Access the official lyrics for Bunce Road Blues by J. Cole, Future, and Tems. Master the verses and the melodic Tems outro for your next singalong session.
Study the Lyrics: Bunce Road Blues by J. Cole, Future, and Tems
The lyrics for Bunce Road Blues offer a transparent look at the internal conflict of a global icon returning to his roots. Written with a focus on geographical markers like Seventy-First Middle school, the songwriting describes a protagonist who feels the weight of his public role while longing for personal reconstruction. These lyrics serve as a primary resource for fans seeking the correct lines for singalongs and karaokes, especially the rhythmic verses where J. Cole details his early life on Bunce Road. The text removes complex metaphors to focus on the raw reality of navigating poverty, the absence of parental guidance, and the pressures of neighborhood expectations.
j. cole, tems, future
Listeners can use these lyrics to gain better knowledge of the track’s thematic weight, particularly the interplay between J. Cole’s technical bars and the melodic contributions of Future and Tems. Future’s verse details the shift from his youth to his current status, while Tems provides a haunting perspective on the fear of neglect and the strength of emotional bonds. By sharing these verses, the community can participate in the harmonic flow of the record, following the vocal shifts from the aggressive stanzas of the opening to the repetitive, captive nature of the outro. Providing the text for Bunce Road Blues ensures that the audience can engage with the technical precision of the writing, celebrating a moment where precise lyricism and professional production meet to create an authentic anthem for the streets and the soul.
Produced by The Alchemist, Ron Gilmore
February 6, 2026
1 song, 5 minutes
℗ 2026 Cole World, Inc., under exclusive license to Interscope Records
Lyrics
[Intro: J. Cole]
Steady
Will you be around when I’m ready?
I’d rather you go and be happy (Happy)
I don’t wanna leave you alone, no (Mm)
[Verse 1: J. Cole]
All of y’all niggas is pu**y, you shoot at the opps and run from the cops
And I don’t get it, I ain’t suggesting you fire your weapon at 12, but hell
Why in the fu** do we feel that niggas that’s lookin’ like us who deserve to be killed?
Meanwhile, Capitol Hill been makin’ it easy for them to go stuff us in cells
I ain’t no preacher, for real, I just like to cut on the mic and start lettin’ it spill
And I’ve been leavin’ a trail, you play all my albums and find you a letter revealed
This a suicide note, come here, look what I wrote, I’m ’bout to kill myself
Fu** J. Cole, I don’t even want this role, wanna rebuild myself
Tuck my pole under the driver’s seat, nigga, don’t try to reach
I’ll bust a hole right in your frontal lobe, that’s a lobotomy
Two months ago, I was on Bunce Road, nigga done spotted me
Said, “What’s up, Cole? Nigga, I love you, bo”
He said he proud of me, that touched my soul
Wasn’t too long ago that I was over here at Seventy-First Middle
Had my very first little girlfriend that would let me get a feel or two
Back then, it was considerable, enough to ‘void the ridicule
But come another year or two
“Boy, you better be fuckin’ on somethin’,” my mama ain’t never even give me no rubbers
Papa was gone, how to put Trojan on was somethin’ I had to discover
All on my own, y’all know the song
I probably been singin’ this shit for too long
Pardon me if I’ve been soundin’ like some broken record, I come from the brokest of homes, shit
I come from the brokest of homes (Will you be around when I’m ready?)
[Refrain: J. Cole]
I’d rather you go and be happy (Happy)
I don’t wanna leave you alone, no
[Verse 2: Future]
It’s 7 o’clock on the dot, I’m in my drop-top
Cruisin’ the streets that I grew up in
I didn’t think the same back then
Sayin’, “Oh, how we changed,” my nigga, that’s when
The pistols go pop, bodies drop, they got the block blocked
It’s the police, we ain’t see nothin’
I just roll up my weed and get to puffin’
And lay back in my seat, oh yes, I’m numb again
[Bridge: J. Cole & Tems]
Uh-oh, uh-oh (Will you be around when I’m ready?)
Uh-oh, uh-oh (I’d rather you go and be happy, happy)
Uh-oh, uh-oh (I don’t wanna leave you alone, no)
Uh-oh, uh-oh (Happy)
Uh-oh, uh-oh (Will you be around when I’m ready?)
Uh-oh, uh-oh (I’d rather you go and be happy, happy)
Uh-oh, uh-oh (I don’t wanna leave you alone, no)
Uh-oh (Oh, yeah), uh-oh (Yeah, hey)
[Verse 3: Tems & J. Cole]
Finding you lose when you choose to neglect
The roots that we grew to protect us, oh
The sun has been blinding lately, mm
One day, you find when your light’s out
You always were a bright star to me
Even the times the world didn’t say so
One in the morning
If the walls where you once talked, would they ‘fess up?
I’m scared of the tales they’ll tell us
Much better if I ignore
Steady
Will you be around when I’m ready?
I’d rather you go and be happy
But I don’t wanna leave you alone, no
Yeah, I’m steady
But love might be gone when you’re ready
I should move on and be happy
But I don’t wanna leave you alone, oh
Love is a mountain-climb for you
Throw you a line, I could pull you
Scared I wouldn’t grasp for long, but my hold is strong for you
How many ways must I profess?
Gunshot to your head, die for me
Hey, how can I let you go?
[Outro: Tems]
Have mercy, it’s broken
I’m handcuffed, I’m roped in
I’m handcuffed, I’m roped in
I’m handcuffed, I’m roped in
Have mercy, it’s broken
I’m handcuffed, I’m roped in
I’m handcuffed, I’m roped in
I’m handcuffed, I’m roped in
