Lyrics Post - Tupac Shakur

Song:(Changes)
Artist: Tupac Shakur
Album: Greatist Hits
Songwriters: Tupac Shakur, Deon Evans, and Bruce Hornsby
Lyrics Website: www.metrolyrics.com/2paclyrics
Year Recorded and Remixed:1992 -1996,
Released: 1998




Best 4 - 8 Lines

Come on come on,

I see no changes wake up in the morning and I ask myself,

is life worth living should I blast myself?

I'm tired of bein' poor & even worse I'm black,

my stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch,

Cops give a damn about a negro,

pull the trigger kill a nigga he's a hero,

Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares,






Meaning for these 4 - 8 lines and the rest of this song.


These 4 - 8 lines show great meaning of Tupac Shakur expressing himself while he was growing up. In these lines it tells a story of poverty, poor communities, criminal violence, and drug abuse. There are problems of racism, which is addressed when he says, “I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black…Cops give a damn about a Negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.” This statement expresses how hard life is to be an underprivileged Black man in the United States, with a focus on issues with police brutality. There, is lack of social influence and responsibily as in the verse "Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares," shows that no one in society is much concerned with black children having access to deadly drugs. The chorus is stating that not much has changed for blacks and that they don,t see anything changing or getting better.

LYRICS



Lyrics | 2Pac Lyrics | Changes Lyrics

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5 Paragraphs on the importance of this song

This song is so important for so many reasons. As we know, the Hip Hop movement is one of the most misunderstood social movements in the history of the United States. Although most parents discourage their children from listening to this style of music, much of it contains the positive messages of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s and 70’s. Even rappers known for their violent history, such as Tupac Shakur, have made songs promoting peace and equality in the U.S. The most prominent of these songs is “Changes,” which was released later in his album Greatest Hits. This song, through diagnosis, prognosis, and motivation, is a small example of this large movement in which one race has come together through the decades to fight for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

By stating the problem, this song challenges the rules set by society and works towards equality. In the song “Changes,” by Tupac Shakur's problems are clearly stated within its lyrics. The first issue is racism. As the song progresses, Tupac makes additional references to blatant racism. Although these claims cannot be proven, his central idea and motivation for writing the song cannot be ignored. He expands upon this idea when he states, “the penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks.” This line is meant to insinuate that a black man is more likely to go to jail than a white man.

Another problem Tupac mentions is the poverty, drug abuse, and crime that he witnesses among his inner city communities. This is exemplified when he sings, “‘I made a G today’ But you made it in a sleazy way. Sellin' crack to the kids. "I gotta get paid’” and in the line, “And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do.” Through these lyrics, Tupac justifies the unsafe and immoral acts as the means that impoverished people must resort to in order to survive. Drug dealing and theft are common themes in his music about inner city areas that present virtually no opportunities to improve one’s quality of living. In addition to drug related crimes, Tupac also alludes to constant acts of violence in the inner cities. “Give 'em guns, step back, and watch 'em kill each other. ‘It's time to fight back’, that's what Huey said.

Two shots in the dark now Huey's dead,” for example, discusses how simple it is for people to buy weapons and cause harm. Representative of this violent street mentality is the manner which “Huey” attempted to solve his problems in the song. In doing so it leads to his death when the people he wishes to fight against retaliate with gunfire. Clearly Tupac is trying to send the message that this behavior is not a proper way to find a means to an end. If they intend to resolve the conflicts within the inner city, then there must be “changes.”

Tupac states the proper way to achieve harmony in the city through his ways, which is declared several times throughout the song. Tupac first says that he would “love to go back to when we played as kids.” However, he understands that this is not a real solution, and continues, “but things change, and that's the way it is.” This shows his recognition that life is not as simple as one sometimes wishes it could be, and that one must adapt to these new surroundings. This is why I think that this song should go down in hip hop history.