[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]
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 wanna 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
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 (Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Oh, oh
[Verse 2: Kendrick Lamar]
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 tellin' me they full of pain, resentment
Need someone to live in 'em 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 wanna cry tears
These walls happier when I'm here
These walls never could hold up
Every time I come around, demolition might crush
[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 (Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Oh, oh
These walls could talk, they'd tell me to go deep
Yellin' at me continuously, I can see
Your defense mechanism is my decision
Knock these walls down, that's my religion
Walls feelin' 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
Lookin' 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
[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 (Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Oh, oh
[Instrumental Break]
If your walls could talk, they'd tell you it's too late
Your destiny accepted your fate
Burn accessories and stash 'em on the yard
Take the recipe, the Bible and God
Wall tellin' you that commissary is low
Race wars happenin', no callin' CO
No callin' 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 tellin' me you a bitch
You pray for appeals hopin' the warden would afford them
That sentence so important
Walls tellin' 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 abusin' 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 servin' life
And how she think about you until we meet up at night
About the only girl 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
About
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.
Kendrick said “These Walls” was one of his favorites on the album: “It’s a record that I always wanted to make but didn’t know how to make.”
Vandalizing these walls only if they could talk
― “Never Catch Me” by Flying Lotus
Kendrick may have been hinting at this track in Never Catch Me by Flying Lotus.
“These Walls” won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
In a 2015 interview with Peter Rosenberg, Kendrick said These Walls was his favourite track off the album, saying:
It’s a record that I always wanted to make, but never knew how to make. I wasn’t in a place to do it, there’s records that I’ve always loved— let’s take “i” for instance, I would’ve never have made that record 10 years ago, or even 2 years ago. So, it’s the same thing with “These Walls”. I love this record, I always loved records like these, but I didn’t know how to make it, or, better yet, I didn’t know if I was ready to make it. And this is a record that I always play, constantly, back-to-back.
“These Walls” debuted and peaked at #94 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the chart week ending April 4, 2015.
- 3.King Kunta
- 5.These Walls
- 6.u
- 7.Alright
- 9.Momma
- 10.Hood Politics
- 16.Mortal Man
