Money Trees Lyrics

[Verse 1: Kendrick Lamar]
Uh, me and my niggas tryna get it, ya bish (Ya bish, ya bish)
Hit the house lick: tell me, is you wit' it, ya bish? (Ya bish, ya bish)

Home invasion was persuasive (Was persuasive, was persuasive)
From nine to five I know it's vacant, ya bish (Ya bish, ya bish)

Dreams of livin' life like rappers do (Like rappers do, like rappers do)
Back when condom wrappers wasn't cool (They wasn't cool, they wasn't cool)

I fucked Sherane and went to tell my bros (Tell my bros, tell my bros)
Then Usher Raymond "Let It Burn" came on ("Let Burn" came on, "Let Burn" came on)

Hot sauce all in our Top Ramen, ya bish (Ya bish, ya bish)
Park the car, then we start rhymin', ya bish (Ya bish, ya bish)
The only thing we had to free our mind (Free our mind, free our mind)

Then freeze that verse when we see dollar signs (See dollar signs, see dollar signs)
You lookin' like a easy come-up, ya bish (Ya bish, ya bish)
A silver spoon, I know you come from, ya bish (Ya bish, ya bish)
And that's a lifestyle that we never knew (We never knew, we never knew)

Go at a reverend for the revenue

[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar & Anna Wise]
It go Halle Berry or hallelujah
Pick your poison, tell me what you doin'
Everybody gon' respect the shooter
But the one in front of the gun lives forever
(The one in front of the gun, forever)

And I been hustlin' all-day
This-a-way, that-a-way
Through canals and alleyways, just to say

Money trees is the perfect place for shade
And that's jus how I feel
[Post-Chorus: Kendrick Lamar & Anna Wise]
Nah, nah

A dollar might just fuck your main bitch
That's jus' how I feel, nah
A dollar might say fuck them niggas that you came with
That's jus' how I feel, nah, nah
A dollar might just make that lane switch
That's jus' how I feel, nah
A dollar might turn to a million and we all rich
That's jus' how I feel


[Verse 2: Kendrick Lamar]
Dreams of livin' life like rappers do (Like rappers do, like rappers do)
Bump that new E-40 after school (Way after school, way after school)
You know, “Big Ballin' With My Homies” (My homies)
Earl Stevens had us thinkin' rational (Thinkin' rational, that's rational)

Back to reality, we poor, ya bish (Ya bish, ya bish)
Another casualty at war, ya bish (Ya bish, ya bish)
Two bullets in my Uncle Tony head (My Tony head, my Tony head)
He said one day I'll be on tour, ya bish (Ya bish, ya bish)
That Louis Burgers never be the same (Won't be the same, won't be the same)
A Louis belt that never ease that pain (Won't ease that pain, won't ease that pain)

But I'ma purchase when that day is jerkin' (That day is jerkin', that day is jerkin')
Pull off at Church's, with Pirellis skirtin' (Pirellis skirtin', Pirellis skirtin')
Gang signs out the window, ya bish (Ya bish, ya bish)
Hopin' all of 'em offend you, ya bish (Ya bish, ya bish)

They say your hood is a pot o' gold (A pot o' gold, a pot o' gold)
And we gon' crash it when nobody's home

[Verse 3: Jay Rock]
'Magine Rock up in them projects where them niggas pick your pockets
Santa Claus don't miss them stockings; liquors spillin', pistols poppin'
Bakin' soda YOLA whippin', ain't no turkey on Thanksgivin'
My homeboy just dome'd a nigga, I just hope the Lord forgive him
Pots with cocaine residue, every day I'm hustlin'
What else is a thug to do when you eatin' cheese from the government?
Gotta provide for my daughter n'em—get the fuck up out my way, bish!
Got that drum and I got them bands just like a parade, bish!
Drop that work up in the bushes, hope them boys don't see my stash
If they do, tell the truth, this the last time you might see my ass

From the gardens where the grass ain't cut, them serpents lurkin', Blood
Bitches sellin' pussy, niggas sellin' drugs but it's all good

Broken promises, steal your watch and tell you what time it is
Take your J's and tell you to kick it where a Foot Locker is
In the streets with a heater under my Dungarees
Dreams of me gettin' shaded under a money tree

[Chorus: Kendrick Lamar & Anna Wise]
It go Halle Berry or hallelujah
Pick your poison, tell me what you doin'
Everybody gon' respect the shooter
But the one in front of the gun lives forever
(The one in front of the gun, forever)

And I been hustlin' all-day
This-a-way, that-a-way
Through canals and alleyways, just to say

Money trees is the perfect place for shade
And that's jus' how I feel


[Skit: Paula Duckworth & Kenneth Duckworth]
Kendrick, just bring my car back, man. I-I called in for another appointment. I figured you weren’t gonna be back here on time anyway. Look, shit, shit, I just wanna get out the house, man. This man is on one. He feelin' good as a motherfucker. Shit, I’m tryna get my thing goin', too. I'm going to Merlin' house. Just bring my car back. Shit, he faded. He feelin' good. Look, listen to him!
Girl, girl, I want your body, I want your body, 'cause you got a big ol' fat ass. Girl, girl, I want your body, I want your body, 'cause of that big ol' fat ass. Girl, I want your body, 'cause of that big ol'—
See, he high as hell. Shit, and he ain't even trippin' off them dominoes no more. Just bring the car back!
Did somebody say dominoes?


[Produced by DJ Dahi]

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About

Genius Annotation

As explained in this, credits to Feeding Time of KTT for this summary.

K.Dot recaps the story so far. He talks about robbing the house, “Home invasion was persuasive/From 9 to 5 I know its vacant.” He mentions fucking Sherane and bragging about it to his homies, “I fucked Sherane then went to tell my bros.” He references “Backseat Freestyle” when he talks about rhyming to beats, “Park the car then we started rhyming, ya bish/The only thing we had to free our mind.” And he talks about jumping dudes who looked like they had more money than them, “Then freeze that verse when we see dollar signs/You looking like an easy come up ya bish/A silver spoon I know you come from ya bish." The line in the chorus “Everybody gon' respect the shooter/But the one in front of the gun lives forever.” is deeply important, not just as a life motto, but in regards to the events that later take place in this story regarding Dave and his brother. It’s also a reference to Kendrick’s Uncle Tony, who was shot and killed at Louie’s Burgers; this event is a snap back to reality from the “dreams of living life like rappers do.”

A sequel to this song titled “Money Trees Deuce,” was released on Jay Rock’s 2015 album, 90059.

Q&A

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

What does this song sound like?
Genius Answer

DJ Dahi weaves an ethereal soundscape to back up Kendrick’s crooning. A sample of Beach House’s “Silver Soul”, paired with backup vocals from Anna Wise, toes the line between haunting and uplifting.

What did Kendrick Lamar say about "Money Trees"?
Genius Answer

Kendrick Lamar says this song is about lust, about struggles with want for material things. As he explained to Complex Magazine:

That’s about temptation… That’s where we were at at the time. Everything was about money. We didn’t care about nothing else truthfully.

Listen to Kendrick’s explanation of the track here.

Jay Rock said in the same interview: “When I heard it that was one of my favorite records. Every time he played it, I’m like, ‘Run it back.’” You can learn more from his annotations.

Who is Jay Rock?
Genius Answer

Jay Rock is a member of the hip hop collective Black Hippy, alongside Kendrick, Schoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul. He released his debut studio album, Follow Me Home, in 2011.

What makes the song important?
Has this track received any certifications?
Credits
Featuring
Produced By
Additional Engineering
Mastering Engineer
Phonographic Copyright ℗
Mixing Engineer
Recording Engineer
Background Vocals
Recorded At
TDE Red Room, Carson, CA
Release Date
October 22, 2012
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