Discover the poetic beauty in ‘Smile’ by 2Pac. This lyric breakdown takes you on a journey through the artist’s thoughts, emotions, and the story they aim to tell. From clever metaphors to evocative imagery, we delve into the nuances that make this song a lyrical masterpiece. Whether you’re a fan of 2Pac or a lover of well-crafted words, our detailed analysis will give you a deeper understanding and appreciation of this song.
There’s gon’ be some stuff you gon’ see
That’s gon’ make it hard to smile in the future
But through whatever you see
Through all the rain and the pain
You gotta keep your sense of humor
You gotta be able to smile through all this bullshit
Remember that
(Mmh)
Mh, yeah
Mh, keep ya head up, yeah
Yeah (mmh)
Our lifestyles be close-captioned, addicted to fatal attractions
Pictures of actions be played back in the midst of mashin’
No fairy tales for this young black male
Some see me stranded in this land of hell, jail, and crack sales
Hustlers hardly think of culture
Or the repercussions while bustin’ on backstabbin’ vultures
Sellin’ my soul for material wishes, fast cars, and bitches
Wishin’ I live my life a legend, immortalized in pictures
Why shed tears? Save your sympathy
My childhood years were spent buryin’ my peers in the cemetery
Here’s a message to the newborns waitin’ to breathe
If you believe, then you can achieve, just look at me
Against all odds, though life is hard we carry on
Livin’ in the projects, broke with no lights on
To all the seeds that follow me, protect your essence
Born with less, but you still precious, just smile for me now
Smile for me, won’t you smile? (Smile for me now)
Won’t you just smile? For me? (Smile)
For me? (What you lookin’ all sad for?)
(Nigga, you black, smile for me now) please smile for me
Smile for me (you ain’t got nothin’ to be worried about)
Could you smile? (No doubt, smile for me now)
Could you just smile? For me? (And the next generation)
Now, as I open up my story, with the blaze of your blunts
And you can picture thoughts slowly, up on phrases I wrote
And I can walk you through the days that I done
I often wish that I could save everyone, but I’m a dreamer
Have you ever seen a nigga who was strong in the game?
Overlookin’ his tomorrows, and they finally came
Look back on childhood memories, and I’m still feelin’ the pain
Turnin’ circles in my nineth grade, dealin’ cocaine
Too many hassles in my local life, survivin’ the strain
And a man without a focus, life could drive him insane
Stuck inside a ghetto fantasy hopin’ it change
But when I focus on reality we broke and in chains
Had a dream of livin’ wealthy and makin’ it big
Over football chose to cook raw, wouldn’t take but I did
And after all my momma’s thankin’ God for blessin’ the child
All my momma gots to do now is collect it and smile, smile
Smile for me, would you smile?
Would you just smile? Come on, (for me?) For me?
F*ck the world, as we elope and witness furious speeds
Unanswered questions keep us all stressin’, curious G’s
Backstabbed and bleedin’
Crooked thoughts laced with weed, learnin’
Duckin’ stray shots, bullets be hot, they burnin’
Inhalin’ sherm smoke, visualize the flames
Will I be smothered by my own pain?
Strange whispers, cowards conversate, so quick to diss us
Takin’ pictures for the feds in desperate hopes they’d get us
Hit us off, give us plenty centuries
Forgive my sins, since I entered many penitentiaries
The best revenge is, “F*ck friends!”, We military minded soldiers
Bustin’ shots blindly, tryin’ to find Jehovah
To help me, somebody save me, lost and crazy
Scared to drop a seed hopin’ I ain’t cursed my babies
Maybe now niggas feel me now, picture my pain
Embrace my words, make the world change
And still I smile, nigga
And now a moment of silence
Let us pray
And as you journey into outer space (smile for me)
May the angels help to lead the way (smile for me)
May the prayers that our families made (would you just smile?)
Shine up on your soul to keep you safe (for me?)
And all the homies that have passed away (smile for me)
They there to greet you as you pass the gates
And as you head to the tunnel’s light (could you just smile?)
I hope it leads to eternal life (for me?)
We say the prayers for our homie ‘Pac (smile for me)
Would you just smile? For me?
(Woah, smile for me) smile (smile for me)
Could you just smile? For me?
(La la, woah)
(Woo, oh smile for me, smile for me)
All you gotta do, all you need to do is smile for me
Woah-oh, smile for me
Come on, smile for me