Cole wonders what people will say about him when he dies.

When someone dies, people oftentimes feel like they can finally say what they truly felt about them all along. Sometimes friends will reveal deep-seated, ill feelings they concealed. Sometimes, enemies will reveal the respect and admiration they secretly had. Regardless, it’s a difficult thing to predict, as he shows by providing all these scenarios.

He does make the point though that no matter how anyone felt about him, no one can truly say he was a quitter. They may taint his image, but it doesn’t change the fact he was a hard worker.

The man’s daughter is cold out on the streets and needs money and food to support her and himself. That’s exactly the reason he’s squeezing the trigger and shooting the people mentioned in the next line. He’s desperate and is out of options.

Cole strikes out against police brutality here as well, as it is faced by to many in today’s society. Just take a look at this for an example.

Squeezing used this way shows up a lot, for example:
“Some shit pops off we squeeze each one they gonna think it’s machine guns” — Good Die Young (D12)

It’s a metaphor about the Ville. He’s saying that although he’s been away from home for a long time, his city doesn’t have to worry about his actions because he’s representing it well. He remembers his city and it eases his possible homesickness as well as the stress on his head.

He concludes by saying that before he dies, he’ll make Fayetteville famous and that although he hasn’t seen it go through good days in some time, he still dreams of it and probably making it better.

The outro also ties back to the title very well as Cole speaks of what he will do for his city before he is gone (dead) and what he’s doing now that he’s gone (no longer living in his city).

Cole is speaking of himself. He started out as the embarrassed child in class who hoped he would’t get picked on because of his problems. Due to these problems, he had to worry about his mother because as you can see from verse two especially, he probably lived in a violent area. Over time he moved from living with his mother in a trailer, to better places in life.

People often say that you can’t help the cards that you’re dealt. J. Cole is saying that people don’t write the rules. He came from trailer park trash to going to college to get a degree

In the hood, some people believe the only way to make it out is selling drugs (cf. Nino Brown, Ace Boogie, Scarface, etc..).

He’s saying that he never did things like that, but he’s still making it in life. Also a reference to his label, Roc Nation who’s founder (Jay-Z) actually did sell drugs. He never sold a rock but he made it to the Roc.

He is referencing the proposed year the world will end, 2012. Since he’s theoretically about to die soon, he’d like to finish all the sinning he has planned.

Cole is asking God, what else is there for him to accomplish in the game, is there more to it that what he sees and is experiencing and what’s his purpose there.

A reference to Erykah’s song “Tyrone.” Andre is saying people are looking at him like he’s Tyrone’s friend that the song is about and should be ashamed, but he explains that in the next line that he shouldn’t.