[Chorus]
Find your dreams come true
And I wonder if you know
What it means, what it means
And I wonder if you know
What it means, what it means
And I wonder if you know
What it means to find your dreams

I've been waiting on this my whole life
These dreams be waking me up at night
You say I think I'm never wrong
You know what, maybe you're right, aight

And I wonder if you know
What it means, what it means
And I wonder if you know
What it means to find your dreams

You say he get on your fucking nerves
You hope that he get what he deserves, word
Do you even remember what the issue is
You just trying to find where the tissue is
You can still be who you wish you is
It ain't happen yet
And that's what the intuition is
When you hop back in the car
Drive back to the crib
Run back to their arms
The smokescreens
The chokes and the screams
You ever wonder what it all really mean

And I wonder if you know
What it means, what it means
And I wonder if you know
What it means to find your dreams

And I'm back on my grind
A psychic read my lifeline
Told me in my lifetime
My name would help light up the Chicago skyline
And that's what I'm
Seven o'clock, that's primetime
Heaven'll watch, God calling from the hotlines
Why he keep giving me hot lines
I'm a star, how could I not shine
How many ladies in the house
How many ladies in the house without a spouse
Something in your blouse got me feeling so aroused
What you about
On that independent shit
Trade it all for a husband and some kids
You ever wonder what it all really mean
You ever wonder if you'll find your dreams



Lyrics submitted by strykerchick

Track duration: 04:03

"I Wonder" as written by Kanye Omari West, Labi Siffre

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, CHRYSALIS MUSIC GROUP

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


I Wonder song meanings
Add your thoughts

24 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment:Kanye needs to go back to this. Meaningful, motivational lyrics and not as much auto-tune and shitty lyrics. 808 & Heartbreak was awful compared to Graduation. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is not much better.
    Flag sarcastinmissknowitallon March 26, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:Initially, Kanye intros himself, claiming he's been waiting for this (fame, fortune, a super-meaningful album) his whole. "These dreams be waking me up at night" refers to his constant strive for perfection, his "dreams" causing him to stay up late.

    He then transitions to talking to a girl. She just had a fight with her boyfriend, but according to kanye, the fight was caused by her own frustration with her life, hence why she cannot remember what the issue was. She expected everything to work out perfect, but it hasn't. He reminds her that it only hasn't happened yet.

    She runs back to her family, away from the independence and freedom she thought she wanted, and Kanye asks "do you wonder what it all really means". Does she wonder how she can want independence and yet still want her family?


    He then goes back to himself "And i'm back on my grind". He wanted to represent his hometown of Chicago for a long time, and it has finally happened "7 o clock its primetime". Furthermore, he credits God with his success, and claims he was basically destined for this.

    He ends by asking the ladies in the house(show, club, etc) who are invariably single (and independent) how they can be on "that independent shit", yet willing to "trade it all for a husband and some kids" (their own family). And if they really know what their true dreams are and if they will ever acheive them.
    Flag kommanderwillon February 14, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:To be honest, I think this piece serves to clearly addresses his critics, naysayers, competition, and especially those around him who feel him to be unworthy of the acclaim he has earned and are therefore envious of his position As the song unravels, it seems to represent a somewhat clever response to said jealousy/contempt. He approaches it at first with an arrogant acceptance and incredulous mocking of those to whom it stands to address, but then proceeds to elaborate the qualities/differences separating him from those posessing those feelings and explain that even with the same tools/opportunity, they lack the capacity to do what he has done, pointing at the core dearth of vision, diligence, dedication, and ability that thereby makes any claim of jealousy/envy unfounded or in other words entirely moot by virtue of these claims. He further asserts that this jealousy swells, originating from an epicenter of insecurity or "intuition" of such inabilities haunting the target of his address.
    Flag strangepulseon May 09, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I like what everybody said about the song. It helped me understand the meaning. But i think its about a girl who is wasting her time on a relationship nd she doesnt know what she doing. She thinks she needs a man to a complete her nd kanye west is saying that he sees more in her. He wonders if she knows what her dream is. He mentions something about single ladies. To me he's praising them for being independent nd knowing their purpose in life. He sees so much potential in the girl. Is it really worth it?
    Flag Neisha01on December 19, 2009   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:I think this song is simply ingeneous! It is is in my I-Pod's top 25. What I love about this song is that he saying alot but than not alot. Its like he is leaving the song meaning to the listeners interpreation. Like the second post stated, there really isnt a concrete meaning to this song. My meaning of the song is probably totally different from someone elses but it doesnt make it any more right or wrong. It's all about how the song makes you feel. And to me, when I close my eyes and listen to this song, I vision a girl who is messing up her current relationship based on unforgiving past. She has not moved on, therefore it is causing conflict between her and her love (kanye). In the beginning shes stating how she's spent all her life for this 'ideal relationship' but can't handle it...then Kanye comes analyzing her mix feelings about how she's bringing up the past and its doing nothing but hurt her (You say that he gets on your fuckin nerves...Do you even remember what the issue is?....You can still be who you wish you is). Then Kanye (IMO) questions her motives and how she needs to stop all this blame or she'll end up single for the rest of her life. He adds humor to situation ease the emotions but then ends by stating that she needs to consider what she wants before its to late. Gosh, I love this song and I love how I see it. I knoe what Kanye and Pharrell be talking about when they say they "see sounds" with this song. I am kind of glad that there wasnt a video to this song, because it would have messed up my visual of what the song is.
    Flag LoveBombon November 22, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The beat and tune is mixture of two major songs of graduation , ie; stronger and flashing lights. the voilen at end makes the song so soulful anf melodic i'm totally in love with this song. i think nobody can make hip hop music as kanye does !!!
    Flag at625on November 17, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:when i first heard the "you say he get on your fucking nerves" part i thought he was talking about what people say about him. he has a lot of haters and it's because of the way he acts for sure (most recently the taylor swift ordeal lol.) and so he is saying that people are blaming him but they have no right to. (kind of "before you point your fingers make sure your hands are clean") and he saying people just want to find problems where there are none and pick at everything he does so he's saying "do you even remember what the issue is?" or are you just fighting for the sake of fighting?
    great explanations everyone above
    Flag jasssson November 09, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:He's asking females to think about whether being married and having kids is really what they wanted to
    Did they follow their dreams?
    He states that the female blames her issues on the other half and not herself
    "You say he get on your fucking nerves
    You hope that he get what he deserves"

    Indpendent woman have him aroused..
    "How many ladies in the house without a spouse?
    Something in your blouse got me feeling so aroused!"
    Those who are not in love or have their hearts attacthed to anything else

    "On that independent shit
    Trade it all for a husband and some kids
    You ever wonder what it all really means?
    You wonder if you'll ever find your dreams?"
    I think here he is saying if you have a husband and kids you trade it over for your independence.. It is usually the man who will go out to work and follow his dreams and the female to look after the children

    Not saying that this is right, but just what I think it means
    Flag 123lisa321on September 13, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Thanks, nanite10! i'm glad you understood my point of view and that my entry wasn't a waste of cyberspace.
    Flag kc569on August 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:They say there is no one "right" perspective ... but damn kc569, you hit it right on. Thanks for the great insight past personal mysogeny, which I failed to do. :)
    Flag nanite10on July 16, 2008   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top
explain