Tupac Shakur: Changes Meaning
Song Released: 1998
Changes Lyrics
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...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:Rap is a form of expression mainly used by African-American to express themselves over topics that matters to everyday life. Rap as a form of music has transformed through many stages, from old school to modern hip pop. Numerous rappers left their mark on this kind of music. The early pioneers of rap, such as N.W.A and Notorious B.I.G, have influenced the course of direction in which rap is heading to. But all of these rappers have all in common to use rap to express their own situation. The most famous of all the rappers is probably Tupac Shakur. The particularity of Tupac Shakur’s rap songs, they all talk about the rapper’s gangster lifestyle. With great diction and rhyming, Tupac Shakur is simply one of the best rapper. The song “Changes” by Tupac Shakur is one of his more famous songs. In this song, many subjects concerning African-Americans injustices are being conveyed. Subjects like racial-profiling, poverty and racism affect the everyday life of African-American. In the song “Changes”, Tuapc gives an inside look at the daily life of an African-American. Tupac seems to be trying to express the idea that changes needs to be made to therefore stop poverty and racism that African-American are facing every day. Tupac also criticizes the dispersion of African-Americans over the idea to unite to overcome poverty and racism facing them. The title of Tupac’s song is called “Changes”. It is call Changes for numerous obvious reasons. Tupac starts the song by stating; “I see no changes”. He is possibly referring to the changes that were brought upon after the African-American Civil Right Movement, during the 50’s and 60’s. African-American Civil Movement was supposed to bring an end to social issues like racism and poverty afflicting African-American population. But in the song “Changes”, he states that he sees no changes. The same social issues that concerns African-Americans before the Civil Right Movement are still common afterwards. Throughout the song, Tupac gives an inside look on the social problems afflicting African-Americans and suggests possible resolutions. In the first stanza of the song “Changes”, Tupac first talks about how certain social issues are link together; he makes a correlation between his skin color and being poor: “I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black.” Then he explains how poverty causes crime: “My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.” And finally, he demonstrates the relationship between police brutality and race: “Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.” Following the links between the social issues, Tupac makes interesting observation on why African-American communities have trouble dealing with these social problems: “First ship 'em dope & let 'em deal the brothers. Give 'em guns, step back, and watch 'em kill each other.” His observation could be interpreted as a conspiracy into eliminating or significantly diminish the African-American population in the United States of America. However, Tupac does not mention who is behind the plot. Tupac suggests the solution of unity into solving the social issues that African-Americans are facing. African-Americans should united together to solve poverty, racism and violence. “I got love for my brother, but we can never go nowhere unless we share with each other. We gotta start makin' changes.” In these two verses, it could be notice that Tupac uses the pronoun “we” to represent unity among African-American. The importance of unity makes it possible for changing the ways to deal with these complex social issues. At the end of the first stanza of the song “Changes”, Tupac seems to be making a criticism of how social issues would not solve itself if they were just ignored: “I'd love to go back to when we played as kids, but things change, and that's the way it is.” In the second stanza of the song “Changes”, Tupac reconfirms social issues that afflicts African-Americans; violence: “And only time we chill is when we kill each other.” and drugs: “'Cause mo' black than white is smokin' crack tonight.” A couple of verses further, Tupac makes the ultimate point that the unity for changes has not happen because there are too many individualistic people who are not willing to give up their personal interests. “Try to show another way, but they stayin' in the dope game.” This verse shows the people have a choice but instead they choose the life of crime. How are they able to change the social issues afflicting them if some are not cooperating. After analyzing the first two stanza of the song “Changes”, it could be assume that Tupac is clearly stating the importance of African-American unity to overcome the challenging social issues facing them; violence, racial profiling and drugs. Finally stanza of the song is about Tupac drops the idea of unity because of the fact that nobody is following it. He has to therefore do what is best for him like everyone.
Please refer to the website for the song “Changes” by Tupac http://www.lyrics007.com/2Pac%20(Tupac%20Shakur)%20Lyrics/Changes%20Lyrics.html -
2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:This song was a rap that many African Americans used to express themselves over things that happen in everyday life. Many rappers such as N.W.A and Notorious B.I.G use rap to express their own situation; the most famous of all rappers is Tupac Shakur. In his songs he mainly talks about gangster rapper’s lifestyles. In the song changes he is expressing the idea that there needs to be change so that poverty and racism that African Americans face every day will stop. He also criticizes that African Americans need to overcome poverty that is facing them.
The first lyrics of the song are “I see no changes” referring to the changes that happened after the African American Civil Rights Movement. In the 50’s and 60’s this movement was supposed to end social issues such as racism and poverty effecting African Americans. “In the first stanza of the song ‘Changes’, Tupac first talks about how certain social issues are link together; he makes a correlation between his skin color and being poor: ‘I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black.’ Then he explains how poverty causes crime: ‘My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.’” He then describes the relationship of police brutality and African Americans, where he says "Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero." Tupac then makes an observation on how African American communities struggle dealing with social problems. “First ship 'em dope & let 'em deal the brothers. Give 'em guns, step back, and watch 'em kill each other.” This shows that from living in poverty they grow up into troubled way such as drug dealing and this is causing the African American population to diminish. Tupac suggests that African Americans should unite together to solve the problems that they are facing by saying "I got love for my brother, but we can never go nowhere unless we share with each other. We gotta start makin' changes." At the conclusion of the first stanza Tupac is criticizing that the issue will not solve its self if it was just ignored. "I'd love to go back to when we played as kids, but things change, and that's the way it is." In the second stanza he talks about how African Americans have to deal with violence "And only time we chill is when we kill each other." and drugs "Cause mo' black than white is smokin' crack tonight." A few verses later he makes the ultimate point that unity for change has not happened because there are too many people that are not willing to give up their own personal interests. "Try to show another way, but they stayin' in the dope game." This verse shows that people have a choice to do good but instead many choose the life of crime.
This song is about how Tupac wants change, not just changing the way he lives but the lifestyle African Americans had to live. He explains on how it was hard being poor and black, and the fact that police didn't particularly care about what happens within the black communities. It also shows that the life that many people grew up into was a living hell, surrounded by drugs and gangs. -
3TOP RATED
#3 top rated interpretation:The song “Changes” by Tupac Shakur is a very popular song. In the African-American everyday life they have racism and social proverty. Within the song Changes Tupac Shakur has the inside look of a African-American daily life. Tupac was trying to put this song out so that he could try stop racism and social poverty. He had stated the song by starting with; “I see no changes”. He is talking about the possible changes that could be brought upon after the African-American Civil Right Movement, during the 50’s and 60’s. African-American was supposed to bring an end to social issues like racism and poverty afflicting African-American population. But in the song “Changes”, he states that he sees no changes. In the first part of the song “Changes”, he talks about how certain social issues are link together. “I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black.”is how he felt. Then he explains how poverty causes crime: “My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.” And finally, he demonstrates the relationship between police brutality and race: “Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.”
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Still listening to this song in 2023,we still see no changes.Black people still facing the same sh*t as before.Innocent people gunned down because of police brutality..its hard being a black person
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Still listening to this song in 2023,we still see no changes.Black people still facing the same sh*t as before.Innocent people gunned down because of police brutality..its hard being ablck person
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I think this song is one of the best and how it explains on African American poverty and how they struggle with it it also explains how police and general citizens are racist to black or African Americans I don’t know how people could do such a thing even after the African American civil right movement that started in 1954-1968 after it happened Martin Luther king had made changes but racism and poverty are still alive today
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pac is obviously a legend, never to be forgotten. the way he made music, no other rapper could ever compare
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I think he meant because he was poor with his sister went his mom was in jail when he did bad things and i think thats why he got shot 21 years ago. So rest in peace to tupac shakur we miss you but youbwill never be forgotten
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The song makes references to the war on drugs, the treatment of black people by the police, the perpetuation of poverty and its accompanying vicious-cycle value system in urban African American culture, and the difficulties of life in the ghetto. "Changes" remains one of Tupac's most notable and popular songs.
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This song has got to be my fav out of all tupacs songs! If tupac were still alive til this day, i'd do most-likely ANYTHING just to meet him & see him in concert! absolutely my inspiration <3 he was sent from the man above to send a message. And now that he has? it is upto us to fufil this! WE ALL NEED TO WAKE UP TO OURSELVES! if we dont make a change? who will?!
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its all about getting to the next level of the game..accept the fact thats the real system the easy way... the other way of the dope game..
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This song is about him and Huey Newton trying to get out of the Illuminati.
"It's time to fight back", that's what Huey said - Huey Newton was killed by the Illuminati (allegedly)
'How can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me?' - the devil is referring to the what the Illuminati worship.
Just saying... -
Pac da king
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"Just like most raps, it was still copied from actually better music."
Obviously you don't understand the phenomenon, so instead of identifying you as the little prick that you are, I'll politely explain.
The phenomenon is known as "sampling," and it is not a way for unoriginial rappers to plagiarize off of better works, as it may initially seem to those who don't know.
It is a way for rappers to imbue their works with a respect for the old school, an emotional connotation, and potentially a double-entendre or complex symbolism if the original song provides.
This all depends that the audience has heard the original song, of course - so the intention couldn't possibly be to steal off of other works, or the audience would know immediately.
Sampling is actually a positive phenomenon, even though it might initially seem malevolent - much like gangster rap as a whole. -
2PAC, he tried a lot to bring people togather, Actual he will be a best rapper all over de time, i will never forget him coz he was a real nigga plus scare no body, i think he borned to tearch god's people ''poor people'' i love him one day we will meet, R.I.P. GENERAL.
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this song is symbolic to all Gangstas and thugs brought up in the struggles of the ghetto who have to kill steel and deal in order to survive
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I am absolutely in love with this song!! It's so meaningful. Don't worry Tupac - changes will be made! I mean look, we've already got an African-American president (verse 2!). Maybe we, as people, are already beginning to change... who knows what that might lead to. We love and miss you! <3
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i believe that tupac is ust simply amazing best rapper and will always be , no one can ever replace him, his meaning for this song is wonderful and has a very strong meaning
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