Analysis: Kendrick Lamar - "BLOOD."

"So I was takin’ a walk the other day And I seen a woman—a blind woman Pacin’ up and down the sidewalk She seemed to be a bit frustrated As if she had dropped somethin’ and havin’ a hard time findin’ it So after watchin’ her struggle for a while I decide to go over and lend a helping hand, you know? ”Hello, ma’am, can I be of any assistance? It seems to me that you have lost something I would like to help you find it” She replied, ”Oh, yes, you have lost something You’ve lost your life”"

• Kendrick Lamar, BLOOD. (Released: April 14, 2017)

Genius Annotation:

There are several theories surrounding the identity of the blind woman. On “FEAR.,” Kendrick’s cousin Carl teaches from the Book of Deuteronomy where the Hebrews are warned about the consequences that lead to damnation for not keeping the commandments—the woman may represent those consequences. The choice of obeying God and being blessed or disobeying him plays a major role throughout the album.

The gunshot on “BLOOD.” may represent Kendrick being shot because he “lost” his way, while on “DUCKWORTH.,” the scenario is reversed and Kendrick lives as a result of his father Ducky and label owner Top Dawg getting along.

Some fans have also theorized that the walk Kendrick is on is a continuation of his 2016 God Is Gangsta music video that features “u” and “For Sale? (Interlude)” from To Pimp A Butterfly. Fans also theorize that the woman is Lady Justice, who is a representation of blind justice, as Kendrick may believe the judicial system is unjust.

In a Beats 1 interview with Zane Lowe, Kendrick refused to speak on the deeper meaning of this skit, opting instead to let the art speak for itself. When asked whether it represented “the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning,” he refused to answer but confirmed it is the right question to ask.

This post was generated by the Truth2Power bot, a project for MIT's CMS.614 created to archive and discuss hip-hop lyrics that speak truth to power.