Who We Be
Intro: DMX
Uh, yeah, another one of those (This is for my nigga Q)Down to earth joints (Rest in peace, baby, you know how we roll)There's so many that don't know (You knew I could do it)(They don't know who we be)This goes out to my nigga Q, rest in peace, baby (I miss you, dog)They don't know who we be (You still here with me?)Verse 1: DMX
What they don't know isThe bullshit, the drama (Uh), the guns, the armor (Uh)The city, the farmer, the babies, the mama (What?)The projects, the drugs (Uh), the children, the thugs (Uh)The tears, the hugs, the love, the slugs (Come on)The funerals, the wakes, the churches, the coffins (Uh)The heartbroken mothers, it happens too often (Why?)The problems, the things we use to solve 'em (What?)Yonkers, the Bronx (Uh), Brooklyn, Harlem (Come on)The hurt, the pain, the dirt, the rain (Uh)The jerk, the fame, the work, the game (Uh)The friends, the foes, the Benz, the hoes (What?)The studios, the shows, comes and it goes (Come on)The jealousy, the envy, the phony, the friendly (Uh-huh)The one that gave 'em the slugs the one that put 'em in me (Woo)The snakes, the grass too long to see (Uh, uh)The lawnmower sittin' right next to the tree (Come on)Chorus
They don't know who we beThey don't know who we beThey don't know who we beThey don't know who we beVerse 2: DMX
What we seeing isThe streets, the cops, the system, harassment (Uh-huh)The options, get shot, go to jail, or getcha ass kicked (Aight)The lawyers, the part they are of the puzzle (Uh-huh)The release, the warning, "Try not to get in trouble" (Damn)The snitches, the odds (Uh), probation, parole (What?)The new charge, the bail, the warrant, the hole (Damn)The cell, the bus, the ride up North (Uh-huh)The greens, the boots, the yard, these hearts (Uh)The fightin', the stabbin', the pullin', the grabbin' (What?)The riot squad with the captain, nobody knows what happened (What?)The two years in a box, revenge, the plots (Uh)The twenty-three hours that's locked, the one hour that's not (Uh)The silence, the dark, the mind, so fragile (Aight)The wish that the streets would have took you when they had you (Damn)The days, the months, the years, despairOne night on my knees, here it comes, the prayerChorus
They don't know who we beThey don't know who we beThey don't know who we beThey don't know who we beVerse 3: DMX
This here is all aboutMy wife, my kids (Uh-huh), the life that I live (Uh-huh)Through the night, I was his (Uh-huh)It was right, but I did (Uh-huh)My ups and downs (Uh), my slips, my falls (Uh)My trials and tribulations (Uh), my heart, my balls (Uh)My mother, my father, I love 'em, I hate 'em (Uh)Wish God, I didn't have 'em, but I'm glad that he made 'em (Uh)The roaches, the rats, the strays, the cats (What, what?)The guns, knives and bats, every time we scrap (Come on)The hustlin', the dealin', the robbin', the stealin' (Uh)The shit hit the ceiling', little boy with no feelings (Damn)The frustration, rage, trapped inside a cageGot beatin's 'til the age I carried a twelve gauge (Aight)Somebody stop me (Please), somebody come and get me (What?)Little did I know that the Lord was ridin' with meThe dark, the light (Uh), my heart (Uh), the fight (Uh)The wrong (Uh), the right (Uh), it's gone (Uh), aight?Chorus
They don't know who we beThey don't know who we beThey don't know who we beThey don't know who we be (Come on)They don't know who we beThey don't know who we beOutro: DMX over Chorus
Man, listen (They don't know who we be)These motherfuckers don't know who we areThey don't know (They don't know who we be)They couldn't possibly fuckin' know, dawgThat's from the heartDawg, this shit is crazyWhat the song means
"Who We Be" is a protest song about how outsiders misjudge people from hard neighborhoods. DMX lists the violence, poverty, drugs, and grief that shape everyday life, and the chorus, repeated throughout, insists that the wider world judges these communities without understanding them. The mood is angry and defiant from the start, and the repetition makes that frustration feel constant.
The second verse moves from the streets to the justice system, naming police, probation, jail, and months spent in solitary confinement. The despair builds until it ends in a prayer. The third verse turns inward to his family, his parents, and his own violent past, admitting his mistakes and his contradictory feelings about the people who raised him. The song shifts from public anger toward personal vulnerability and faith.
Several images carry the meaning. The snakes in the tall grass and the lawnmower beside the tree suggest danger that is hidden or too close to notice. The idea that faith was "ridin' with me" even when he was lost presents religion as the thing that carried him through. The raw, shouted outro makes the refrain sound less like a slogan and more like a plea to be seen as a whole person.
Key phrases explained
- the greens
- the prison uniform — Slang for prison clothing, used to show life behind bars.
- the hole
- solitary confinement — Prison slang for isolation cells, central to the second verse's despair.
- carried a twelve gauge
- carried a shotgun — Street reference to owning a weapon, showing how early violence became part of his life.
- the grass too long to see
- the hidden danger — An image of enemies or threats lurking where you cannot spot them.
- ridin' with me
- protecting and accompanying me — Slang for being with someone through danger, here applied to faith.
Song info
- Release date
- 2001-09-25
- Album
- Simmz Beatz Presents - The Best Of DMX
- Written by
- Black Key, DMX
- Produced by
- Melvin “Hip” Armstead, Black Key
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