“Guidelines” was the final song released during Mac’s lifetime, released on August 20, 2018. This sits 17 days following the release of his fifth studio album Swimming, and a mere 18 days before he died. Martin implied that the song was made shortly before its release on Twitter:
[Intro]
Yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Mmm-hmm
[Verse 1]
Alright, lungs full of weed smoke
Trunk full of C-notes
Always keep a plan and a bitch with a deep throat
Came from the keystone, drink 'til my speech slow
I breathe fire, kill time, collect zeros
Comin' with that heatstroke, every verse a kilo
Whole team flyin' and my name Rick Pitino
We know, but still we fight ego
Feelin' like Michael, but you really like Tito
And all I got is dead heroes, wanna take my girl and move away to Puerto Rico
'Cause it's a freak show everywhere that we go
Shit been different ever since I did a song with CeeLo
Yeah, I make that music you can digest
Take you out your mind and let me become the pilot
Fly jets and sign checks
We don't fuck around, no joker inside of my deck
My head inside of clouds
Show me to the sky and I'll kiss it
If you blink an eye, you gon' miss it
And this will happen once in a blue moon
It's always over way too soon
I spend a hundred twenty on it just to go vroom-vroom
Homie, the wheels lookin' like soup spoons
I ain't worried, I got nothin' left to lose
You gon' be alright if you just follow a few rules
[Chorus]
It's right now, fuck forever, we right here
Rain clouds come before the sky get clear
And just when you thought it was alright
Here come another long night
We can do better, have no fear
Death creepin' slow, don't you shed those tears
And just when you thought it was alright
It might be alright
[Verse 2]
Yeah
Okay, I spend nights lookin' like a deer in the headlights
Sweat like I'm runnin' up ten flights of steps with the left, right
From now to the next life
Only comin' out of the house when the check right
The test score a hundred percent and I don't need to study, buddy I'm comin correct
I go and get a ton of money, a ton of respect
They talkin' a ton of shit, but say it under they breath
The flow fuckin' possessed
On par with Charlotte, got 'em stuck in the web
Darn it, the flow so marvelous, I look so harmless
The sun don't shine though, my mind never low on darkness
Pardon the interruption, excuse me
You was just sayin' somethin', how rude of me
One man but I move like a few of me
I'm not human, I was built more beautifully
Mhm, and every single dream lucid
I could probably fly if these wings keep movin'
All we do is speak truth, put a beat to it
I need music to tune out the bullshit
Yeah, turn off the lights and I glow
Now that I have it, I'ma never let it go
And this for everybody, friend or foe
Yeah, friend or foe (Well, well, well)
I fantasized 'bout this back in my early teens
I'm talkin' holes in my dirty jeans
There's no soup for me, I let the chickens out the coup to feed
See, I'm becomin' somethin' way beyond a human being
Who wanna holler for a dollar with a handout?
A little oochie wally got you feelin' like the man now
I see God every time I pull her pants down
It's the holy water 'til I'm at my only dollar
[Chorus]
It's right now, fuck forever, we right here
Rain clouds come before the sky get clear
And just when you thought it was alright
Here come another long night
We can do better, have no fear
Death creepin' slow, don't you shed those tears
And just when you thought it was alright
It might be alright
Guidelines was written by Thelonious Martin & Mac Miller.
Guidelines was produced by Thelonious Martin.
Thelonious Martin released Guidelines on Mon Aug 20 2018.
In an interview with DJBooth, Thelonious Martin spoke about how this song was initially planned to be released:
Before [Mac’s album] was Swimming, it was called Guidelines, which was the title of the track we had put out at the time. Initially, that was the title track. We were having these long co...