Listen up gangstas and honeys with ya hair done
Pull up a chair hon' and put it in the air son
Dog, whatever they call you, god, just listen
I spit a story backwards, it starts at the ending

The bullet goes back in the gun
The bullet hole's closin this chest of a nigga
Now he back to square one
Screamin, "Shoot don't please"
I put my fifth back on my hip
It's like a VCR rewindin a hit
He put his hands back on his bitch
My caravan doors open up
I jumped back in the van and closed it shut
Goin reverse, slowly prepared
My nigga Jungle utters out somethin crazy like, "Go he there"
Sittin in back of this chair, we hittin the roach
The smoke goes back in the blunt, the blunt gets bigger in growth
Jungle unrolls it, put his weed back in the jar
The blunt turns back into a cigar
We listen to Stevie, it sounded like heavy metal fans
Spinnin records backwards of AC/DC
I give my niggas dap, jump out the van back first
Back upstairs, took off the black shirt
I'm in the crib with the phone to my ear
Listen up so y'all can figure out the poem real clear
The voice on the phone was like, "Outside right we"
So with my mouth wide, holdin my heat
Bullets I had plenty to squeeze, plenty for ya
'Cause Jungle said, "Block your on enemies the"
Hung up the phone, then the phone rang
I'm laid in the bed thinkin 'bout this pretty young thing
Who left, she came back, her clothes just fell to the rug
She fell to my bed and gave me a hug
I told her, "No hell"
She talkin 'bout, "Me kiss"
Bobbed her head then spit the nut back in my dick
Started suckin with no hands, a whole lotta spit
Then got up and put her bra back on her tits
Got fully dressed and told me, "Stressed really I'm"
Picked up her Gucci bag and left her nigga behind
Walkin through the door, she rang the bell twice
I vomited Vodka back in my glass with juice and ice
The clock went back from three, to two, to one
And that's about the time the story begun
That's when I first heard the voicemail on the cell
It said, "Son we found that nigga we gotta kill"
[Message Beep]
Ay yo son, ay yo son, you hear me, you hear me?
Listen man, this dude right on the block, right now, man
I found him, right now, I see him right now!
Let's kill him)
[Message Beep]
"Yo, this Nas, leave it. Peace"


Lyrics submitted by spliphstar

Rewind song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

6 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    So when I initially listened to the song, I never understood why the message on the phone wasn't in reverse.

    Also, what always stuck out to me was when he said "Listen up so y'all can figure out the poem real clear." So knowing that its a poem, there's deeper purpose behind it other than the song just being cool for going backwards.

    So analyzing it further, although at face value the song is about Nas getting a visit from a lady, and leaving to shoot someone with his friends getting, the messages backwards seem to indicate how or why the crew SHOULD NOT kill the person.

    "Shoot don't please" The song is telling the listening not to shoot, anyone, ever.

    "Go he there" "Go" meaning leave the situation, "He there" meaning leave him be

    "Outside right we" Meaning the boys are outside and "right," meaning chill, safe or innocent

    "No hell" Where Nas is (with his lady friend) is the opposite of hell of being a murderer

    "Yo, this Nas, leave it. Peace" This the last line and the man message behind the sonf, which is let it be, or let him live, so we can be at peace.

    "The clock went back from three, to two, to one And that's about the time the story begun" No real message here for the concept but rather his nod to Slick Rick

    Epic song with so many layers, at least in my opinion.

    rumblerockon December 09, 2022   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I can't believe no one commented on this song yet. It is sheer genius. I loved how everything happened backwards, and he said "Shoot don't please", not Please don't shoot", and "Me kiss", not "Kiss me". Also, the SFX for the juice and the ice is reversed. Awesome, let's see another rapper do that. :-)

    SongInterpretaon April 12, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    unreal, just another jewel in the nas collection... wut other rapper could be this creative and lyrical - not jay z 4 damn shure

    theRickon November 05, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Shail, your request is answered...

    Plan B - Sick 2 Def

    osberton July 10, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song is one of my favorites of nas. but sometimes when i listen to it, it's over before i know it...

    ILLmaticAK47on July 09, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "Go he there" haha awesome

    bringeroflighton December 13, 2007   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Jesse with the long hair....
Robert Earl Keen, Jr.
Classic love story true to his western tx roots. One of my favorites as a story, but I think there are alot of songs that are amazing not even listed on this site. I guess I should figure out how to add them, because I have about 8 REK cd's.
Album art
Spirit Within
Bertoldi Brothers
Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
Album art
Step
Ministry
Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Album art
Fortnight
Taylor Swift
The song 'Fortnight' by Taylor Swift and Post Malone tells a story about strong feelings, complicated relationships, and secret wishes. It talks about love, betrayal, and wanting someone who doesn't feel the same. The word 'fortnight' shows short-lived happiness and guilty pleasures, leading to sadness. It shows how messy relationships can be and the results of hiding emotions. “I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me,” she kickstarts the song in the first verse with lines suggesting an admission to a hospital for people with mental illnesses. She goes in the verse admitting her lover is the reason why she is like this. In the chorus, she sings about their time in love and reflects on how he has now settled with someone else. “I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary / And I love you, it’s ruining my life,” on the second verse she details her struggles to forget about him and the negative effects of her failure. “Thought of callin’ ya, but you won’t pick up / ‘Nother fortnight lost in America,” Post Malone sings in the outro.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”