englishalbum track

United In Grief Lyrics

by Kendrick Lamar

Lyricist: Kendrick Lamar, Sam Dew, Matt Schaeffer, Sounwave, Johnny Kosich, Jake The Snake, J.LBS, Duval Timothy

5 viewsPublished on Sep 22, 2026

United In Grief Lyrics

[Intro] I hope you find some peace of mind in this lifetime (Tell them, tell 'em, tell them the truth) I hope you find some paradise (Tell 'em, tell 'em the truth) (Tell 'em, tell 'em, tell 'em, tell 'em your—) I've been goin' through somethin' One-thousand eight-hundred and fifty-five days ... Be afraid [Verse 1] What is a bitch in a miniskirt? A man in his feelings with bitter nerve What is a woman that really hurt? A demon, you're better off killing her What is a relative making repetitive narratives On how you did it first? That is a predator, hit reverse All of your presidents' evil thirst What is a neighborhood rep'table? That is a snitch on a pedestal What is a house with a better view? A family broken in variables What is a rapper with jewelry? A way that I show my maturity What if I call on security? That mean I'm calling on God for purity I went and got me a therapist I can debate on my theories and sharing it (Woah) Consolidate all my comparisons Humblin' up because time is imperative (Woah) I'm starting to feel like it's only one answer To everything, I don't know where it is (Woah) Popping a bottle of Claritin (Woah) Is it my head or my arrogance? (Woah) Shaking and moving, like, what am I doing? I'm flipping my time through the Rolodex Indulging myself and my life and my music The world that I'm in is a cul-de-sac The world that we in is just menacing The demons portrayed as religionous I wake in the morning, another appointment I hope the psychologist listening [Chorus] The new Mercedes with black G-Wagon The "Where you from?" It was all for rap I was 28 years young, twenty mill' in tax Bought a couple of mansions, just for practice Five hundred in jewelry, chain was magic Never had it in public, late reaction Fifty K to cousins, post a caption Pray none of my enemies hold me captive [Refrain] I grieve different I grieve different (Huh) [Verse 2] I met her on the third night of Chicago North America tour, my enclave Fee-fi-fo-fum, she was a model Dedicated to the songs I wrote and the Bible Eyes like green penetrating the moonlight Hair done in a bun, energy in the room like Big Bang for theory, God, hoping you hear me Phone off the ringer, tell the world, "I'm busy" Fair enough, green eyes said her mother didn't care enough Sympathize when her daddy in the chain gang Her first brother got killed, he was twenty-one I was nine when they put Lamont in the grave Heartbroken when Estelle didn't say goodbye Chad left his body after we FaceTimed Green eyes said you'd be okay, first tour sex the pain away ... The way you front, it was all for rap [Verse 3] So what, paralyzed, the county building controlled us I bought a Rolex watch, I only wore it once I bought infinity pools I never swimmed in I watched Keem buy four cars in four months You know the family dynamics on repeat The insecurities locked down on PC I bought a .223, nobody peace treat You won't doo-doo me, I smell TNT Dave got him a Porsche, so I got me a Porsche Paid lottery for it, I ain't want it in portions Poverty was the case But the money wiping the tears away [Outro] (Everybody grieves different)

United In Grief - English Translation

[Intro] Espero que encuentres algo de paz mental en esta vida (Diles, diles, diles la verdad) Espero que encuentres algún paraíso (Diles, diles la verdad) (Diles, diles, diles, diles tu—) He estado pasando por algo Mil ochocientos cincuenta y cinco días ... Ten miedo [Verso 1] ¿Qué es una perra en minifalda? Un hombre en sus sentimientos con nervios amargos ¿Qué es una mujer que realmente duele? Un demonio, es mejor que la mates ¿Qué es un pariente que hace narraciones repetitivas Sobre cómo lo hiciste primero? Eso es un depredador, retrocede Todos tus presidentes tienen sed de maldad ¿Qué es un vecindario respetable? Eso es un soplón en un pedestal ¿Qué es una casa con mejor vista? Una familia rota en variables ¿Qué es un rapero con joyas? Una manera de mostrar mi madurez ¿Qué pasa si llamo a seguridad? Eso significa que estoy llamando a Dios por la pureza Fui y me conseguí un terapeuta Puedo debatir sobre mis teorías y compartirlas (Woah) Consolidar todas mis comparaciones Humillándome porque el tiempo es imperativo (Woah) Empecé a sentir que solo hay una respuesta Para todo, no sé dónde está (Woah) Abriendo una botella de Claritin (Woah) ¿Es mi cabeza o mi arrogancia? (Woah) Temblando y moviéndome, como, ¿qué estoy haciendo? Estoy volteando mi tiempo a través del Rolodex Complaciéndome a mí mismo, a mi vida y a mi música El mundo en el que estoy es un callejón sin salida El mundo en el que vivimos es simplemente amenazante Los demonios retratados como religiosos Me despierto por la mañana, otra cita Espero que el psicólogo esté escuchando [Estribillo] El nuevo Mercedes con G-Wagon negro El "¿De dónde eres?" Todo fue por el rap Tenía 28 años, veinte millones en impuestos Compré un par de mansiones, solo para practicar Quinientos en joyería, la cadena era mágica Nunca lo tuve en público, reacción tardía 50K a los primos, publica un pie de foto Rezo para que ninguno de mis enemigos me mantenga cautivo [Estribillo] Yo sufro diferente Yo sufro diferente (Huh) [Verso 2] La conocí en la tercera noche de Chicago Gira por Norteamérica, mi enclave Fee-fi-fo-fum, ella era una modelo Dedicada a las canciones que escribí y a la Biblia Ojos como verde penetrando la luz de la luna Cabello hecho en un moño, energía en la habitación como Big Bang para la teoría, Dios, espero que me escuches Teléfono apagado, dile al mundo, "Estoy ocupado" Bastante justo, los ojos verdes dijeron que a su madre no le importaba lo suficiente Simpatizas cuando su papá estaba en una pandilla de cadenas Su primer hermano fue asesinado, tenía veintiún años Tenía nueve años cuando pusieron a Lamont en la tumba Se me rompió el corazón cuando Estelle no se despidió Chad dejó su cuerpo después de que hicimos FaceTime Los ojos verdes dijeron que estarías bien, primera gira, sexo para alejar el dolor ... La forma en que finges, todo fue por el rap [Verso 3] Entonces qué, paralizados, las construcciones del condado nos controlaron Compré un reloj Rolex, solo lo usé una vez Compré piscinas infinitas en las que nunca nadé Vi a Keem comprar cuatro autos en cuatro meses Conoces la dinámica familiar en repetición Las inseguridades bloqueadas en la PC Compré un .223, nadie trata la paz No me vas a hacer doo-doo, huelo TNT Dave se compró un Porsche, así que me compré un Porsche Lo pagué con lotería, no lo quería en porciones La pobreza era el caso Pero el dinero limpia las lágrimas [Outro] (Todos sufren diferente)

Meaning of United In Grief

Kendrick Lamar's "United In Grief" serves as the opening track to his fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, released on May 13, 2022. The song's title and recurring refrain—"I grieve different"—establish the album's central thesis: that grief is a universal yet deeply personal experience that manifests differently for everyone . The track opens with an ethereal, gospel-like invitation for Kendrick to "tell the truth," functioning almost as a confessional or therapeutic entry point . The intro's striking admission—"I've been goin' through somethin' / One-thousand eight-hundred and fifty-five days"—directly references the five-year gap since his previous album, DAMN., released in 2017 . This period, marked by global fame, fatherhood, and profound personal reckoning, becomes the raw material Kendrick excavates throughout the track. In the first verse, Kendrick employs a series of rhetorical questions that interrogate stereotypes and social archetypes—the woman in a miniskirt, the hurting woman, the boastful relative—before pivoting to his own vulnerabilities. He reveals that he has sought therapy, a radical admission in hip-hop culture, and describes his internal world as a "cul-de-sac," a dead-end loop of self-indulgence and introspection . The mention of "popping a bottle of Claritin" metaphorically suggests an attempt to clear mental fog, while the recurring line "Is it my head or my arrogance?" captures the album's uneasy negotiation between humility and ego . The chorus shifts dramatically in both tempo and tone, juxtaposing lavish materialism (Mercedes, G-Wagon, mansions, jewelry) with an undercurrent of paranoia and emotional emptiness. The line "The 'Where you from?' It was all for rap" acknowledges that even his identity and origins have been commodified . By listing his tax burden and impulsive purchases, Kendrick critiques the hollow promise of wealth as a salve for trauma. The second verse introduces a specific, intimate narrative: a woman he met during his North American tour, described with vivid, almost cinematic detail—"Eyes like green penetrating the moonlight." He connects her pain to his own by cataloging the deaths that have shaped them both: her brother killed at twenty-one, Kendrick's own childhood memory of Lamont's burial when he was nine, the loss of Estelle, and Chad, who "left his body after we FaceTimed" . These shared griefs suggest a fleeting, trauma-bonded intimacy, where "first tour sex" becomes an attempt to "pain away" . The third verse returns to the theme of wealth as anesthesia. Kendrick admits he bought a Rolex he wore only once and infinity pools he never swam in. The competitive consumption with his cousin Baby Keem ("I watched Keem buy four cars in four months") and friends ("Dave got him a Porsche, so I got me a Porsche") illustrates how trauma and insecurity can masquerade as success . Yet the verse ends on a paradox: "Poverty was the case / But the money wiping the tears away." Money does not heal—it merely distracts, numbing pain rather than resolving it. Musically, "United In Grief" is built on sparse, staccato piano chords that alternate between tension and release, drawing from the Phrygian Dominant mode rarely heard in Western pop, lending the track an exotic, unsettled texture . The beat shifts throughout the song, mirroring Kendrick's fractured emotional state. Ultimately, "United In Grief" functions as both a confession and a thesis statement. It introduces the album's refusal to offer easy answers, instead asking listeners to sit with the uncomfortable truth that everyone grieves differently—and that healing, for Kendrick, begins with naming that difference aloud.

Tags:

hip-hoprapintrospectivegrieftherapytraumamr morale

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