The video was directed by Jerome D and premiered on August 3, 2012. The song is a typical modern rap song and has characteristics of it in the video, as shown by the sexualisation of women with apperance of alcohol and reference to drugs.
Pour up - drank, Head shot - drank
Sit down - drank, Stand up - drank
Pass out - drank, Wake up - drank
Faded - drank, Faded - drank
These first lines could be describing modern parties, from pouring alcohol and shots and drinking excessively to passing out. However, this is most likely his perspective towards the current generation on how people don't drink little amounts anymore and they just want to get 'wasted'.
Now I done grew up
Round some people living their lives in bottles
Granddaddy had the golden flask
Back stroke every day in Chicago
Some people like the way it feels
Some people wanna kill their sorrows
Some people wanna fit in with the popular
That was my problem
I was in the dark room
Loud tunes, looking to make a vow soon
That I'mma get f*cked up, filling up my cup
I see the crowd mood
Changing by the minute and the record on repeat
Took a sip then another sip then somebody said to me
In order, this song could be him reminiscing about his childhood as he talks about growing up. He could be reffering to how he grew up with an alcoholic family. This leads onto the golden flask which is only carried around by avid drinkers, reinforcing the fact that he had an alcoholic family. Playing with the song title 'Swimming Pools' the 'back stroke' could refer to him physically drowning in alcohol in Chicago. Kendrick then proceeds to list three reasons to why people drink, one to just feel drunk, second to soothe their problems and thirdly to fit in with the popular group which can be seen as peer pressure. Then he goes to say that was his problem, which could mean that he got peer pressured into drinking. He then goes on to describe a typical party scene, dark room, loud tunes. He then mentions that he's looking to make a vow which could mean he's looking for someone to marry. However he goes on to say 'that I'mma get f*cked up' which tells us that he has made a vow to get drunk. 'I see the crowd mood, Changing by the minute' could be describing how quickly your moods change when you're drunk. Lastly he says 'record on repeat' which could be telling us how all songs sounds same when you're drunk or could be reffering to the lifestyle of partying which he carries out on a regular basis.
N*gga why you babysitting only two or three shots
I'mma show you how to turn it up notch
First you get swimming pool full of liquour then you dive in it
Pool full of liquour then you dive in it
I wave a few bottles then I watch em all flock
All the girls wanna play Baywatch
I got a swimming pool full of liquour and they dive in it
Pool full of liqour I'mma dive in it
Here, we can tell his friends are asking why he's only 'babysitting' a few drinks so he's going to show Kendrick how to 'turn it up' meaning Kendrick is getting pressured into drinking more by 'diving in it' so not thinking about it. 'Pool full of liquour' could mean to buy so much alcohol that you can fill a pool. 'Wave a few bottles' could go hand in hand with 'All the girls wanna play Baywatch' reffering to how girls 'flock' for alcoholic drinks.
Okay, now open your mind up and listen to me Kendrick
I am your conscience, if you do not hear me
Then you will be history Kendrick
I know that you're nauseous right now
If I take another one down
I'mma drown in some poison abusing my limit
I think that I'm feeling the vibe
I see the love in her eyes, I see the feeling
The freedom is granted as soon as the damage of vodka arrived
This how you capitalise
This is parental advice
Then apparanlty I'm over influenced by what you are doing
I thought I was doing the most till someone said to me
Here talking as his conscience. Kendrick is implying that downing excessive amount of alcohol will 'poison' his body even though he knows what he's doing. The conscience could be trying to prevent Kendrick from being 'history' or in this case - dead. However, he states that 'the freedom is grante as soon as the damage of vodka arrived' which could mean that his conscience doesn't concern him once drunk. His conscience could also be giving 'parental advice' to not drink - which is what parents tell us.
I ride you ride bang
One chopper, one hundred shots bang
Hop out, do you bang
Two chopper, two hundred shots bang
I ride, you ride bang
One chopper, one hundred shots bang
Hop out, do you bang
Two chopper, two hundred shots bang
Here he could be saying that when Kendrick drinks, you drink. One hundred shots, could refer to alcholic shots or a physical gun shot. However, with the contiunous use of the word 'bang' it could be reffering to gun warfare while also talking about drinking at a party.
Aw man, where is she taking me
Where is she taking me
All I, all I, all I
All I have in life is my new appetite for failure
And I got hunger pain that grow insane
Tell me do that sound familiar
If it do then you're like me
Making excuse that your relief
Is in the bottom of the bottle
And the greenest indo leaf
As the window open
I release everything that corrode inside of me
I see you joking, why you laugh
Don't you feel bad
I probably sleep and never ever wake up
Never ever wake up, never ever wake up
In God I trust but just when I thought I had enough
Here he refers to a 'she' but doesn't specify who it is, this could be interpreted in two ways. Firstly it could be a women who is dragging him around or it could be a metaphor for alcohol. The metaphor for alcohol seems much likely going on to the next three lines, he states that he only has 'appetite for failure' which could be Kendrick referring to alcohol as 'failure' and that he slowly needs more and more 'I got hunger pain that grow insane'. He then goes on and tries to reach to his listeners, by asking if they've been on the same situation before then goes on to say that drugs and alcohol are a excuse for relief. He then could be reffering to throwing up after heavy drinking when he says 'I release everything that corrode inside of me' and that he gets laughed at because that is what people tend to do when someone gets sick due to drinking excessive amounts. It maybe linking it back to being peer pressured; bullying. When he says 'sleep and never ever wake up' he could be linking it to alcohol poisoning and that he trusts God to put it right.
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