What They Say

Song Meaning

Moe Pope's verse immediately plunges into a world of relentless struggle and defiant resistance. The lyrics paint a picture of an unforgiving urban landscape where personal trauma and societal pressures collide, yet a fierce refusal to conform persists. It's a raw declaration against external control, asserting, "Fuck no I won't do what they tell me." The core tension lies in the narrator's battle against an indifferent world and internal demons. He grapples with the legacy of abandonment ("father left me") and its impact on his mental state ("brain ain't healthy"). This struggle is amplified by the constant threat of poverty and addiction ("pinching pennies trying not to turn into a coke fiend"), creating a desperate fight for survival and meaning. The lyrics masterfully juxtapose grand aspirations with grim realities. The dream of a "better life for my children" and "one million, two million" stands in stark contrast to the confession of needing "more drugs to get up my feelings." This internal conflict is further highlighted by the shocking image of "the devil is reloading in the church with a Glock," suggesting a profound corruption of hope or faith from within. GHOST GRL's verse shifts the perspective, introducing a more ethereal, searching quality. Her fragmented lines and paradoxical imagery, like "floating at the sinking at the bottom," convey a sense of being lost yet still striving. Both voices ultimately converge on the powerful, repeated refrain, "I won't do what they say," cementing a shared, unyielding spirit of rebellion against external expectations and a world that "don't stop for nobody."