SAFETY
[Intro]
Babe, can you go check on her real quick?
[Chorus]
Alright, safe— where you're from, Bunce Road, throw your hands up (Babe, can you go check on the baby real quick?)
It’s that Bragg Boulevard, reportin' live from (Safe—)
I know the whole world blowin' up your phone
I wanna know, nigga, when you’re comin' home? (Yeah, alright, safe—)
Kane Road, Eutaw, throw your hands up
[?], Lewis Heights, yeah, it's been a while (Alright, safe—)
I know the whole world blowin' up your phone
I wanna know, nigga, when you're comin' home?
[Verse 1]
Yeah
Yo, Jermaine, what's the word?
I got a new numbеr, delete that old onе
By now, I'm sure you must’ve heard
’Bout how I got jammed up and had to sit some
It's nothin’, though I did longer bids, this was a quick one
I never hit you 'cause I know niggas be playin' victim
Beggin' you for big sums of dough
When income’s low, that ain't my style, it'll never be
To me, you'll always be my dog, not a celebrity
And plus, you did enough, wired me bands
Way back when it was rough, last night
When it was dusk, ran into Jizzle at Cross Creek
You know how he be movin' like he in a rush
Told him, "Come through to the crib over at Haymount Hills"
We sat in my living room, where then we lit a Dutch
I ain't even know that he smoke like that
Drank a few beers, it's been years since we joked like that
Yo, I seen Brina on the 'Gram, she don't post like that
But bro, she's still bad, one of the baddest bitches the 'Ville had
Lotta these hoes fallin' off, and it's real sad
How time can rob us of our best days
As we slave for peasant wage with no nest egg
Saved for rainy days, but anyways, what's up?
I thought about you, holla at me
I would love to catch up, I know you busy
But you in my prayers, God bless you and your affairs
Stay aware 'cause real niggas is rare, dog, safety
[Chorus]
Safety, safety, safety (Westside, Cliffdale, throw your hands up, Merc Mob, Charlesboro, reportin' live from)
I know the whole world blowin' up your phone (Safety, safety)
I wanna know, nigga, when you're comin' home?
Safety, safety, safety (Northside, Terror Garden, where my dawgs from, Hope Mills, Bent Creek, yeah, it's been a while)
I know the whole world blowin' up your phone
I wanna know, nigga, when you're comin' home? (Uh)
[Verse 2]
Ayy, bro, what's goin' on?
I feel no way when you don't respond, dog
I know your heart, and I know our bond
I know a lot is on your plate and more is on your mind
But still I hit you time to time when you crossin' mine
I heard that big Mal died, and no, I couldn't tell you the cause
I know fentanyl's been leavin' brothers cross-eyed and things
Can't tell what's killin' more niggas, drugs or crossfire
When moms cry, it's a shame, as of late, I've seen
An uptick in motorcades, but not for the president
These processions are for the negligent
So I don't care to hang out
These younger niggas even quicker than I was to bang out
Oh, shit, forgot to say I got a daughter now
Here's a picture, she's startin' to look more like her father now
When she cries, her mama put on your songs to calm her down
It's wild, how just the sound of your voice, it brought a smile
Dog, I'm proud, you made it out of this bitch
Few things are better when a nigga from the bottom get rich
Although I'm sure it brings its own set of problems
Most of the city love you, though a couple seem jealous of your stardom
Like, what's up with old buddy that's makin' songs 'bout you?
Was about to punish him vicious, but then I thought about you
And what you would say, might tell me to chill, but he violatin' for real
Let me know when you comin' back to the 'Ville, dog, safety[Chorus]
Safety, safety, safety ([?], Faye' State, throw your hands up, wooh, Hillsborough, central jive, reportin' live from)
I know the whole world blowin' up your phone (Safety, safety)
I wanna know, nigga, when you're comin' home
Safety, safety, safety ([?], whole county, put your hands up, [?] underdogs, now we worldwide)
I know the whole world blowin' up your phone
I wanna know, nigga, when you're comin' home
[Verse 3]
Yo, hit me back when you get the chance
So many of our peers passed away through the years
My appreciation for airs in my lungs has been enhanced
Yo, Quay passed last night from medical conditions that were too advanced
For doctors to intervene, they couldn't do a thing
They say he dwindled away until his size was that of a figurine
It seemed just like a mystery
Some say it was Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
We been known what team he acknowledged
Since we was kids, he lived in a closet
But that changed soon as he went to college
Up there wilin' in the A&T, runnin' with fruity types
Dick in the booty types, tight pants
Switchin' their hips, paintin' their nails
So niggas from the Ville had to distance ourselves
He felt a way, remember, he was beefin' with me
That's when he moved to the A, I guess, so he could be free
But years later, I heard they seen him walkin' on Bragg (Oh-oh)
At 2 a.m. with a lace front, dressin' in drag
I shook my head, but still, I began to feel bad
It's like his lifestyle was blockin' all the love that we had
We turned our backs on him, some of us called him a fa—
Nah, time's changed, I know that's wrong
Now that we grown, I wish I could apologize, 'cause we did him wrong
Man, why it feel like recently niggas ain't livin' long?
Rest in peace to your boy Filthee, I heard about that too
Last summer, lotta brothers had got murdered out the blue
Shit was wild, but anyhow, just reachin' out
Bearin' bad news infused with what I'm thinkin' 'bout
Here go the obituary, and just in case
There's a program attached that gives you the time and place
It's that funeral home off the merc', the one adjace'
To that used car lot where I copped that Ford Escape
I know fame make that shit hella awkward to be at wakes
But I bet it mean a lot to his family to see your face
If you can make it home, the viewin' is on Thursday
Funeral on Friday, by plane or by highway, yo' safety[Outro]
(Safety, safety, safety)
Safety (Safety, safety)
Huh, alright, safety
[?] time's up, too stressed to reply (Safety, safety)
Album - The Fall-Off (2026) By J. Cole
