4 Your Eyez Only Lyrics - J. Cole

Yeah 

For your eyes only 

(for your eyes) 

For your eyes only, for your eyes only 

(for your eyes) 

For your eyes only 

Hey 

Niggas be dying on the daily 

It seems my dreams faded for far too long, the consequences deadly 

Can't visualize myself as nothing but a criminal 

Control the block, serving up rocks and stay subliminal 

Cause young niggas is hard headed, they letting off 

Full of adrenaline, ignorant to what death can cause 

Ain't no coming back, family dressed in black 

Plus it's hot now, the cops outside it's hard to flip a pack 

And my daughter gotta eat, her mama be stressing me like I ain't the one who put them Jays on her feet 

Like I ain't out in the field like that 

I might be low for the moment but I will bounce back 

Despite the charges, back to the wall I fight regardless, 

Screaming "fuck the law", my life is lawless 

That's what you call it 

Ain't got to be no psychic to see this is like the farthest thing from heaven 

This is hell and I don't mean that hyperbolic 

I try to find employment even if the swiper chargeless 

But these felonies be making life the hardest 

Resisting the temptation to run up and swipe a wallet 

Or run up on your yard, snatch your daughter bike and pawn it 

That's why I write this sonnet 

If the pressure get too much for me to take and I break 

Play this tape for my daughter and let her know my life is on it 

Let her know my life is on it 

(For your eyes) 

Let her know my life is on 

For your eyes only 

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For your eyes do you understand 

For your eyes do you understand me 

For your eyes do you understand 

For your eyes do you understand me 

For your eyes do you understand 

For your eyes do you understand me 

For your eyes do you understand 

For your eyes do you understand me 

You're probably grown now so this song'll hit you 

If you're hearing this it means unfortunately I'm no longer with you 

In the physical, not even sure if I believe in God 

But because you still alive 

He got me praying that the spiritual is real 

So I can be a part of you still, my pops was killed too 

So I know how part of you feels 

Maybe you hate me, maybe you miss me, maybe you spite me 

Life goes in cycles, maybe you'll date a nigga just like me 

I hope not, I'm tired of dope spots 

And fiends that smoke rocks 

I've seen far too many niggas hopes rot 

I'm writing this 'cause me and the devil had a dance 

I see death round the corner, apologizing in advance 

Don't know if I ever had a chance 

At a glance I'm a failure, addicted to pushing paraphernalia 

But Daddy had dreams once, my eyes had a gleam once 

Innocence disappeared by the age of eight years 

My Pops shot up, drug related 

Mama addicted 

So Granny raised me in projects where thugs was hanging 

Blood was staining the concrete 

Older niggas I loved talked like they was above maintaining a time sheet 

That slow money, picked up the family business 

By the age of thirteen, six years later was handed sentence 

Round the same time you came in this world 

Me and your mama thinking, what the fuck we naming this girl? 

I told her Nina, the prettiest name that I could think of 

For the prettiest thing my eyes had ever seen 

I was nineteen, it took me two felonies to see the trap, this crooked ass system set for me 

And now it's too late for me to ever be the one that set examples that were never set for me 

I'm living fast, but not fast enough cause karma keeps catching up to me 

And if my past becomes the death of me, I hope you understand 

Photos 

For your eyes do you understand 

For your eyes do you understand me 

For your eyes do you understand 

For your eyes do you understand me 

For your eyes do you understand 

For your eyes do you understand me 

For your eyes do you understand 

For your eyes do you understand me 

In several ways I could've went out, too many to count 

Was it the trigger happy crackers that the badges give clout 

Was it the young nigga, blasting frustrated cause the cash running out 

Niggas don't know how to act in a drought 

See baby girl I realized, my definition of a real nigga was skewed 

My views misshaped by new mixtapes 

That confirmed the shit I learned from in the streets was true 

That real niggas don't speak when they beef with you 

They just pull up on your street, let the heat have you 

And if a real nigga hungry he gon' eat your food 

I was a fool, spent all my time ducking school, ducking cops 

Ducking rules, hugging blocks that don't love you 

I pray you find a nigga with goals and point of views 

Much broader than the corner, if not it's gon' corner you 

Into a box, where your son don't even know his pops 

And the cyclical nature of doing time continues 

My worst fear is one day that you come home from school and see your father face while hearing 'bout tragedy on news 

I got the strangest feeling your Daddy gonna lose his life soon 

And sadly if you're listening now it must mean it's true 

But maybe there's a chance that it's not 

And this album remains locked in a hard drive like valuable jewels 

And I can teach you this in person like I'm teaching you to tie your own shoes 

I love you and I hope to God I don't lose you 

For your eyes only 

For your eyes 

For your eyes only 

For your eyes 

For your eyes only 

For your eyes do you understand 

One day your daddy called me, told me he had a funny feeling 

What he'd been dealing with lately, he wasn't telling 

I tried to pick his brains, still he wasn't revealing 

But I could feel the sense of panic in his voice and it was chilling 

He said "Jermaine, I knew since we was children I never asked for nothing 

When times was hard I never had discussions with you begging you to help me 

I dealt with the repercussions of my actions 

I know you tried to steer me away from that shit 

But that shit was in my blood, you know my life 

I know your momma nigga, send my love 

In case I never get a chance to speak again 

I won't forget the weekends spent sleeping at your crib 

That's the way I wished my family lived 

But my granny crib was in the 'jects 

I had to interject like, "Nigga what you talking 'bout? Fuck is you getting at?" 

He said "Listen, I got no time to dive into descriptions 

But I've been having premonitions, just call it visions from the other side 

I got a feeling I won't see tomorrow, like the time I'm living on is borrowed 

With that said I'm proud to say I was a father 

Write my story down and if I pass go play it for my daughter when she ready 

So I'm leaving you this record for your eyes only, don't you ever scratch it disrespect it 

This perspective is a real one, another lost Ville son 

I dedicate these words to you and all the other children 

Affected by all the mass incarceration in this nation 

That sent your pops to prison when he needed education 

Sometimes I think this segregation would've done us better 

Although that means I would never be brought into this world 'cos my daddy was so thrilled when he found him a white girl to take back to Jonesborough with 

Little Zach and Cole World barely one years old, now it's thirty years later making sure the story's told 

Girl your daddy was a real nigga, not 'cos he was cold 

Not because he was the first to get some pussy twelve years old 

Not becuase he used to come through in the Caddy on some vogues 

Not 'cause he went from bagging up them grams to serving Os 

Now your daddy was a real nigga, not 'cos he was hard 

Not because he lived a life of crime and sat behind some bars 

Not because he screamed fuck the law, although that was true 

Your daddy was a real nigga 'cos he loved you" 

For your eyes only