Posted by On The Street is a song released by the South Korean artist J-hope in March 2023, featuring the American rapper J. Cole. It’s a heartfelt message that the BTS member wanted to send in a special moment of his life, and fans wanted to delve deeper into the lyrics: let’s discover together the authentic meaning of this song. You’ll also find the complete lyrics translated into English at the end of this article.
You can watch the official video for On The Street below.
On The Street: the English lyrics & the meaning
On The Street is a love letter from J-hope to his fans worldwide. As the artist publicly explained in February 2023, he has started the process for mandatory military service, which will last 18 to 21 months. He wanted to release his last solo single before that as a gift to his fanbase.
The lyrics in On The Street acknowledge the love J-hope receives daily from his fans. He says that in everything he does, every step he walks, he can feel his fans close, supporting him and always being present. That’s why everything he does, he does it “for us,” meaning as a team together with his fans.
Every time I walk
Every time I run
Every time I move
As always, for us
He’s committed to returning all this love to his fans through his music. In a continuous exchange, he feels grateful for what he receives and uses it as additional motivation to release more music, which will satisfy his fans, in the healthiest relationship possible with his fanbase.
Even my walk was made of
Your love and your faith
To repay you even from afar, just like a butterfly
On The Street is the first collaboration between J-hope and the American rapper J. Cole, known for being esteemed by the BTS member for a long time. In his lines, the rapper celebrates his faith in God and his ability to see His presence in all aspects of the world. He metaphorically explains to a friend that everything we see proves God’s existence.
I got a friend smart as f**k, but he stupid as hell
He swear that God ain’t real
Since it ain’t no way to prove it his self
As if the universe ain’t enough
As if the volcanoes ain’t erupt
As if the birds don’t chirp
As if a trillion nerves don’t work in the human body
S**t, who would I be?
Without the creator of this theater beside me to gently guide me?
He also dedicates some lines to his music, recognizing that rapping is what he does best, and he considers his music a daughter that needs to grow and become something bigger.
Some days, I wonder if I need to pick a different hobby
I’m deep in with this rappin’, it’s all a n**a know
I never didn’t nothin’ better, it’s hard to let it go
But like a father watching his daughter
Walk down the altar with tears in his eyes
You gotta let her grow
From different points of view, both J-hope and J. Cole show gratefulness and awareness in the lyrics of On The Street, and they both contribute to conveying the same meaning: the world is beautiful, and our actions must always be oriented to celebrate it, returning the love we receive with the best things we can share out of our talent. A message of love for their listeners and the world in general.
Read other popular song lyrics and their meaning on Auralcrave
The complete English lyrics
Below you can find the English translation of the lyrics in On The Street.
Every time I walk
Every time I run
Every time I move
As always, for us
Every time I look
Every time I love
Every time I hope
As always, for us
(On the street, I’m still)
My two feet walk willingly, anywhere
J in the air
For the path I’m on to become one of hope, I give my all
Even my walk was made of
Your love and your faith
To repay you even from afar, just like a butterfly
Now, just walk lightly, whenever you want
Go on hopefully, wherever you walk
In these streets imbued with someone’s breath
I leave my soul and my eternity
Everywhere (I’ll be)
Every time I walk
Every time I run
Every time I move
As always, for us
Every time I look
Every time I love
Every time I hope
As always, for us
(On the street, I’m still)
(J. Cole)
Yeah
All hail the mighty survivor of hell
Plopped down from heaven to sell
Holy water that I scooped from the well
Fought tooth and a nail
Just to prevail amongst the ruthless as I move through the field
Feelin’ worried in a hurry like a two-minute drill
To make a couple mil’ off a lucrative deal
Selling train of thought, name a artist who could derail
You’ll never see it like a n**a hula-hoopin’ in jail
I got a friend smart as f**k, but he stupid as hell
He swear that God ain’t real
Since it ain’t no way to prove it his self
As if the universe ain’t enough
As if the volcanoes ain’t erupt
As if the birds don’t chirp
As if a trillion nerves don’t work in the human body
S**t, who would I be?
Without the creator of this theater beside me to gently guide me?
Some days, I wonder if I need to pick a different hobby
I’m deep in with this rappin’, it’s all a n**a know
I never didn’t nothin’ better, it’s hard to let it go
But like a father watching his daughter
Walk down the altar with tears in his eyes
You gotta let her grow
And so I shall, but first, I been honing my style
Coldest around, with more quotables than what the quota allows
You see a top ten list, I see a Golden Corral, n**a
As the moon jumps over the cow
I contemplate if I should wait to hand over the crown
And stick around for a bit longer, I got a strange type of hunger
The more I eat, the more it gets stronger
The more it gets stronger
I said the more it gets stronger
j-hope, Cole World
Every time I walk
Every time I run
Every time I move
As always, for us
Every time I look
Every time I love
Every time I hope
As always, for us
(On the street, I’m still)
