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See all the lyrics to the song here
In this song, Kendrick speaks from the perspective of two people he knew growing up in Compton. By rapping from their perspectives, Kendrick is fulfilling a promise he references throughout the refrain, “promise that you will sing about me.” It’s this promise that drove him to write the song, one that he’s said took him over a year to write. This isn’t hard for me to believe as Sing About Me, is one of the most authentic and beautiful I’ve ever heard. Over it’s powerful 12-minute runtime, Kendrick gives us a sobering glimpse of the continuous cycle of loss he grew up in.
Sing About Me
The first verse is sung from the perspective of the brother of Kendrick’s friend, Dave, who was shot and killed in the skit at the end of Swimming Pools. The verse depicts a call that Kendrick received from Dave’s brother where he thanks him for holding his brother while he died and goes on to say that he’s been troubled and has, “a demon glued to my back, whispering ‘get em!’” By this he means that he’s sure he’s going out to seek revenge against the boys that killed his brother, even though he’s aware that this only feeds into the constant cycle of violence in their community. In the closing lines of the verse, Dave’s brother tells Kendrick he loves him because he loved his brother too. He makes him promise to tell his story but before he can finish his message his voice is cut off by three gunshots. Dave’s brother’s death here is meant to highlight how violence only invites more violence. Kendrick does an incredible job of making us care for Dave’s brother before he’s abruptly taken away to show how small a life can feel in Compton.
Here are a few lines that I wanted to expand on.
“This orphanage we call a ghetto is quite a routine”
Kendrick’s description of Compton here is just dripping with exhaustion. Exhaustion with the monotony of life in a town where children grow up without their parents and this horrible thing is summed up as being “the ghetto.” Dave’s brother is tired of it. It’s a routine to him. He wakes up every day hearing of death and the murder of his brother has finally pushed him over the edge. It’s ironic that he calls it a routine because he goes on to continue it’s cycle by killing the people who killed his brother.
“In actuality it’s a trip how we trip off of colors”
This is Dave’s brother realizing how ridiculous it is that gang violence in his town boils down to red vs blue. He sobers up a bit in this line, as it comes just after he’s revealed that he killed his brother’s murderers. His thirst for violence fades and he begins to put things in perspective before wondering aloud if he’ll find a passion like Kendrick had that could pull him out of this rut. He doubts this though when he says “dumb n***** like me never prosper,” seemingly resigning himself to his fate as another product of the system.
“And if I die before your album drop I hope--*gunshots*”
This moment depicts the retaliative murder of Dave’s brother and also serves as a reminder that no one was ever safe growing up in Kendrick’s neighborhood. The idea that death could even intrude upon a song leaves listeners feeling uneasy. To me, this is the most powerful point of the song as Kendrick masterfully displays the pervasiveness of death here by using three simple sound effects. I’m sure he could have written an equally memorable ending to Dave’s brother’s message but this one is so unique that it’ll always stick with me.
This is not the first time Kendrick has told stories about people he knew through song. On his debut album Section 80, a track called Keisha’s Song told the story of a young prostitute who was killed in Compton. The second verse of Sing About Me is rapped from the perspective of that woman’s sister who chastises Kendrick for airing out her sister’s business. She goes on to validate her sister’s choice of work saying that she’s doing the same thing and feels fine, though she does have one momentary slip-up where she reveals that she feels exhausted. Nevertheless, she convinces herself that she, “physically feels great,” before saying that “she’ll never fade away” as her voice does just that. I’ll dive a bit further into some important lines here.
“This is the life of another girl damaged by the system, these foster homes, I run away and never do miss em.”
Another line to accentuate the repetition of life in Compton. Keisha’s sister acknowledges that her hometown has hurt her but has too much pride to admit that she’s not where she wants to be in life. This line is subtle. It reveals that she’s aware of her place in society but won’t do anything to change it, she won’t accept help. It’s this mindset that leads to her “fading away,” at the end of the song.
“My sister died in vain, but what point are you tryna gain if you can’t fit the pumps I walk in?”
Here we see Keisha’s sister shift from feeling sorry for herself to being upset with Kendrick again. She knows that her sister’s death was tragic but won’t accept Kendrick’s retelling of her story. She views it as judgement from a man who doesn’t know what it’s like to live how she and her sister did. With this line, Kendrick is playing devil’s advocate with his own song. It’s hard to disagree with Keisha’s sister here, though you can argue that Kendrick was only trying to shed light on the tragedy of Keisha’s death.
“I’ll probably live longer than you and never fade away, I’ll never fade away, I’ll never fade away, I know my fate.”
Again, Kendrick sonically shifts this song to signify that Keisha’s sister died as well, though not as abruptly as Dave’s brother did. It’s plain to see that her sister was overcompensating for something throughout the song as she constantly tells Kendrick that she’s fine and even says, “a doctor’s approval is a waste of time, I know I’m straight.” From that line we can assume that she contracted some sort of STI through her work, one that caused her to fade away like she says she’ll never do. After she says this, her voice is drowned out by the music to represent her death as she continues to tell Kendrick that she won’t change, which again ties into the song’s theme of Compton’s circle of death. In these closing lines, she also tells Kendrick not to put her story in a song, a wish that he ignores possibly so that he can use it as a warning to those living similar lives.
In this next verse Kendrick ponders his own mortality and questions why he’s so obsessed with the idea of death. As a teenager, he’s already aware that he could die at any moment, and this worries him (you hear this stress in the drawn out syllables of the line, “I tie my stomach in knots). He goes on to explain to Keisha’s sister why he told her story and how it’s his job as a voice for Compton to convey these messages. Kendrick ends the first half of the song by asking if he’s done enough to be remembered.
“And your sister’s situation was the one that pulled me
In a direction to speak on something
That’s realer than the TV screen
By any means, wasn’t trying to offend or come between,
Her personal life, I was like ‘It need to be told’
Cursing the life of twenty generations after her soul
Exactly what’d happen if I ain’t continue rapping.”
“I count lives, all on these songs
Look at the weak and cry, pray one day you’ll be strong
Fighting for your rights, even when you’re wrong
And hope that at least one of you sing about me when I’m gone
Am I worth it? Did I put enough work in?”
This is Kendrick revealing why he does what he does. He says that he told stories like Keisha’s in an attempt to dissuade future generations from following her path. He does this selflessly but shows his vulnerability in the apparent doubt of the last two lines. Kendrick questions (either to the listener or to himself) if he’s deserving of the same treatment he gave Dave’s brother and Keisha’s sister. He wonders if he’s done enough to be remembered after he dies or if he’ll just fade away as well. It’s a very sobering message that I view as the height of emotion in a very powerful song.
I’m Dying of Thirst
The second half of the track opens with the continuation of the skit that arches across all of Kendricks Good kid, m.A.A.d city album. In it we hear Kendricks friends frantically try to figure out what to do after Dave is shot and killed. The boys argue over where to go after making a phone call to someone about the incident before Dave’s brother bursts out yelling that he’s tired of running. From his opening verse we can assume that this is when he decides to hunt down the people who killed his brother.
In this half of the song, Kendrick raps five quick verses detailing the violence prevalent in Compton and his own position in the middle of it all. Each verse ends with the same refrain, “dying of thirst, dying of thirst, dying of thirst.” The “thirst” here refers to holy water as Kendrick says that he and his friends were on a path leading to death that only religion could save them from.
Though Kendrick knows that religion could save him, he struggles with the idea of accepting it because he believes he’s sinned too much (“How many sins? I’m running out. How many sins? I lost count"). In verse three, Kendrick’s doubts flip the refrain on it’s head as the last lines change to, “I’ll show you how to dye your thirst.” The use of the word “dye” here is likely referring to the devil’s temptations that will change Kendrick’s desire for holy water to some other vices.
Kendrick quickly snaps back to reality though as he opens verse four up with the lines, “What are we doing? Who are we fooling? Hell is hot, fire is proven to burn for eternity.” He knows he needs to do better but shifts his concern to his cousins who have also hereditarily contracted this thirst.
By verse five, Kendrick is completely distressed (again he says “too many sins, I’m running out,” as a way to say that he’s running out of time to make a change). He displays this when he says, “my best days, I stress days,” a line he repeats twice as a prayer breaks through the middle of them. This is Kendrick saying that even on his greatest days, he’s still worried and praying to God for help. His worry continues to spiral out of control as he repeatedly says that he’s tired of running, tired of tumbling before the words of his mother snap him out of it.
“My momma say, ‘See a pastor give me a promise
What if today was the rapture and you completely tarnished?
The truth will set you free, so to me be completely honest
You dying of thirst, you dying of thirst
So hop in that water, and pray that it works.’”
Kendrick’s mother also recognizes his thirst and urges him to get baptized. As soon as this verse ends, we hear the final skit that ends the story of Kendrick and his friends. In it, Dave’s brother continues to shout about the murder until an old woman interrupts him. She goes on to introduce the boys to religion (this is where Kendrick says he actually accepted God) as she explains to them the concept of “dying of thirst.” The song ends with the woman telling them that this is the beginning of their real life.
With this extended track, Kendrick packs in more story than most artists do in an entire album. Of course, it helps that he has these real life experiences to pull from but there is so much that Kendrick does right in this song that make it unique. The use of gunshots as a sort of sonic ellipses to mark the abrupt ending of Dave’s brother’s story, the fading away of Keisha’s sister’s voice, and Kendrick’s own vulnerability revealed through his verses make the song feel very human and authentic. When Kendrick puts all these elements together, he ends up creating a song which I consider a masterpiece in storytelling through music.