III. Telegraph Ave. (”Oakland” by Lloyd) Lyrics

[Intro: Yesi Ortiz]
Power 106!
LA, it's ya girl, Yesi Ortiz
Got some brand-new music
I need y'all to turn it up and let me know what you think
It's Lloyd, called "Oakland", on Power 106


[Verse 1: Lloyd]
I was making Japanese and she's watching DVDs
In Oakland, in Oakland
Now I'm driving up the 5 and she waits 'til I arrive
In Oakland, in Oakland
Everything that I wanted

Only gotta drive for the moment
If you tell me, "Turn around," then I'm on it
For the moment, but you know me
You know how I get when I'm lonely
And I think about you and the moments

But everything you do is so Oakland, so Oakland

[Chorus: Lloyd & Childish Gambino]
Foot on the gas, I'm just trying to pass
All the red lights and the stop signs
I'm ready to go

Before I get to The Bay, babe, that's a problem
Because I'm way too scared to call
And you might get me to stay, and oh
[Post-Chorus: Childish Gambino & Lloyd]
I don't really mind the drive
But I think I'd rather die in Oakland, in Oakland
With my hands on two and ten
So I guess it all depends on Oakland, on Oakland
And I'm nervous, truth be told
I never saw me growing old in Oakland, in Oakland

And if I married you tonight
It would probably start a riot in Oakland, in Oakland

[Verse 2: Childish Gambino]
Everything, that I needed
Now that I got you in your feelings
Everything you won't say, you tweet it
And a nigga don’t like that shit at all
So treated
Can we just roll with the feeling?
Can we just roll for a minute?
Wait a minute

[Chorus: Childish Gambino]
Foot on the gas, I'm just trying to pass
All the red lights and the stop signs
I'm ready to go
But I'm really not ready, girl, that's a problem
'Cause I'm way too scared to fall
And I know you choose to stay, and oh
[Verse 3: Childish Gambino]
All the girlfriends saying, "Here we go again"
Rich kid, but he act like a gentleman
Last one didn't end like it should've been
Two dates and he still wanna get it in
And they're saying it's because of the Internet
Try her once and it's on to the next chick
X-O the O face on your exes, right?
And we can do the same thing if you wanna have at it
When your thoughts can't breathe and you thinking asthmatic
And you wanna be a mom and I wasn't mad at it
I was thinking 'bout me, I'd be really bad at it

'Cause I'm thinking 'bout me, weeks in Dubai
Fourth of July, house in Kauai, yeah, we can try
So let's try

[Outro: Childish Gambino & Lloyd]
Whoa, whoa
I took off my nine-to-five
But you still don't have the time to kiss me, just hit me
And if I left you all alone, would you still pick up the phone?
It's iffy, you miss me
I got furniture to move
And we'll both be thirty soon in Oakland, in Oakland
The only one I know is you
So the fuck I'm supposed to do in Oakland? In Oakland
In Oakland, in Oakland
In Oakland, in Oakland
In Oakland, in Oakland
In Oakland, in Oakland
In Oakland, in Oakland

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About

Genius Annotation

Track 7 off of Because the Internet (released December 10th, 2013). This was originally featured at the end of the trailer for his short film Clapping for the Wrong Reasons.

In this track, Gambino reflects on going out of his way to reconcile with an old flame with a totally different lifestyle.

The video was released via Michael B Jordan’s Twitter, but CG’s record label, Glassnote, was not pleased and responded by sending take-down notices to all blogs. Bino was less than happy about this.

The title refers to Telegraph Avenue, one of the main streets in downtown Oakland, CA.

Interestingly enough, Donald and Lloyd went to the same school, DeKalb School of the Arts in DeKalb County, Georgia.

Q&A

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

Lloyd never released the song?
Genius Answer

Unfortunately, no.

What did Childish Gambino say about "III. Telegraph Ave. ("Oakland" by Lloyd)"?
Genius Answer

I reached out to him and told him, ‘I’m sorry I passed on that [singing the hook on “3005”], anything you ever need from me, holla at me because you’re brilliant.’ And then he came back to me with ‘Oakland.’ He told me, ‘It’s going to be your song but I’m going to sample it inside the song.’ I had no clue how he was going to do it, but it came out dope.“
– Lloyd, Vibe Magazine Interview, June 18, 2019

Credits
Background Vocals
Mixing Engineer
Mastering Engineer
Recording Engineer
Additional Vocals
Director of Photography
Recorded At
The Temple, Pacific Palisades, CA
Release Date
December 10, 2013
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