Hold Me Up Lyrics

[Intro: Noname & Kiara Lanier]
Mama, hold me up when I fall
Mama, give me a place to call
When I get cold, and I get hungry
And I get weary, nobody loves me
Mama, hold me up when I fall
Mama, give me a place to call
When I get cold, and I get hungry
And I get weary, nobody loves me
Mama, hold me up
Daddy pays the bills, but mama holds me up
Daddy pays the bills, when that ain’t good enough
She holds me up and tells me she’s a soldier with two hearts
She got that love for me and she got that love for papa

[Verse 1: Noname & Kiara Lanier]
My mama holds me up, she loves me like I’m good enough
To put me down or pick me up
Don’t make me feel holy like an ice cream Saturday
Sad to say it’s true
Sad to see you blue, so I blew up the balloons
And I send it to the sky, super high, let it fly a bit
You got a vegan cupcake, let me try that shit
Mmm, scrum-diddly-umptious
Bump this at my little cousin’s first luncheon
He 'bout to graduate, life’s too good
And I wish you would step on my new K-Swiss
Somebody cop me that D. Rose jersey dress
I’m trying to swag, swag on these hoes
But actually, he not a hoe, he just a king
And that pinky ring bling, the bling, the blaow bling
Icy, I see you wanna talk shit
Now you wanna shake my hand 'cause I know Chano
That’s a damn shame
Is that Noname? Nigga, you a damn lame
You could've changed the world, why you studying me?
Man, I could've changed the world if it wasn’t for these
Hangovers in the afternoon
[Chorus: Noname & Kiara Lanier]
I’ve been trying to find my way
I’ve been trying to find my way, my way home

[Verse 2: Noname]
My confessional handwriting be regrettable, illegible
Somebody help me right my wrongs

We all pretty, so beautiful
Manicure, manifest all the right cuticles
Now my nail game Cee-Lo Green, pretty and shit
Pretty in pink, pretty ready for David Chevy
Butterfly doors like stuntin' is a way of life
On my soul, when I get my check, I’ma get a chain
All gold inscription with no name, and a gypsy tattoo
And then a rubber ducky tattoo
'Cause what’s cuter than a little rubber ducky
Swimming on my backbone in a sea of chocolate?
Damn near nothing
But like, damn near nothing
But like, damn near nothing

[Chorus: Noname & Kiara Lanier]
My happiness will hold me up on the darkest day, I say
Hello to sunshine, hello to good times
Goodbye, goodbye
Yesterday, tomorrow look so new, tomorrow look so new
Tomorrow look like me, tomorrow look like you

[Verse 3: Noname]
Two steps forward and two steps back
That’s too much poetry, like, you can’t rap?
You can’t act hard, you can’t Trap God?

You came from the other side of the black card
So how you gon' try to be a rap star?
Well, I do like to rhyme
Give a penny for your thoughts 'cause I’m not chasing dimes
And I’m not an activist, so my raps picket signs
A little, a little when they get time to
In between the lines where I’m trying not to find you
Two steps forward and two steps back
Then that nigga go again, popping up in the raps

[Chorus: Noname & Kiara Lanier]
I’ve been trying to find my way
I’ve been trying to find my way, my way home

My happiness will hold me up on the darkest day, I say
Hello to sunshine, hello to good times
Goodbye, goodbye
Yesterday, tomorrow look so new, tomorrow look so new
Tomorrow look like me, tomorrow look like you

[Outro: Noname]
My mama hold me up
She said I’m good enough
My mama hold me up

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About

Genius Annotation

“Hold Me Up” is an ode to Noname’s parents – specifically, her mom. She also muses on her unique brand of poetic rap, reflecting on criticisms of her style. Noname utilises her background as a beat poet in her songs, apparently attracting criticism from mainstream rap artists.

This song was released when Noname went by Noname Gypsy. She described the ‘Gypsy’ element of the name as akin to the easily-identifiable A$AP prefix used by A$AP Mob:

I was going by NoName because I couldn’t think of anything cool, then Gypsy came from the first song I put online. That kind of transformed into me being in an-all girls rap group, initially named Black Weird and The Wide Eyed Gypsy, which is the longest name in the history of names for no reason [laughs]. You know how ASAP has like ASAP Ferg and ASAP Rocky? Well I was Noname Gypsy, then there was Lowkey Gypsy, etcetera.

She dropped the “Gyspy” portion of her name in March 2016, tweeting:

https://twitter.com/noname/status/710921834955300864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Credits
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Release Date
August 27, 2013
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