Kendrick Lamar
Lyric guide

i (To Pimp a Butterfly)

Read i (To Pimp a Butterfly) lyrics by Kendrick Lamar on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

Kendrick Lamar visibility12 visits
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: Kendrick Lamar Canonical path: /kendrick-lamar/i-to-pimp-a-butterfly Related lyric paths: 6
Lyrics

i (To Pimp a Butterfly)

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

Is this mic on? (Hey, move this way, this way)

Hey, Hey! Hey! Turn the mic up, c'mon, c'mon

Is the mic on or not? I want the mic

We're bringing up nobody, nobody

Nobody but the number one rapper in the world

He done traveled all over the world

He came back just to give you some game

All of the little boys and girls, come up here

(One two, one two, what's happening, fool?)

Come right here, this is for you, come on up

Kendrick Lamar, make some noise, brother

I done been through a whole lot

Trial, tribulation, but I know God

The Devil wanna put me in a bow tie

Pray that the holy water don't go dry, yay, yay

As I look around me

So many motherfuckers wanna down me

But an enemigo never drown me

In front of a dirty double-mirror they found me

And (I love myself), huh

When you lookin' at me, tell me what do you see?

(I love myself)

Ahh, I put a bullet in the back of, the back of the head of the police

(I love myself)

Illuminated by the hand of God, boy don't seem shy

(I love myself)

One day at a time, huh

They wanna say it's a war outside, bomb in the street

Gun in the hood, mob of police

Rock on the corner with a line for the fiend

And a bottle full of lean and a model on the scheme uh

These days of frustration keep y'all on tuck and rotation (come to the front)

Yeahh, I duck these cold faces, post up fi-fie-fo-fum basis

Dreams of reality's peace

Blow steam in the face of the beast

Sky could fall down, wind could cry now

Look at me motherfucker I smile

And (I love myself), huh

When you lookin' at me, tell me what do you see?

(I love myself)

Ahh, I put a bullet in the back of the back of the head of the police

(I love myself)

Illuminated by the hand of God, boy don't seem shy

(I love myself)

One day at a time, uhh

(Crazy)

(What you gon' do?)

Lift up your head and keep moving, (keep moving) turn the mic up

(Haunt you)

Peace to fashion police, I wear my heart

On my sleeve, let the runway start

You know the miserable do love company

What do you want from me and my scars?

Everybody lack confidence, everybody lack confidence

How many times my potential was anonymous?

How many times the city making me promises?

So I promise this, nigga

And (I love myself), huh

When you lookin' at me, tell me what do you see?

(I love myself)

Ahh, I put a bullet in the back of, the back of the head of the police

(I love myself)

Illuminated by the hand of God, boy don't seem shy

(I love myself)

Huh (walk my bare feet) huh (walk my bare feet)

Huh (down, down valley deep) huh (down, down valley deep)

(I love myself) huh (fi-fie-fo-fum) huh (fi-fie-fo-fum)

(I love myself) huh (my heart undone) one, two, three

I went to war last night

With an automatic weapon, don't nobody call a medic

I'mma do it till I get it right

I went to war last night (night, night, night, night, night)

I've been dealing with depression ever since an adolescent

Duckin' every other blessin', I can never see the message

I could never take the lead, I could never bob and weave

From a negative and letting them annihilate me

And it's evident I'm moving at a meteor speed

Finna run into a building, lay my body

Not on my time, not while I'm up here

Not on my time, kill the music

Not on my time

We could save that shit for the streets

We could save that shit, this for the kids bro

2015, niggas tired of playin' victim dog

Niggas ain't trying to play vic— TuTu, how many niggas we done lost?

How many— Yan-Yan, how many we done lost?

No for real, answer the question, how many niggas we done lost bro?

This, this year alone

Exactly. So we ain't got time to waste time my nigga

Niggas gotta make time bro

The judge make time, you know that, the judge make time right?

The judge make time so it ain’t shit

It shouldn’t be shit for us to come out here and appreciate the little bit of life we got left, dawg

On the dead homies. Charlie P, you know that bro

You know that

It’s mando. Right, it's mando

And I say this because I, I love you niggas man

I love all my niggas bro

Exac— enough said, enough said

We gon' get back to the show and move on, because that shit petty my nigga

Mic check, mic check, mic check, mic check, mic check

We gon' do some acapella shit before we get back to-

All my niggas listen

Listen to this

I promised Dave I'd never use the phrase: fuck nigga

He said: Think about what you saying — fuck niggas!

No better than Samuel on Django

No better than a white man with slave boats

Sound like I needed some soul searching

My Pops gave me some game in real person

Retraced my steps on what they never taught me

Did my homework fast before government caught me

So I'ma dedicate this one verse to Oprah

On how the infamous, sensitive N-word control us

So many artists gave her an explanation to hold us

Well, this is my explanation straight from Ethiopia

N-E-G-U-S definition: royalty; King royalty — wait listen

N-E-G-U-S description: Black emperor, King, ruler — now let me finish

The history books overlook the word and hide it

America tried to make it to a house divided

The homies don't recognize we been using it wrong

So I'ma break it down and put my game in a song

N-E-G-U-S, say it with me

Or say no more. Black stars can come and get me

Take it from Oprah Winfrey, tell her she right on time

Kendrick Lamar, by far, realest Negus alive

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "i (To Pimp a Butterfly)"?

Kendrick Lamar performs "i (To Pimp a Butterfly)", and this lyric page sits inside the Kendrick Lamar catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "i (To Pimp a Butterfly)"?

Yes. The related section below points to LOVE. (feat. Zacari) and Die Hard (feat. Blxst & Amanda Reifer) with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Kendrick Lamar?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Kendrick Lamar's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on i (To Pimp a Butterfly) yet.