Royals by Gradient Lyrics
I’ve never been a rich kid; I’m glad I can say that
Parents have debt they have to add up to pay back
But I benefit from never havin’ a Maybach
I remember feelin’ very affluent way back
As a young kid when the money felt bigger
Havin’ 5 dollars kinda felt like five figures
And I thought that I could buy an entire aisle at Best Buy, yeah
But is that the best idea?
I wanted the new toy or game on the shelf
Seeking the fleeting joy that came from the wealth
They mass market products and exploit cheap labor
To make toys we forget about a week later
And we didn’t even like ‘em that much when we bought ‘em
But we had to have it ‘cause our neighbors just got ‘em
Listen to the melody, money it ain’t the enemy
But it just ain’t the remedy, damn it I know I’ll never be
[Chorus: Lorde]
And we’ll never be Royals (Royals)
It don’t run in our blood
That kind of luck’s just ain’t for us
We crave a different kind of buzz
Let me be your ruler (ruler)
You can call me queen bee
And baby I’ll rule
Let me live that fantasy
Hip-hop has a history of glorifying riches
It evolved in response to impoverished conditions
And as kid hearing the message I didn’t get it
Not something I experienced but Jay-Z said it
“If you grew up with holes in your zapatos
You'd celebrate the minute you was havin’ dough”
So while some rappers focus on material concepts
You can’t rob people of historical context
And I’m next in the line of those who co-opt flows
Hop to shows, rock the clothes but do not know
What’s it’s like lookin’ down the barrel of a firehose
What’s like calling one room your entire home
So who am I to complain, it’s madness
My high school was underfunded but we still had classes
They taught me facts so I learned to stay true and
And be a humble man too, like my friend Andrew
Right Drew? You gotta know what it takes to succeed
We don’t have to be royals, we have what we need
[Chorus]
Parents have debt they have to add up to pay back
But I benefit from never havin’ a Maybach
I remember feelin’ very affluent way back
As a young kid when the money felt bigger
Havin’ 5 dollars kinda felt like five figures
And I thought that I could buy an entire aisle at Best Buy, yeah
But is that the best idea?
I wanted the new toy or game on the shelf
Seeking the fleeting joy that came from the wealth
They mass market products and exploit cheap labor
To make toys we forget about a week later
And we didn’t even like ‘em that much when we bought ‘em
But we had to have it ‘cause our neighbors just got ‘em
Listen to the melody, money it ain’t the enemy
But it just ain’t the remedy, damn it I know I’ll never be
[Chorus: Lorde]
And we’ll never be Royals (Royals)
It don’t run in our blood
That kind of luck’s just ain’t for us
We crave a different kind of buzz
Let me be your ruler (ruler)
You can call me queen bee
And baby I’ll rule
Let me live that fantasy
Hip-hop has a history of glorifying riches
It evolved in response to impoverished conditions
And as kid hearing the message I didn’t get it
Not something I experienced but Jay-Z said it
“If you grew up with holes in your zapatos
You'd celebrate the minute you was havin’ dough”
So while some rappers focus on material concepts
You can’t rob people of historical context
And I’m next in the line of those who co-opt flows
Hop to shows, rock the clothes but do not know
What’s it’s like lookin’ down the barrel of a firehose
What’s like calling one room your entire home
So who am I to complain, it’s madness
My high school was underfunded but we still had classes
They taught me facts so I learned to stay true and
And be a humble man too, like my friend Andrew
Right Drew? You gotta know what it takes to succeed
We don’t have to be royals, we have what we need
[Chorus]