Average Joe Lyrics

[Verse 2]
I was walking from Centennial
When an unidentified vehicle rolled up, and I was like "hol' up"

"Where you from?" I don't bang
"Where you stay?" Westside, that's a Piru gang to be exact
Well aware they had blue across they hat

Dropped backpack and ran inside of the cul-de-sac
Shots rang out, hoping to God I wasn't wet
Crossed across Rosecrans and ran inside of the yet
Chirped the homies on the I-95, they said they already knew
What happened, and meet 'em outside the garage

Never seen that many guns in my life
I was paranoid like a fiend in the night, but needed revenge
Grabbed the nine-ball, opened up the door, then got in
Somebody said, "fall back, we gon' make these niggas suffer
You my brother like a frat, and that's just to remind you"
Thought about that so long I had failed my finals, fuck, but

[Chorus]
This is why they fuck with me (I told you, nigga)
This is why they fuck with me (you fake nigga)
I'm no gangster, no killer, I'm just your average Joe (you fake)
But one thing you should consider, I'm the realest you know


[Verse 3]
I don't do black music, I don't do white music
I do everyday life music

Give 'em cuts like a nigga pierced a knife through it
You say you through, but I've been through it, now that's cold
And this is for my county building children
In Hub City on hubcaps, no power-steering

I use perseverance in this mad city
Where the niggas drink Remy and hold semis for cutthroats
Bernie Mac died, it's no joke

Don't ask why if you don't know about these killers and thieves
Seven grams of weed, you smoke that, but I'm high off life
I could fall out the sky like twice
And land in the land of the AKs
And the minivans where the fan never on

Cause it's hotter than a lunatic's underarms in a straight jacket
In other words, we get it cracking, but I keep it cool,
you know?
[Chorus]
This is why they fuck with me (haha)
This is why they fuck with me (real talk)
I'm no gangster, no killer, I'm just your average Joe (come on)
But one thing you should consider, I'm the realest you know

[Outro]
So there you have it
But I'mma leave you with this
An O.G. once told me
A real gangster is either dead or in jail
Or behind the scenes getting real money
I'm gone

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About

Genius Annotation

The Kendrick Lamar EP, Overly Dedicated and Section.80 all have Wyldfyer produced joints. In the O.D. edition, Kendrick drops commentary on Compton, his near-death experiences there and himself.

As revealed by Punch, TDE’s president, “Songs like ‘Average Joe’ off OD was one of the original concepts for good kid, m.A.A.d. city.”

From an interview between Kendrick and RailRoadHipHop, “Average Joe” was made to give insight about how people grew up in Compton. He says that all people are good people, but the Compton environment of gang violence, police brutality, drugs, and women force kids into this survival mode and turn them into these gangsters. Also the fact that his father was around, helped guide him to make better decisions; according to Kendrick most of his friends didn’t have fathers and if they did they weren’t active in their lives. Interview link–>

Q&A

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

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