4TH OF JULY IN PHILLY Lyrics – Meek Mill

4TH OF JULY IN PHILLY Lyrics Meaning

In the first part, he’s talking about how tense and dangerous things feel in his city. He’s calling his family just to make sure they’re safe because violence has become so normal that he never knows who might get hurt. He sees people shooting even with kids around, which really bothers him because it shows how out of control everything has become. He compares the loud sounds in the streets to holiday fireworks, but it’s not a celebration at all. It’s more like the whole place is stuck in a constant fight, and anyone who ends up in the wrong spot can get caught in it. He reminds himself and others that you have to stay alert all the time, even doing something simple like leaving a club, because danger doesn’t care where you are.

Then he opens up about how close he came to being part of the chaos himself. He was supposed to be at the spot where something violent happened, and when he found out what went down, he felt shaken and thankful to still be alive. He thinks about people his city has lost and how badly the place needs a shift toward peace. He explains that he tries to guide people in a better direction, showing them they don’t have to stay trapped in the same cycle he grew up in. Even though he’s made it out and tries to push positivity, he’s frustrated because the problems in his city have been around for so long, and he still doesn’t see the turnaround everyone hopes for. It’s like generation after generation keeps waiting for something to get better, and nothing ever really changes.

Next, he reflects on how things used to be compared to how they are now. What used to be simple fun with fireworks turned into real weapons and dangerous situations. He talks about a younger guy he cares about who’s caught up in the streets and constantly reacting to threats. He sees fear in the kid’s eyes, and even though he taught him how to survive and hustle, he wishes the kid didn’t have to learn things the hard way. He remembers how quickly the fun sounds of fireworks can turn into gunshots, followed by sirens and panic. He prays every night that he doesn’t end up another victim of the violence around him. He mentions how easy it is for everything to spiral into chaos, with people taking revenge and situations escalating nonstop. He even touches on betrayal, like when someone gets in trouble and ends up telling on others, which brings more tension. He talks about how exhausting street beef becomes, how getting money brings hate, and how both sides of the city will defend him. He wants peace, but he knows letting his guard down could get him hurt. It’s a constant push and pull between wanting out and staying prepared.

Toward the end, he talks about how deeply tied he feels to the streets because that’s what raised him, even though it’s filled with lies and danger. Now that he’s successful, he’s traveling and living differently, but he hasn’t forgotten where he came from. He points out how hearing fireworks doesn’t feel joyful where he’s from, because you never know if it’s something worse. And finally, he goes right back to checking in on his family and wishing the madness would finally stop, even though it hasn’t changed after all this time.