black sheep?

Back down, backing out your dreams like some bad sleep

Chasing for the wind but you never win the track meet

Oh, what a cold world for a broke nigga, it's bitter

And life's a bitch, don't hit women, so I bit her

I struck enough pain let her know I wasn't playing

I was so sincere like Nas' first name in Belly

They tell me, it's very difficult to see 25

And if I survive it's probably with a celly

My opportunities are low because my brown complexion floats

In the ghetto rather in some heels like Giuseppe's

They want me unemployed, until I hit the streets

Fulfilling voids of broke D-Boys selling weed

Fucking up my prestige, 'til I live with the blues

BB King or the neighbors of Snoop, that's why I'm

[Chorus 1: Kendrick Lamar, Ash Riser & Alori Joh]

In the club like fuck it, though

They say it's only one life, life, life

And if you say I can't live comfortable

I'ma tell you that's a lie, lie, lie

So while I hold this bottle of Cîroc with a hand full of ass

Celebrate the very day that I get past

Through the barbed wire

We are, we are (Fighters)

We are, we are (True)

Through the, through barbed (Wires)

We will, will break (Through)

So while I hold this bottle of Cîroc with a hand full of ass

Celebrate the very day that I get past

Through the barbed wire

[Verse 2: Kendrick Lamar]

Have you ever felt like, like you never get life?

Like you never did right, sort of like a black sheep?

Tryna get away from the world's stereotype

Barbed wire got a barricade on your destiny

She desperately in need of some inspiration, see what the people saying

She gon have a baby then flee from her education

At the age of 16, credit card scam schemes

See a scar on her eye, boyfriend brutality

She'll never get by, no how, no way

Welfare recipient, property of the state

Housing, Section 8, corner store prostitute

The owner bout to prosecute, the niggas tell her that she's cute

Hoodrat trashy, six baby daddies

And this baby daddy is new to the family

Chilling in pajamis, waiting on the first

Fast forward spilling drinks on her fur, that's why she

[Chorus 2: Kendrick Lamar, Ash Riser & Alori Joh]

In the club like fuck it, though

They say it's only one life, life, life

And if you say she can't live comfortable

She gon' tell you that's a lie, lie, lie

So while she up in VIP pouring Merlot in the glass

Celebrate the very day that she get past

Through the barbed wire

We are, we are (Fighters)

We are, we are (True)

Through the barbed wire (Wires)

We will, will break (Through)

So while she up in VIP pouring Merlot in the glass

Celebrate the very day that she get past

Through the barbed wire

[Verse 3: Kendrick Lamar]

Have you ever felt like, you finally got life

You finally got right? No longer a black sheep

Living off ya dreams like Christina uh-Milian

In the front seat of a convertible eloping to get married

What a feeling of overcoming the odds

It's like we just hit the lottery, my God

There must be a God, cause golly

You done made it through the fight while squabbling Ali

Now ya lifestyle's looking up and you escaped the crooked cuffs

And you ain't have to kill a nigga just to make a couple bucks

And she ain't have to go and fuck on everybody for a dollar

Making good decisions, got a independent business-mind

And both of y’all are steady grindin', doing it the legal way

Just tryna make a decent pay on every second of the day

But they won't give you the credit, disses out they mouth

You must have joined the Illuminati just to ball out

[Chorus 3: Kendrick Lamar, Ash Riser]

In the club like fuck it, though

They say it's only one life, life, life

And if you say they can't live comfortable

They gone tell you that's a lie, lie, lie

So even if you overcame doubt and ya living ain't bad

Know it's a barbed wire that's always in your path

Through the barbed wire (Just laugh)

Then everybody say...

'Cause I won't get caught again

And I'm here to stop the trends

You can catch me if you try

Disappear into the night

And I'm gone

[Outro: Alori Joh & Kendrick Lamar]

So you made it past all the barbed wires?

There's one more left *Gunshot*