I swear I was pondering a "headcanon lyrics" thread the other day. The following is probably my biggest recent example.
On my first few spins of To Pimp a Butterfly, I didn't follow along with printed lyrics. This is what I usually do for new releases. So after a few listens, my favorite verses start to coalesce. To anyone who likes the album, you're probably also a fan of verse 2 and verse 3 of Momma. They're up there with the best shit K-dot has written, in my opinion, and are among my favorite bars on the record, and some of my favorite modern hip hop bars in general.
Well, in verse 2, Kendrick runs through all the knowledge he has gained in his career as a setup to the end of the verse, where he arrives back in Compton and realizes that he doesn't know shit about where he comes from anymore, and thus all the other knowledge doesn't amount to much. The idea is that returning home is a humbling experience for Kendrick.
So anyway, when he's running through the knowledge he's accumulated over the years, around the middle of the verse, he says the following:
I know everything, I know history
I know the universe works mentally
I know the perks of bullshit isn't meant for me
But on my first few listens, before I followed with the lyrics in front of me, I heard it a bit differently:
I know everything, I know history
I know the universe works mentally
I know the perks of bullshit, is it meant for me?
I still absolutely love this verse, but I actually prefer how I misheard it, and still often hear it that way when I throw it on. The reason I prefer it is that one of the record's primary themes is the temptations of fame and money and the associated exploitation ("Lucy" is used as a device representing this throughout the record). So when Kendrick admits to knowing the perks of "bullshit," I think it's more in line with the rest of the record thematically for him to express doubt about whether to sell out and be a bullshitter, thus bringing more fame and success, or to eschew those perks and stay true to himself. This is something he struggles with in this very song. That's why I like the line as a question rather than a declarative statement that he knows those perks aren't for him. He wrestles with fame, exploitation, and guilt throughout the record, including in this very verse, where he doesn't realize how ignorant he is until he comes back to Compton, so it really fits perfectly as a question implying that he is still wrestling with those issues. In a lot of ways, "I know the perks of bullshit, is it meant for me?" is a perfect representation of that particular theme of TPAB.
Anyway, sorry for the long post. I've just always found this interesting.
