Lyrics

Kendrick Lamar – These Walls Lyrics

Updated

March 30, 2023

Kendrick Lamar – These Walls Lyrics

These Walls Lyrics by Kendrick Lamar

The title “These Walls” plays off the familiar expression “if these walls could talk…” Kendrick’s complex wordplay introduces layered metaphorical and literal walls—the “walls” of a woman’s vagina, the walls of a prison cell, and ultimately the “walls” of his mind and conscience. Kendrick uses this conceit to explore sex, abuse, his own career, his enemies, and the human psyche.

The song narrates Kendrick having sex with a woman who has children with a man in jail for killing one of Kendrick’s friends. Kendrick views this as an act of revenge for his slain friend, but he also has a bad conscience about using his fame and power to seduce someone for that purpose.

Ultimately “these walls” represent being imprisoned by the entire situation: an allegory for a cycle of murder, lust, seduction, revenge and guilt.

[Produced by Terrace Martin & Larrance Dopson; Additional production by Sounwave]
[Directed by Colin Tilley & The Little Homies]

[Poem: Kendrick Lamar]
I remember you was conflicted, misusing your influence
Sometimes, I did the same

[Intro: Kendrick Lamar & Anna Wise]
(Woman moaning)
If these walls could talk
If these walls could talk
If these walls could talk
If these walls could talk
If these walls could talk
If these walls could talk-
Sex

[Verse 1: Anna Wise & Kendrick Lamar]
She just want to close her eyes and sway
With you, with you, with you (Ah, come on)
Exercise her right to work it out
It’s true, it’s true, it’s true
Shout out to the birthday girls
Say hey (Hey), say hey (Hey), (Ah, girl)
Everyone deserves a night to play (Play)
She plays, only when you tell her no

[Chorus: Anna Wise, Thundercat & Bilal]
If these walls could talk
I can feel your reign when it cries, gold lives inside of you
If these walls could talk
I love it when I’m in it, I love it when I’m in it

[Verse 2: Kendrick Lamar]
If these walls could talk, they’d tell me to swim good
No boat, I float better than he would
No life jacket, I’m not the God of Nazareth
But your flood can be misunderstood
Walls telling me they full of pain, resentment
Need someone to live in them just to relieve tension
Me, I’m just a tenant
Landlord said these walls vacant more than a minute
These walls are vulnerable, exclamation
Interior pink, color coordinated
I interrogated every nook and cranny
I mean, it’s still amazing, before they couldn’t stand me
These walls want to cry tears
These walls happier when I’m here
These walls never could hold up
Every time I come around, demolition might crush

[Verse 3: Kendrick Lamar]
If these walls could talk, they’d tell me to go deep
Yelling at me continuously, I can see
Your defense mechanism is my decision
Knock these walls down, that’s my religion
Walls feeling like they ready to close in
I suffocate, then catch my second wind
I resonate in these walls
I don’t know how long I can wait in these walls
I’ve been on the streets too long
Looking at you from the outside in
They sing the same old song
About how they walls always the cleanest
I beg to differ, I must’ve missed them
I’m not involved, I’d rather diss ’em
I’d rather call on you, put your wall up
‘Cause when I come around, demolition gon’ crush

[Instrumental Break]

[Verse 4: Kendrick Lamar]
If your walls could talk, they’d tell you it’s too late
Your destiny accepted your fate
Burn accessories and stash them on the yard
Take the recipe, the Bible and God
Wall telling you that commissary is low
Race wars happening, no calling CO
No calling your mother to save you
Homies to say you’re irrepetible, not acceptable
Your behavior is Sammy the Bull like
A killer that turned snitch
Walls is telling me you a bitch
You pray for appeals hoping the warden would afford them
That sentence so important
Walls telling you to listen to “Sing About Me”
Retaliation is strong, you even dream ’bout me
Killed my homeboy and God spared your life
Dumb criminal got indicted same night
So when you play this song, rewind the first verse
About me abusing my power so you can hurt
About me and her in the shower whenever she horny
About me and her in the after hours of the morning
About her baby daddy currently serving life
And how she think about you until we meet up at night
About the only girl that cared about you when you asked her
And how she fuckin’ on a famous rapper
Walls can talk (Talk)

[Poem: Kendrick Lamar]
I remember you was conflicted
Misusing your influence
Sometimes I did the same
Abusing my power, full of resentment
Resentment that turned into a deep depression
Found myself screaming in a hotel room