3 Wishes - J. Cole

Yeah

Grew up with killers, I ain’t know they was killers

We was just together, man, playing Mega Man on Sega, man

Your mama loved me to death, she reminded me of Afeni

Yeah, a real black queen, if I had a genie

I’d wish that she ain’t struggle no more

Y’all wouldn’t have to go to sleep with all the roaches if she wasn’t so poor

You told me when you came to my house, the shit was like a timeout

From reality, one night you asked me what I’m crying 'bout

'Cause you was staying over for the weekend

I woke up from out my sleep when I heard mama and my stepfather beefin'

I don’t know if he’d been drinkin', but I know this shit got loud

And I heard rumbling from struggling and rolling on the ground

Could never get used to that sound, my mama saying «Get off me!»

My tears is tumbling now, I wish that you never saw me, 'cause I

Felt like a coward, so powerless I was only 12

I wish I would’ve bust right through that door my fucking self

And grabbed the Glock right off the fucking shelf, if nothing else

Scared a nigga shitless, there goes two of my wishes

Forever scarred, determined to get some heart

No matter how big the nigga, no matter how small you are

Fast forward to our older years, two different paths

You used to talk to me 'bout college, but that shit didn’t last

Wasted potential, getting cash, what could I say?

So tired of not having things, you’d never see it my way, too proud to fold

Your demise, one day much to my surprise

My nigga called me, told me you just caught a body twice your size

I asked if it was self-defense, he said it was defense of pride

And that they tryna give you ten, but if you lucky you’ll do five, damn

Not my nigga, the same one that told me

That things always get better, just trust me, don’t cry my nigga

The news call him a killer, but he my nigga

Sad shit, aye yo, genie last wish, free my nigga