Human beings in a mob
What's a mob to a king?
What's a king to a God?
What's a God to a non-believer
Who don't believe in anything?
Will he make it out alive?
Alright, alright
No church in the wild

Tears on the mausoleum floor
Blood stains the Coliseum doors
Lies on the lips of a priest
Thanksgiving disguised as a feast
Rollin' in the Rolls-Royce Corniche
Only the doctors got this, I'm hidin' from police
Cocaine seats
All white like I got the whole thing bleached
Drug dealer chic
I'm wonderin' if a thug's prayers reach
Is Pious pious 'cause God loves pious?
Socrates asks, "Whose bias do y'all seek?"
All for Plato, screech
I'm out chere' ballin', I know y'all hear my sneaks
Jesus was a carpenter, Yeezy, laid beats
Hova flow the Holy Ghost, get the hell up out your seats, preach

Human beings in a mob
What's a mob to a king?
What's a king to a God?
What's a God to a non-believer
Who don't believe in anything?
Will he make it out alive?
Alright, alright
No church in the wild

I live by you, desire
I stand by you, walk through the fire
Your love is my scripture
And let me in through your encryption, yeah, yeah

Coke on her black skin made it stripe like a zebra
I call that jungle fever
You will not control the threesome
Just roll the weed up until I get me some
We formed a new religion
No sins as long as there's permission
And deception is the only felony
So never fuck nobody without tellin' me
Sunglasses and Advil
Last night was mad real
Sun comin' up five AM
I wonder if they got cabs still
Thinkin' 'bout the girl in all-leopard
Who was rubbin' the wood like Kiki Shepard
Two tattoos, one read "No apologies"
The other said "Love is cursed by monogamy"
That's somethin' that the pastor don't preach
That's somethin' that a teacher can't teach
When we die, the money we can't keep
But we prolly spend it all 'cause the pain ain't cheap, preach

Human beings in a mob
What's a mob to a king?
What's a king to a God?
What's a God to a non-believer
Who don't believe in anything?
Will he make it out alive?
Alright, alright
No church in the wild

No church in the wild
No church in the wild
No church in the wild


Lyrics submitted by ONLYA4

No Church in the Wild Lyrics as written by Christopher Breaux Charles Njapa

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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No Church in the Wild song meanings
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6 Comments

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  • +6
    General Comment

    Frank Oceans chorus is about perspective, power is an illusion humans create. God is an illusion humans create to keep humanity in check. "Love Is Cursed by Monogamy" Like we could give so much love to all our neighbors but society tells us to give it to one. Religion tells us to give all our respect to One, so humanity doesn't respect each others opinions, the pious cling blindly to faith. Socrates and Plato were great thinkers, all western philosophy is but a footnote of Plato, yet they were pagans. They understood the gods as more of a story, a lesson to be learned and remembered, but not to live by.

    johnnyblueyeon July 16, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    The chorus is obviously alluding to the French Revolution. The French king's wars in American Revolution bankrupted him so much that the poor starved. They revolted and formed mobs. The church was above the king hence "what's a king to a god". Many priests were slaughtered because of the new government banning Christianity, hence what's "a god to a non believer". "Will he survive, alright alright, no church in the wild" probably alludes to the famous executions and the anarchy and godlessness of the revolution.

    severianon April 21, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Love this song, def. one of my favourite on this albumn. There are some lyrics missing from Ye's part though, it should be; Sunglasses and Advil Last night was mad real Sun coming up 5am I wonder if they got cabs still Thinking about the girl in all leopard

    lewyofgron September 01, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    verse turned to scriptures words affect the listeners. viewers get an eyeful don't you look twice at your bibles truth where your faith at funny how you can let another man take that your religion, the right one they all say that how can i believe them if I cant believe how they act just a beast in a human being no church in the wild isn't what it seems crucifixes start to grown green holy water flowing right through the streams they think the picture gettin clearer and its almost done they shoot picasso every time they be finished one you can live just as long as you pay the reap off

    These lyrics are at the very beginning of the song... Right before Frankie Ocean.

    GODS I love this song.

    I don't know what I think about the rest of this song, but i think that the beginning here is just their way of saying how Religion has gone to shit. every body telling every body that their faith is wrong. people getting killed for what God they believe in. its bullshit.

    Where your faith at? Funny how you can let another man take that.

    Aztridon April 25, 2012   Link
  • -1
    General Comment

    everybody ZZZzzzz on this song

    airkid1298on November 06, 2011   Link
  • -1
    My Interpretation

    A lot of people are casually quoting "No Church in the Wild", without really understanding what the song is talking about. The song can best be looked at as a continuation of "Power" in which Kanye West talks about The New World Order and invokes the spirit of the Antichrist. This song differs from "Power" in that "Power" was a song about the condition of the African-American race when the Antichrist spirit takes over America. "No Church in the Wild" talks about the spiritual condition of Blacks whose gods are money and sex. The "Wild" is a spiritual condition, a state of mind, more of an existential condition. It has nothing at all to do with the streets. Look at the hook: Human beings in a mob What's a mob to a king? What's a king to a God? What's a God to a non-believer who don't believe in anything? Will he make it out alive? Alright, alright, no church in the wild It is clear that the human beings in a mob are those that seek their own path; rebellious, turning away from the establishment, in search of a new order. The second line of the hook talks about the idea that one of those in the mob has either proclaimed himself as the king, or was promoted as a king among the mob. Yet the king refuses God, because he was proclaimed to be a king here on Earth. The king may not make it out alive, either because God may take him off of his throne, or the mob may engage in anarchy, and take him off of his throne. The connection between this song, and "Power", is clearly established. In Jay-Z's verse he invokes the idea that Kanye West is Jesus by stating Jesus was a carpenter, Yeezy he laid beats Hova flow the Holy Ghost, get the hell up out your seats, preach He says that his flow is the Holy Ghost, and that it should get up out of its seat and preach. He is talking about his gift laying dormant. Followers do not know, may not know, or might not care, that by casually invoking the lyrics of this song, that they are subconsciously invoking the lyrical authority that Jay-Z has, in this World, to be exhalted by giving him spiritual authority over their own lives. Yet he feels that he needs Kanye West, who he just called Jesus, to carry out this plan. Remember, Kanye West already aligned himself as Jesus back on "Jesus Walks", in plain sight, without anyone knowing. That song was about a desperate need to talk to God, but suggests that he feels the need to do so to get away from his own struggle, and the thoughts that are tormenting him. It says nothing about doing the work of God; remember, the only thing that he prays for is that he has the strength to talk to God in confidence. The only thing that that I pray is that my feet don't fail me now His entire career has been a continuation of that same doctrine. Most of us get caught up in the existentialist appeal of Kanye West's music, without looking at what is taking place. Then I hope this take away from my sins And bring the day that I'm dreaming about Next time I'm in the club everybody screaming out This is classic example of the doublespeak that occurs in hip- hop, in which Kanye could be talking about people in the club screaming out the hook because he has gotten through to them, or he is talking about people in the club screaming out the hook because he already knows that he has penned the next radio single. Does the song itself take away from his sins, or does the success of the record takes away from his shortcomings as an artist? Kanye West then confirms this, for anyone that still does not know what is going on. You will not control the threesome Just roll the weed up until I get me some We formed a new religion No sins as long as there's permission The "threesome", is the Trinity! It has nothing to do with sex. The rest of the song is just hyperbole, to throw you off course. So when you are chanting the lyrics to "No Church in the Wild", because it has a tight beat, and you got your groove on the dance floor, realize what it is you are taking part of. You aren't asserting your own hedonistic lifestyle, and your own rebellion towards God, but you are in fact, giving whatever spirit is controlling Kanye West and Jay-Z, to be lord over your own life! Sort of funny isn't it; then again, when you threw up the Illuminati, many eons ago, and freely called Jay-Z, Hova, it was already a wrap. Every single artist that is signed to Jay-Z, associated with him, or promoted by him, is carrying out the same agenda. It is not about being a "real artist". Jay-Z is a true artist, everyone he is around are true artists. It is about the agenda. Why is it that all of these guys, true lyricists, in fact, some of the best we have ever seen, are following in the path that Jay-Z and Kanye West have conveniently set for them. Rap fans, bloggers, writers, and pseudo-intellectuals have been stating for years that they wanted something conscientious to think about and chew on from mainstream artists. Now they are finally getting what they asked for. So it is obvious that they are going to say that artists are brilliant, which they are. But look at the real meaning of the word conscientious. It doesn't have to be positive, it doesn't have to be spiritual, it doesn't have to be Christian, or Muslim, or atheist, to be conscientious. All it has to do, is to get you to think. So be careful what you ask for. The old guard, which is the negativity promoted by artists like Lil' Wayne and Young Money, that we complained about and loathed is history. This is a new era, with new artists, asking new questions. Know where you stand, so that you'll know what to listen to and who to follow, if anyone. You can either accept that hip-hop is a religion and follow it and allow it to become the spiritual force in your life or you can seek your own path, and find your own way. Why are there so many followers? Why isn't anyone thinking with their own mind? Why is everyone just conveniently following the mob wherever it goes, so freely, so carelessly? Why would you want to be part of a mob, if there is no god, then why are you following theirs? Or has the mob become a god until itself.

    Kritik254on July 25, 2013   Link

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