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The meaning of the lyrics of the song "The Pessimist" by the artist "Wale"

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This text by Wale expresses the disillusionment and hopelessness felt by many African Americans in contemporary America. The title "The Pessimist" sets the tone for the entire piece. The dialogue from the TV show "Seinfeld" at the beginning emphasizes the idea that hopelessness can be strangely liberating, as it leads to indifference, and indifference, in turn, can make a person attractive.

Wale uses the word "ngger" to highlight the harsh realities faced by black people. He talks about systemic racism, police brutality, gun violence, and a lack of opportunity that lead to a sense of despair. The rapper paints a bleak picture where the killing of a black man becomes just a statistic, where the justice system cannot be called fair, and the American dream turns into an American nightmare.

The text also touches upon the theme of internal struggle faced by African Americans. Wale talks about how past traumas, poverty, and lack of opportunity push young people down a dangerous path. He criticizes the superficiality of the mass media, which promotes a glamorous life far from the reality of most black Americans.

The chorus, performed by J. Cole, reinforces the feeling of hopelessness. The lyrical hero admits that he doesn't care about anything because he is desperate. However, the final line "God knows I'm hopeless, hopeless, hopeless, but I'm still praying" leaves a glimmer of hope. Even in the most desperate situations, a person does not lose faith and continues to search for a way out.

[Jerry Seinfeld and Jason Alexander as Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza:]

— Oh, so there's still hope?

— I don't want hope, hope is killing me. My dream is to become hopeless. When you're hopeless, you don't care, and when you don't care, that indifference, it makes you attractive.

[Verse 1: Wale]

A nga feelin' hopeless,

Who am I to change perception?

If a nga kill a nga, he's another statistic,

If his skin's a little different, they gon' say it was self-defense.

Nga feelin' hopeless,

Starin' at the idiot box, riddle me this,

If a killer was a nga, would ngas still really care?

‘Cause ngas worser than Zimmerman livin' life everywhere.

Ngas hopeless,

Small ngas with big tools

Couldn't get to Harvard, hard work, he hard whipped

‘Cause them hardy har's and hard nights are hard to live through

When you hopeless.

What we gotta do to be winnin'?

‘Cause all the schools gettin' closed,

Dribble a little coke, shootin' at a foe,

‘Cause they chargin' them to hoop at community center,

My nga, hopeless.

25 bands, he was shootin' not a damn givin',

Cousin threw a couple grand at some dancers,

Throwin' back their fat ass, is my glasses confused?

We're the hopeless.

America's dream and nightmare in the same being,

Even when bein' polite here

Ngas try to bring me down, the life of a pioneer,

Light years worth of hopeless.

Celebrity celebrated disgusts me,

The cerebellum invaded with all these fresh things on,

Watchin' "Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta" as we speak.

Nga, we hopeless.

Okay, the Steebie show is on,

And so my broad rollin' weed now she's mad at me

‘Cause she seen a scene with Rasheeda baby father,

Said, "You ngas all hopeless!"

[Chorus: J. Cole]

Got a pocket full of lint again, but it make no difference to me,

Fallin' out with my friends again, but it make no difference to me,

Goddamn, I'm hopeless, hopeless, hopeless, hopeless,

Oh man, I'm hopeless, hopeless, hopeless, hopeless.

Got no gas in my tank again, but it make no difference to me,

Overdraft at the bank again, but it make no difference to me,

Goddamn, I'm hopeless, hopeless, hopeless, hopeless,

Lord knows, I'm hopeless, hopeless, hopeless, hopeless, still I pray.

[Verse 2: Wale]

Nga feelin' hopeless

Like a penny with a hole in it,

We as empty as a corazón of a widow

From a soul that she don't know when he's comin' home.

He don't got no limit, hopeless,

What's a Purple Heart to a hurt head?

He done done 12 years, he was told 6,

Prolly go back in a minute, ain't shit here.

Nga so hopeless,

Thoughts are ravagin' in the whole crib,

Now he post-traumatic and always on the edge,

On the pills, some bills, two kids, one leg,

Nga so hopeless.

A lot of black cops always clap back,

And some foul white cops always on deck

Playin' race card, guarantee you'll make a blackjack.

Nga so hopeless

‘Cause we ain't 'posed to ever have shit,

And we ain't vocalise rap

Ngas ‘cause we don't promote unless we drop hits,

Nga hopeless.

Look at what I go through to show you,

Ngas respect money, money respect power,

And power, we never given unless a nga catch, shoot or dribble,

We are hopeless.

Nah, you ain't out here for the culture,

You finna riot without a purpose,

You ain't a mothafuckin' rider, you a fuckin' token, posin'.

Nga hopeless, of course not literal,

But why complain about the Man when a nga want my skin,

The same problems with them I had is out there killin' ngas, too.

Eat your food, nga!

[Chorus: J. Cole]

Got a pocket full of lint again, but it make no difference to me,

Fallin' out with my friends again, but it make no difference to me,

Goddamn, I'm hopeless, hopeless, hopeless, hopeless,

Oh man, I'm hopeless, hopeless, hopeless, hopeless.

Got no gas in my tank again, but it make no difference to me,

Overdraft at the bank again, but it make no difference to me,

Goddamn, I'm hopeless, hopeless, hopeless, hopeless,

Lord knows, I'm hopeless, hopeless, hopeless, hopeless, still I pray.

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