What If Lyrics – J. Cole

Read the full What If lyrics by J. Cole from the album The Fall-Off along with the music video, song credits, release information and other details about the song. If you enjoy J Cole’s music, you can also explore Quik Stop and And the whole world is the Ville, two other songs by J Cole.

[Intro: J. Cole]
This for everybody out there that ever fell out with somebody you love
Famous as a motherfu*ker
Just to look back and, yeah
Damn, it didn’t have to go like that
What if?
What if?
What if?
What if the bulls*it never gotten away?
You’d still be my n!gga to this day
Saying what if?
What if?

What if?
What if?
What if the bulls*it never gotten away?
I’d still have my n!gga to this day

[Verse 1: J. Cole]
What’s up, Pac?
I heard that record that you did that just dropped, it’s bubbling
Got me wondering when the love stopped
“Hit Em Up”, I’m like maybe I should
Right you be ‘fore s*it go left
The streets is a bit upset
You claiming that you fu*ked my b!tch
But, check, instead of escalating
At a time when n!ggas say “Big, let’s decimate ’em”
I’m telling him chill ’cause although he violating
In my heart I could never hate ’em
I love you
I hope it ain’t to late to tell you when you got shot
I came to visit you at Bellview, but you was sleeping
They let me peek in, I said a prayer by yo bedside
Bandages covered the bleeding
I’m thinking, “Dawg, I told you
Watch the n!ggas you close to
I know dudes

And they won’t hesistate to smoke you if s*it go left”
While you was locked I shoulda wrote you
But life happened, promo, mad shows to do
Still no excuse, I didn’t do what I was ‘posed to
And maybe that’s what provoked you
To use your vocals to speak my name with a negative tone
As you stared at the walls of that cell on your own
Wonder how long it’d be until they’d let you come home and get your money
You maybe started looking at me funny
Perhaps you maybe felt that I betrayed you or played you
Or thought that I knew about that setup and coulda saved you
Or maybe that made you come out on some war s*it
East Coast, West Coast, now media’s tryna force it
Of course it’s entertainment, but the world is full of ignoramus
That view the rich and famous as either heroes or villains with no feelings
Not knowing most drama only leads to mo’ killings
Well fu*k that, n!gga, I’m hurt
I miss my dawg, I ain’t gotta hide
If I hurt you, I apologize

[Chorus: J. Cole & ]
What if?
If I can turn back the hands of time
What if?
Turn back the hands of time
What if the bulls*it never gotten away? (Ooh, yeah-ah)
You’d still be my n!gga to this day
I’m sayin, what if?
If I can turn back the hands of time
What if?
Turn back the hands of time
What if the bulls*it never gotten away? (Ooh-ooh)
I’d still have my n!gga to this day

[Verse 2: J. Cole]
Uh, today was going to Vegas until I opened yo letter
I cried through all these pages
Been trying to get it together
I’m comin out there and why?
I gotta find you in person to look you dead in yo eyes
And let you know I’ve been hurting
Been moving off pure adrenaline never knowing for certain who’s on my side
And who’s obliged for closing my curtains
So in a mist with clinched fists I picked up this war
I know there’s money in violence, I know there’s profit in war
But s*it I felt that you left me to hang
I gave you game
Rap for the b!tches I said, saw you switched up yo lane
Your content resembling mine
I didn’t complain, I cheered you on with no disdain
And at the same time, my destiny brought me pain
From kicking it with some venomous n!ggas, I know the same
Ones that you warned me ’bout, I ain’t listen
The trigger squeezed, my paranoia noticed you in the vacinity
So when they sentenced me
Lawyers milked for every penny, all I had inside that cell was my memory
And plus the fear that while I’m gone they forgetting me
How n!ggas shouting me out, but never visit me? (Hah, n!gga?)
And as the time crept, that mindset became a mission
You came to represent my opposition
So when I got out, I chose drama
Took the war out and went all out
And I care about the fall out
Suddenly now I got the mob out
Plus a whole side ready to ride
Now I gotta tell ’em stall out
‘Cause tears filling my eyes
Yo letter helped me understand
The power in love, the choice to be the bigger man
Know s*it got outta hand
I’ll take the blame for it
For my mistakes, I couldn’t take you getting slain for it
For falling victim to ego, vengence and dollar signs
I wanna say from the heart, “I apologize”

[Chorus: J. Cole & ]
What if?
If I can turn back the hands of time
What if?
Turn back the hands of time
What if?
What if the bulls*it never gotten away? (Yeah-ah)
You’d still be my n!gga to this day
I’m sayin, what if?
If I can turn back the hands of time
What if?
Turn back the hands of time
What if the bulls*it never gotten away? (Time)
We’d still have them n!ggas to this day

[Outro: J. Cole & , Both]
What if? What if? What if? (Now, yeah)
What if? What if? What if?
What if? What if? What if? (Ooh)
What if? What if? What if? (Gee, yeah)
What if? What if? What if? (Yeah, un)
What if? What if? What if? (Yeah, un)
What if? What if? What if? (Dun-dun-dun-dun)
What if? What if? What if? (Ah)
What if? What if? What if?
What if? What if? What if?
What if? What if? What if? (What if?)
What if? What if? What if? What if?
Oh yeah
Yeah