Patterns? Lyrics
I'm sorry
Ooh-wee-ooh-wee-ooh
[Verse 1: GRIP with Shellie Sweets]
You took your first step today
And I was nowhere to be found
Busy keepin' my head above water (I'm sorry, ooh-wee-ooh-wee-ooh)
Until my feet could find the ground
Red flag on my resume
'Cause it's the second time around
Too young to know I let you down (I'm sorry, ooh-wee-ooh-wee-ooh)
Too young to know I let you down
[Interlude: GRIP with Shellie Sweets]
Uh, uh
Uh, uh-uh, uh, uh-uh, uh
Uh-uh-uh (I'm sorry, ooh-wee-ooh-wee-ooh)
Uh-uh, uh
[Chorus: GRIP with Shellie Sweets]
And some days are so much easier than others
So much more about me I needed to discover
But never had the chance (I'm sorry, ooh-wee-ooh-wee-ooh)
This is me sayin' "Sorry" in advance
Oh, no, oh, oh
Duh, oh, no
No, no, no
Oh (I'm sorry, ooh-wee-ooh-wee-ooh)
Oh, oh
[Verse 2: GRIP with Shellie Sweets]
Yeah, yeah
I'm just a kid, raisin' some kids
With dreams of making it big
Tryna make a name in this biz
I became a slave in this bitch
Was hopin' I could maybe gеt rich (I'm sorry, ooh-wee-ooh-wee-ooh)
'Cause all I got is these words that I jot
I nеver had a jump shot, I'm not a scholar
But l learned that the world is turned by a dollar
Whether I wear a mask or shirt wit' a collar, I got to
Provide, but that ain't even the only thing that'll quali— (I'm sorry, ooh-wee-ooh-wee-ooh)
—Fy me as bein' a father, my pops ain't even bother
Left me togglin' with toys as a toddler
Mama, twenty-four with two kids
What her and Ruth did
Was put a roof over our heads
'Cause niggas is ruthless
View a newborn as a nuisance (I'm sorry, ooh-wee-ooh-wee-ooh)
Or a noose that he would lose when
He cut ties wit' all of his loose ends
And I do spend a few blue moons wonderin' where you been
And assessin', and assumin', no aggression, you just human
And a blessin' was sent to
Your direction, but you eluded (I'm sorry, ooh-wee-ooh-wee-ooh)
And neglected and refuted
That's your lesson, I'm the student
And l used it to father myself
Now I'm in my second parenthood, shit, I'm a father myself
Was never a product of wealth
Or prodigal, I'm a prodigy, came from poverty
Now I'm poppin' and purchasin' property (I'm sorry, ooh-wee-ooh-wee-ooh)
Reversin' curses and pocketin' profits
Fulfillin' my prophecies
And my kids, they gon' reap the rewards
Far cry from sleepin' on floors
Hard times we'd weep and we'd mourn
That's in the archives, we seekin' reform
I was there at the first day of school
I'll be there at the graduation
Like, "Congratulations" and "I'm glad you made it"
I'ma let 'em know they made their dad elated
I'ma pad their savings, they could blow a milli' if they had the cravin'
No more bein' poor and feelin' agitated
No one gave it to me, shit, I had to take it
I'm that same bastard used to rap in basements, then I activated
Now I get racks to say shit, I'm acclimated
Got 'em captivated, any acts of hatred
They just cappin', ain't it?
Had to patent my own patterns
I'm just glad that I didn't take after David
Yeah, I said your name, and you lame if
This end up in court on a affidavit
Heh, but that's all I got
I'm sorry, ooh-wee-ooh-wee-ooh
[Chorus: GRIP with Shellie Sweets]
And some days are so much easier than others (Woah, oh-woah, oh-woah)
So much more about me I needed to discover (Oh, oh-woah, oh-woah, oh-oh)
But never had the chance (Oh, oh-woah, oh-woah, oh-oh)
This is me sayin' "Sorry" in advance (Woah, oh-woah, oh-woah)
[Post-Chorus: GRIP with Shellie Sweets]
Oh no, oh, oh (Da-da-da, da-da-da)
Duh-oh-oh (Woah-ooh-oh-ooh-oh)
Oh-no-no (Oh-ooh-oh-ooh, oh-oh-oh)
Oh (Woah-ooh-oh-ooh, ooh-ayy, dum-dum-dum)
Oh, oh (Da-da-da, da-da-da, dum)
[Outro: GRIP & Shellie Sweets]
Woah-ooh-oh-ooh-oh
Oh-ooh-oh-ooh, oh-oh-oh
Woah-ooh-oh-ooh, ooh-ayy, dum-dum-dum
Da-da-da, da-da-da, dum
About
Through sombre melodies and angelic background vocals, GRIP shows the world he’s fearful of following the patterns of his father. GRIP’s upbringing was surrounded by mother figures, as his dad abandoned the family, a prominent subject throughout the song.
“Patterns?” touches on how GRIP’s ambitions are clear. He wants to make it big and impact the music industry, however as an artist who’s been recording music since his mom lent him an old computer in college, GRIP takes a moment to reflect on if the time spent in the studio, at meetings, and touring, is worth not seeing his kids as much as he’d like.
Towards the end of the song, as a result of the riches amassed from this album (sitting at six million streams on Spotify as of March, 2022), GRIP proudly shows that he will reverse the father figure curse and treat his children well, allowing them to get a little too spoiled.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
I was on a beach in LA late into the night. I had been listening to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. And then me, Beat Butcha and Willy Yanez made the song from scratch. I sat with it and just got in the mindset of wanting to speak on those sacrifices like missing your kids' first steps and shit. And them being too young to even know that you let them down. Because my pops wasn’t in my life. So it’s like, ‘I’ll be damned if I’m not in my kids’ life.‘ I know I’m not necessarily perfect at this point, because I’m too busy chasing this shit. It’s still feeling like a dream, you ain’t getting no respect, but you’re literally devoting time out of your life to this
—via Apple Music
- 3.Hands Up!
- 4.IDFT!?
- 6.Placebo
- 7.Gutter!
- 8.JDDTTINT!?
- 10.Walkthrough!
- 11.The Lox!
- 12.Enem3?
- 13.ConMan?
- 15.At What Cost?
- 16.Patterns?
