Run A Train Lyrics
[Intro]
Ooh
Ooh
[Chorus]
F*ck do you know 'bout my passion?
F*ck do you know 'bout my pain?
F*ck do you know 'bout my struggle?
F*ck do you know 'bout Jermaine?
[Verse 1]
They say the Lord's timing is divine
And I walk with Him, so that explains mine
Cole, deep down you may find
All that pain creates a strange bond
Slums connected like the drums in a bass line
Petrified of death and poverty I chase mine
Like breathalyzer tests, I'm tryna walk a straight line
Meditating for a better state in my deranged mind
Till I saw the Buddha pose and realized he throwin' gang signs
I guess the lesson is you can't escape crime
Even when the strays flying I remain calm
Fayettenam, you my heart but at the same time
If I'm being honest I can feel that flame dyin', uh
[Pre-Chorus]
Uh, so I'm ridin' through the city streets reachin' for a memory to hang on
Goin' backwards like a penalty to see a younger me, but that day's gone
Wild times looking up at cloud nine, how high can Jermaine climb?
Remember when they ain't respond when you holla
Funny how a few dollars can change minds
[Chorus]
F*ck do you know 'bout my passion? (Ta-ra-ra-ra-ra)
F*ck do you know 'bout my pain?
F*ck do you know 'bout my struggle? (Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra)
F*ck do you know 'bout Jermaine?
Ten toes is down on the pavement
Umbrellas don't stop no rain (Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra)
N!ggas they die everyday
F*ck the world, let's run a train (Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra)
[Verse 2]
Since I was a pipsqueak lean on survival instincts
On backstreet's where they tearin' up hearts like them guys in NSYNC
Codeine in they soda dirty poppin' plus how to ends meet
When serving rock on deserted blocks tryna cause a frenzy
To profit quickly, I'm passin' by my pockets empty
Tryna to make a legal dollar seem harder than guarding Wemby
When you're hardly six feet tall, if somehow I could ball
I better work hard on my handles 'cause n!ggas gon' try to rip me
Don't wanna RIP, but if I leave, know God'll lift me
I'd rather sit inside a Bentley and be the owner like providin' kidneys
I know the love does not extend deep
I choose my homies wisely, seen too many die from friends beef
Big dreams to change the world back when I ride a ten speed
Youthful delusion thinkin' through music I could engrieve
When too many bodies get piled up in these rival's histories
So stoppin' this violence is like bringing the Gaza Strip peace
[Pre-Chorus]
Uh, so I'm ridin' through the city streets reachin' for a memory to hang on
Goin' backwards like a penalty to see a younger me, but that day's gone
Wild times looking up at cloud nine, how high can Jermaine climb?
Remember when they ain't respond when you holla
Funny how a few dollars can change minds
[Chorus]
F*ck do you know 'bout my passion? (Ta-ra-ra-ra-ra)
F*ck do you know 'bout my pain?
F*ck do you know 'bout my struggle? (Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra)
Fuck do you know 'bout Jermaine?
Ten toes is down on the pavement
Umbrellas don't stop no rain (Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra)
N!ggas they die everyday
F*ck the world, let's run a train (Ra-ra-ra-ra-ra)
[Outro]
F*ck the world, let's run a train
F*ck the world, let's run a train
F*ck the world, let's run a train
F*ck the world, let's run a train
_______________ End ________________
Run A Train Song Meaning [J. Cole]
“Run A Train” stands as one of the centerpiece tracks on J. Cole’s double album "The Fall-Off" (2026), a project poised as a narrative close-chapter in the North Carolina MC’s storied career. Positioned on Disc 29 of the album, the song sits within a suite of tracks that revisit Cole’s roots, internal battles, and the precarious balance between survival and success. The Fall-Off’s expansive structure reflects Cole’s intent to offer a musical autobiography, unpacking decades of creative ambition, spiritual questioning, and personal evolution. This track, featuring sonic input from Future, expands that conversation by fusing introspection with raw honesty and visceral emotion.
Song Meaning
On its surface, “Run A Train” captures the emotional turbulence of an artist wrestling with identity after years of relentless grind. Beneath the surface, the song works as a meditation on the cost of chasing authenticity in the face of both faith and pressure. Cole, known for his knack for vulnerability, situates himself at the intersection of spiritual reckoning and streetwise reality, portraying a psyche torn between higher purpose and the brute demands of survival.
The production—rich, layered, and grounded in contemporary rap rhythms—serves as a backdrop for Cole’s narrative urgency. There’s a sense of pacing that mirrors how memory functions: fragmented yet cohesive, drifting between introspection and sharp clarity. Within this soundscape, references to past hurts, the weight of self-doubt, and longing for emotional grounding give the song a cyclical quality, as if the artist is retracing old footsteps while trying to escape their gravitational pull.
Lyrically, the track delves into what happens when personal history refuses to stay in the past. Cole’s journey from a young dreamer in Fayetteville to an established voice in hip-hop becomes a form of internal dialogue, one that challenges notions of progress and peace. There’s a stark acknowledgment that triumph and trauma do not simply cancel each other out, but rather co-exist in a kind of uneasy balance. This is heightened by moments of contemplative gospel influence and street realism that anchor the narrative in both spiritual and earthly resonance.
Featuring Future—whose vocal presence often embodies introspection woven with grit—the song feels like a bridge between two worlds: the philosophical and the primal. This duality reflects the broader arc of The Fall-Off, where Cole places his past, present, and imagined future in conversation with one another. It’s here that the song becomes more than a personal confession; it becomes a universal meditation on the cyclical nature of struggle and the enduring ambition to rise above it.
Emotional Core and Themes
At its heart, “Run A Train” is about the collision of faith, identity, and ambition. It examines how early conditioning, trauma, and spiritual faith shape an artist’s path long after surface success has been attained. There’s a palpable tension between wanting to rise and simultaneously feeling tethered to the emotional scars of the past. These themes echo throughout The Fall-Off but find a particularly stark expression in this track’s refusal to gloss over hardship.
Central to the emotional thrust is a sense of earnest vulnerability. Rather than boast about achievements, the song interrogates what success has cost the narrator internally. Feelings of anxiety and reflective longing permeate the verses, challenging traditional hip-hop tropes about triumph and resilience by emphasizing continuity over closure.
Connection with Listeners
“Run A Train” resonates because it doesn’t just recount hardship—it embodies the way people carry their pasts into their present. Listeners who have grappled with reconciling success and self-worth will find common emotional ground here. Cole’s ability to lay bare these tensions makes the song feel less like performance and more like a shared experience, inviting fans to reflect on their own journeys.
Through its blend of spiritual inquiry and hard-earned realism, the track also offers a mirror to contemporary life—where questions of identity, purpose, and legacy loom large. It’s not just a rap song; it’s a quiet reckoning set to hip-hop’s emotive rhythm.
Conclusion
By weaving introspection with rich production and thematic depth, “Run A Train” exemplifies J. Cole’s evolved artistry at a point where ambition and self-reflection have become inseparable. The song captures the essence of The Fall-Off’s larger narrative: that personal evolution is not linear, and true understanding often arises from navigating the emotional intersections of past struggles and present insights.
In doing so, it reinforces Cole’s place as a storyteller who invites listeners not just to hear his journey but to feel its emotional undercurrents—a hallmark of music that endures beyond the moment.
_______________________________
Song Details
Song Name: Run A Train
Artists: J. Cole, Future
Album: The Fall-Off (2026)
Lyricist: J. Cole
Producers: Mario Luciano, J. Cole, JŪN TETRA & GLDY JR
Genre: Rap
Language: English
Label: Dreamville, Cole World, Inc., Interscope Records
Released: February 6, 2026
[Disclaimer: Lyrics are for educational and entertainment purposes only. All rights belong to the original owners.]
Social Plugin