[Chorus]
When it comes to being true, at least true to me
One thing I've found, one thing I found
Oh no, you'll never let me down

Get up, I get down, get up, I get down
Get up, I get down, get up, I get down
Get up, I get down, get up


[Verse 2: Kanye West]
I get down for my grandfather who took my momma
Made her sit in that seat where white folks ain't want us to eat
At the tender age of 6, she was arrested for the sit-ins
And with that in my blood, I was born to be different

Now niggas can't make it to ballots to choose leadership
But we can make it to Jacob's or to the dealership

That's why I hear new music and I just don't be feelin' it
Racism still alive, they just be concealin' it
But I know they don't want me in the damn club
They even made me show ID to get inside of Sam's Club
I done did dirt and went to church to get my hands scrubbed
Swear I've been baptized 'least three or four times

But in the land where niggas praise Yukons and getting paid
It's gon' take a lot more than coupons to get us saved

Like it take a lot more than durags to get you waves
Nothing sad as that day my girl father passed away
So I promised to Mr. Rainey, I'm gonna marry your daughter

And you know I gotta thank you for the way that she was brought up
And I know that you were smiling when you seen the car I bought her
And you sent tears from Heaven when you seen my car get balled up
But I can't complain what the accident did to my left eye
'Cause look what an accident did to Left Eye
First Aaliyah, now Romeo must die
I know I got angels watching me from the other side

[Chorus]
When it comes to being true, at least true to me
One thing I've found, one thing I found
Oh, no, you'll never let me down

Get up, I get down, get up, I get down
Get up, I get down, get up, I get down
Get up, I get down, get up, I get down


[Verse 3: J. Ivy]
We are all here for a reason on a particular path
You don't need a curriculum to know that you a part of the math
Cats think I'm delirious but I'm so damn serious
That's why I expose my soul to the globe, the world

I'm trying to make it better for these little boys and girls
I'm not just another individual
My spirit is a part of this, that's why I get spiritual
But I get my hymns from Him
So it's not me, it's He that's lyrical

I'm not a miracle, I'm a heaven-sent instrument
My rhythmatic regiment navigates melodic notes for your soul and your mental

That's why I'm instrumental, vibrations is what I'm into
Yeah, I need my loot by rent day
But that ain't what gives me the heart of Kunta Kinte
I'm trying to get us "us free" like Cinque
I can't stop, that's why I'm hot
Determination, dedication, motivation
I'm talking to you of my many inspirations

When I say I can't let you or self down
If I were on the highest cliff, on the highest riff
And you slipped off the side and clinched on to your life
In my grip, I would never, ever let you down

And when these words are found
Let it be known that God's penmanship has been signed with a language called love
That's why my breath is felt by the deaf
And while my words are heard and confined to the ears of the blind
I, too, dream in color and in rhyme

So I guess I'm one of a kind in a full house
'Cause whenever I open my heart, my soul or my mouth
A touch of God reigns out

Take 'em to church

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Genius Annotation

Originally recorded by Hov for his seventh studio album The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse, “Never Let Me Down” finds the track’s inherent hope being interpreted differently by the trio:

  • Kanye thanks his grandparents for making his mother and him in who they are. And for being his guardian angels – they (will) never let him down.
  • Jay-Z talks about how he will never let the rap game down. He still has it and he always delivers
  • ​J. Ivy believes God will never let him down.

Here’s an interesting studio session which involved Kanye, Jay-Z, and Pharrell. Check the reaction from Pharrell at the end!

Q&A

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

What did Kanye West say about "Never Let Me Down"?
Genius Answer

J.Ivy spoke about how he wrote his verse to Complex:

I turned to a blank page, I wrote down the title ‘Never Let Me Down,‘ and I wrote one line. After I wrote that first line, I got stuck—my mind went completely blank. So I start banging on the page, I was like, ‘God, I need a piece right now! Please give me one right now, man!’
When I put my hand back to the page, my hand just started moving and moving and writing, writing, writing, line after line after line after line. I wrote a full page, turned the page over, wrote a few more lines. I stopped, I read over the piece, I was like, ‘Man, this shit kinda hot!’

How did the vocals come together on the song?
Genius Answer

Tarrey Torae, vocalist on the song told Complex about how she ended up being on the song:

Kanye brought a choir in for ‘Never Let Me Down.’ He loved choirs. So they went in the booth and began to sing but then they came out of the booth. They realized what he was saying in the verses. They were like, ‘Nah, there’s cursing on there, and there’s this and that.’ Kanye was like, ‘But it’s a good message.’ And they were like, ‘So what?’ And then they left. So Kanye turned around and looked at me like, ‘'Uh…can you go in the booth?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah. Let’s do it.’ I wound up being the whole choir.”

Credits
Featuring
Produced By
Performance Rights
Phonographic Copyright ℗
Mastering Engineer
Mixing Engineer
Sample Recreation
Background Vocals
Percussion
Recorded At
Baseline Recording, NYC. The Record Plant, Hollywood, CA. Full Time Dreamer Studios. Larrabee Sound North, Los Angeles, CA.
Release Date
February 10, 2004
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