On “Deja Vu,” Cole raps from the perspective of his deceased friend James McMillan Jr., who imagines a conversation with a woman about the kind of men she gravitates towards. He believes that he can unseat these guys if she would only give him—a small town guy from the streets—a chance.
After this...
[Intro]
Huh, ayy, put a finger in the sky if you want it, nigga
Ayy, put two fingers in the sky if you want her
Ayy, put a finger in the sky if you want it, nigga
Ayy, put two fingers in the sky if you want her
Ayy, put a finger in the sky if you want it, nigga
Ayy, put two fingers in the sky if you want her
Ayy, put a finger in the sky if you want it, nigga
Ayy, put two fingers in the sky if you want her
[Verse 1]
Sometimes you worry 'bout the things he can provide for ya
Whenever you around I seem to come alive for ya
I finally recognize the feelings that's inside for ya
Although I know your man and trust me he would die for ya
These quiet thoughts of you been going on for years now
I saw you in the party, soft lips, soft-spoken
I came to talk to you but homie interfered now
He introduced you as his girl and I was heartbroken
Some people talk about that love at first sight shit
To keep it real I don't know whether I believe it's true
But if it is then tell me if I'm wrong or right if
I fell in love with you before I ever even knew
I catch your eye then look away as if it never happened
At times I feel as though I'm caught up in a strange dream
If eyes could talk then mines would tell ya that I'm feeling you (Feeling you)
Sometimes I swear your eyes be telling me the same thing
[Pre-Chorus]
She fuck with small-town niggas, I got bigger dreams (Bigger dream), hm
She fuck with small-town niggas, I got bigger dream (Bigger dreams), hm, listen
She fuck with small-town niggas, I got bigger dreams (Bigger dream)
She fuck with small-town niggas, I got bigger dream, bigger dreams, listen
[Chorus]
Club jumping, don't stop, off top
But you know we only go 'til 2 o'clock
Put yo' motherfuckin' hood up, it's the weekend
Drop that, back that ass up and bitches get to freaking
Last call at the bar, ladies get a drink, nigga get some balls
Ain't no telling you gon' see that bitch tomorrow
Stop holding up the wall waiting for the right song
Better holla 'cause you know they 'bout to cut the lights on
[Verse 2]
And put my number in it—
Huh, I'm staring at you from afar
I'm wondering 'bout you, like where you from and who you are
'Cause you a star, no, not the type that snort the white lines
I mean the type that light the night time
I heard you got a man, but who in their right mind letting you out the house alone?
Tell me is your house a home?
Why you in the club looking like you out to zone?
Now be discreet and pull out your phone and put my number in it
Text a nigga when your man leave you unattended
On a scale from 1 to 10 that girl's a hundred and I want it
No question, I know destiny well
And though I sin the Lord blessing me still
Every saint got a past, every sinner got a future
Every loser gotta win and every winner gotta lose someday
They say it's just a matter of time
And if I had my way then you would be mine, huh
[Pre-Chorus]
She fuck with small-town niggas, I got bigger dreams (Bigger dream), yeah
She fuck with small-town niggas, I got bigger dream (Bigger dreams), hm, listen
She fuck with small-town niggas, I got bigger dreams (Bigger dream)
She fuck with small-town niggas, I got bigger dream, bigger dreams
[Chorus]
Club jumping, don't stop, off top
But you know we only go 'til 2 o'clock
Put yo' motherfuckin' hood up, it's the weekend
Drop that, back that ass up and bitches get to freaking
Last call at the bar, ladies get a drink, nigga get some balls
Ain't no telling you gon' see that bitch tomorrow
Stop holding up the wall waiting for the right song
Better holla 'cause you know they 'bout to cut the lights on
[Bridge]
I know you were made for me but
Darling don't you wait for me 'cause
I can see the promised land but
I can't do no promising and
I know you were made for me but
Darling don't you wait for me 'cause
I can see the promised land but
I can't do no promising
[Outro]
Ayy, put a finger in the sky if you want it, nigga
Ayy, put two fingers in the sky if you want her
Ayy, put a finger in the sky if you want it, nigga
Ayy, put two fingers in the sky if you want her
Ayy, put a finger in the sky if you want it, nigga
Ayy, put two fingers in the sky if you want her
Ayy, put a finger in the sky if you want it, nigga
Ayy, put two fingers in the sky if you want her
Deja Vu was written by J. Cole & Boi-1da & Velous & Vinylz & Mixzo & Javalyn Johnson.
Deja Vu was produced by J. Cole & Ron Gilmore & Velous & Boi-1da & Vinylz.
With the release of this song there was some controversy as to whom really made the “Exchange” beat first. Multiple artists have claimed that the beat had been stolen from them to be used by Bryson Tiller.
Producers Vinylz and Boi1da claimed that another producer by the name of ForeignTeck had stol...
In an interview with Billboard, Ibrahim Hamad explained that “Deja Vu” was made two years before the album’s release:
We had already made “Deja Vu,” like that song was literally made for his last album [2014 Forest Hills Drive] and we just knew it would fit better because of the story he wanted to...
No, but Vinylz and Foreign Teck, the producers of Deja Vu and Exchange, respectively, might have some animosity. Check it out here:
This Is Why J. Cole's "Deja Vu" Sounds Just Like Bryson Tiller's "Exchange"
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Genius
Did Mekanics producer Foreign Teck steal the beat?
Yes. It’s J Cole’s second highest ranking song, peaking at number 7 on the Billboard charts in December 2016. His highest ranking track is “ATM,” which peaked at number 6 on the Billboard charts in May 2018.