Nightmares Lyrics
I'm having nightmares, ooh
My niggas say I'm P-noid
They say I'm just P-noid
I'm having nightmares, ooh
My niggas say I'm P-noid
They say I'm just P-noid
[Verse 1: Bilal]
I'm waking up in the middle of the night
My heartbeat's pumpin' like something ain't right
What's goin' on?
When I go outside, I feel something behind me
I'm looking back, but nothing's around me
(What's goin' on?) Man, I don't know
What am I trippin' on?
There's something in the room (There's something in the room)
It's lurkin' in the shadows (Lurkin' in the shadows)
Staring through the darkness (Oh)
Man, I don't know
These four walls are closing in (Closing in)
These voices ain't my friend
They're hauntin' me
Those, those memories
[Chorus: Bilal & Malice]
I'm having nightmares, ooh
My niggas say I'm P-noid
They say I'm just P-noid
I'm having nightmares, ooh
My niggas say I'm P-noid
They say I'm just P-noid (Yeah)
They comin' for me, they runnin' up
I'm on my balcony, seein' through the eyes of Tony
They say we homies, but I see hatred
Do not they know brotherly love is sacred?
Niggas catch feelings, even contemplate killings
When you see millions, there are many chameleons
You're not a gunner for real, you're just a runner
Haters, I spot you from afar and I'm the deer hunter
They be thinkin' nice car, nice crib
I be thinkin' how long will these niggas let me live?
I understand, 'cause people need things
And they will take it from you and take you from your seedlings
So even when the mumblers talk
I still walk the most humblest walk
And one day, they may even catch up with me, man
But 'til then, I'm Leonardo, catch me if you can, uh
[Chorus: Bilal]
I'm having nightmares, ooh
My niggas say I'm P-noid
They say I'm just P-noid
I'm having nightmares, ooh
My niggas say I'm P-noid
They say I'm just P-noid
Look over your shoulder, something is near
And I'm so scared, when I'm alone, I'm so scared
Now it's inching closer, trouble is near
But nothing's there, when I look, nothing's there
I'm outta my mind, I'm runnin' from guilt, but
It's right by my side, there's nowhere to hide, oh
I'm outta my mind, I'm runnin' from guilt, but
It's right by my side, there's nowhere to hide, oh
[Verse 3: Pusha T]
I make big money, drive big cars
Everybody know me, it's like I'm a movie star
Virginia nights, sellin' hard white
To sellin' out shows, every gangster love my flow
Still, I creep low, thinkin' niggas tryna harm me
Hoping my karma ain't comin' back here to haunt me
Was it that nigga? I took his powder with a smile
Prayin' to Lord the gun ain't pop and hit the child, shit
I peeled niggas' girls back like alpha-hydroxy
Spent money like Happy Days, I'm the real Fonzie
Top off the coupe, that's how JFK got shot, B
Can't let niggas roll up beside me and 2Pac me
Holla if you hear me, tears flowin' sincerely
Check up on my block weekly, my health yearly
Something's wrong with me, niggas don't get along with me
Got a four-four, hope your body got strong kidneys, oh
I'm having nightmares, ooh
My niggas say I'm P-noid
They say I'm just P-noid
I'm having nightmares, ooh
My niggas say I'm P-noid
They say I'm just P-noid
About
A haunting depiction of the paranoia, jealousy, and guilt that pervade the criminal psyche.
Bilal (in falsetto) is the embodiment of raw fear, amplified over time to become delusional. He’s the paranoid voice in Malice’s (or Pusha’s) head, and each rapper’s verse is a rebuttal to that voice’s panic.
Malice acknowledges his fear that people, jealous of his wealth and success, will murder him. But he resolves to stay ahead in the game and never be caught slipping. Likewise, Pusha realizes his past of flash and violence may come back to haunt him, both figuratively (his guilty conscience) and literally (slugs to the dome). He too faces down his fears by resolving to solve his problems with (you guessed it!) some sweet, sweet violence.
That organ riff gives it a ghostly ambiance, making fears rise up (to get beaten down by a gangsta motherfucker).
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Pusha T via Complex:
Amazing record. Should’ve been the first single off the record, but what was swaying my decision on that was the fact that we had been on hiatus so long. Everything we were doing was mixtape driven and any shows we were really getting was real fan shit going on. And I didn’t want to take the energy of the shows down with a record like ‘Nightmares.’ As great of a record as that is, I couldn’t fathom performing that record. Which was really stupid because you had guys like Game coming out doing ‘Dreams.’ I think that was his single, but I was just in this thinking like, ‘Damn man. How is this gonna carry us?’
- 3.Mr. Me Too
- 6.Dirty Money
- 9.Ain’t Cha
- 10.Trill
- 11.Chinese New Year
- 12.Nightmares