1. Crooked Smile
J.Cole ft. TLC

2. [Chorus 1: TLC]
On my way, on my way, on my way down
On my way, on my way, on my way down
You're the one that was tryna keep me way
down
But like the sun, know you know I found my
way back 'round
The tone sets off a some
what sad but still optimistic
voice. This could be
because people being very
hateful towards TLC’s
character.
This is to all the people who was
trying to oppress her and make
her conform to the norm by
changing the way she looks, but
she is the one who is on top
now.
Despite all the
abuse, she has
found love and her
way round.

3. [J. Cole:]
They tell me I should fix my grill cause I got money now
I ain't gon' sit around and front like I ain't thought about it
A perfect smile is more appealing but it's funny how
My shit is crooked look at how far I done got without it
I keep my twisted grill, just to show the kids it's real
We ain't picture perfect but we worth the picture still
I got smart, I got rich, and I got bitches still
And they all look my eyebrows: thick as hell
Love yourself, girl, or nobody will
Though you're a woman, I don't know how you deal
With all the pressure to look impressive and go out in heels; I feel for you
Killing yourself to find a man that'll kill for you
You wake up, put makeup on, stare in the mirror
But it's clear that you can't face what's wrong; no need to fix
What God already put his paint brush on; your roommate yelling
"Why you gotta take so long?" What it's like to have a crooked smile
This crooked smile
In fact, Cole’s teeth
are notorious for
not being the best.
Here, Cole gets to the core of
the song. Though he could
presumably afford to fix his
teeth, he keeps them as they
are to remind kids coming up
that you can have physical
imperfections and still be a star.
Maybe Cole is
hinting he doesn’t
understand the
pressures of
always looking
great. He feels for
women because
of what they have
to go through to
impress people.
Girls are “killing” themselves by
wearing uncomfortable shoes like heels
which squish their toes and hurt their
feet, and going under the knife for
cosmetic surgery — all in order to
impress a man that will “kill to have
her”, rather than for their own self
esteem.
When this girl looks in
the mirror, all she is
seeing is
imperfections. J.Cole is
saying about the
insecurities women
have these days in
there own bodies.
Her friend is frustrated that
she is taking so long putting
on makeup because she is not
trying to reveal her flaws. This
is, of course, a losing battle, as
beauty standards are
notoriously unrealistic.
He closes off the verse by stating
that he understands the pressure
that ladies go through to “look
good” because that's exactly
what its like to have a crooked
smile.

4. [Chorus 1]
[J. Cole:]
To all the women with the flaws, know it's hard my darling
You wonder why you're lonely and your man's not calling
You keep falling victim cause you're insecure
And when I tell you that you're beautiful you can't be sure
Cause he don't seem to want you back and it's got you asking
So all you see is what you lacking, not what you packing
Take it from a man that loves what you got
And baby girl you're a star, don't let 'em tell you you're not
Now is it real? Eyebrows, fingernails, hair
Is it real? if it's not, girl you don't care
Cause what's real is something that the eyes can't see
That the hands can't touch, that them broads can't be, and that's
you
Never let 'em see you frown
And if you need a friend to pick you up, I'll be around
And we can ride with the windows down, the music loud
I can tell you ain't laughed in a while, but I wanna see that crooked
smile
He expresses to
women that from a
male standpoint, he
knows it is hard to be
elated (happy) when
you have flaws.
Consequently,
women will have
lower self-esteem.
This line is in
reference to the girls
that think that their
men are out there
cheating or interacting
with sexier women –
purely because these
girls are insecure with
their looks.
Cole is telling
women they are
infact beautiful and
trying to improve
self-esteem, but
women are ignoring
the comments due
to the fact that she
cant find a man that
can take her for who
she is.
All part of a routine
to conform to the
norm. Real or not
real, it doesn’t matter
to Cole and shouldn’t
matter to the girl.
What matter’s is
what’s on the inside.
Cole is actually
saying that a
woman that truly
cares about how
she looks, doesn’t
need to use fake
eyebrows,
fingernails, and
hair because what
really matters is
their personality
and attitude.
He is saying
stand your
ground, stay
strong and
keep smiling.
Cole is saying he will be there
for support and cheer the girl
up.
Self-esteem is low and her mood is low, but Cole
is there for her and wants to see the
imperfections everyone has; that crooked smile.

5. Crooked smile, we could style on 'em (back 'round)
Crooked smile, we could style on 'em
(You're the one that was tryna keep me way down)
(But like the sun, I know you know I found my way
back round...)
J-Cole: It’s me saying that ‘I don’t care about
this.’ I understand I don’t have the Colgate. I
don’t have braces. I understand, and they
definitely remind you.
This line is inferring that the
victim realises that someone
was trying to put them down
and destroy their self
confidence
This is saying that the
victim has found a way
to overcome their flaws
and that the person
trying to keep them
down now sees this.

6. We don't look nothin' like the people on the screen
You know the movie stars, picture perfect beauty queens
But we got dreams and we got the right to chase 'em
Look at the nation, that's a crooked smile braces couldn't even straighten
Seem like half the race is either on probation
Or in jail; wonder why we inhale
Cause we in hell already - I ask if my skin pale
Would I then sell like Eminem or Adele?
But one more time for the 'Ville
While most people fantasize about the
glamour and fame that comes from
show business, Cole is trying to let
everyone know that Hollywood is just a
facade. Not fixing his teeth is attempt
at non-conformity. Cole is saying that
everyone, no matter what
they look like, has the right
to chase their dreams
This line is suggesting that
America looks good on the
outside, but there are a lot
of problems such as racism,
violence and drug abuse
that persist in the country
that can not be simply fixed
by electing a new president
or in this case by ‘braces’
This line is
highlighting one of
America's perceived
flaws which is
racism. Cole is
questioning why
most black people in
America are either
in jail or on
probation? Is it
because of
discrimination,
marginalisation or
relative deprivation.
The use of ‘inhale’ perhaps is to signify the taking of drugs
and also the violent society they are in . As a result, They
do not think of the consequences of their actions as they
view themselves to be in hell already, so no matter what
happens nothing changes.
This line signifies that he wonders if racism
is holding him and other black artists back
from being as successful as the likes of
Eminem and Adele
This is a reference to
his home town
Fayetville, this suggests
that despite his fame
he still remains
grounded and never
forgets where he came
from

7. And fuck all of that beef shit, nigga let's make a mil'
Hey officer man, we don't want nobody getting killed
Just open up that cell, let my brother out of jail
I got money for the bail now, well now
If you asking will I tell now? Hey, hell naw - I ain't snitching
cause
Man, they get them niggas stitches now
If you was around, then you wouldn't need a witness now
How you like this crooked smile?
Beef is referring to the tension
between everyone whether it
be people in the music industry
or just regular people on the
street. Cole is inferring that he
wants everyone to stop fighting
and arguing and get out there
and be successful
This can be perceived as Cole directly saying to
the police that black people don’t always go
out with the intention of killing people, so they
should stop watching them, however if you
couple it with the line down it could also be
perceived as a threat from Cole directed to the
police saying if you don’t let my people out
then some people may get killed.
The term
‘brother’ is
referring to the
astounding
numbers of
African Americans
incarcerated in
this country, and
Cole is instructing
the police to free
his ‘brothers’.
This line reinforces his
uniqueness and kind
heart as most rappers
would brag about their
cars and mansions,
whereas he is
suggesting that he is
using his money for the
good cause of getting
his friends out on bail.
This shows that he has a strict no
snitching rule, and will always stick
to his morals whatever the
situation.
This shows that he has a stern
no snitching rule because of the
big consequences he knows it
could have.
This is directed to the police
saying if they had been
doing their job properly,
then no witnesses would be
needed and these crimes
would not happen as often.
This is directed to the police,
he’s asking if they like his
smile because he just
inferred he wouldn’t need to
snitch if they were doing
their jobs correctly

8. Ohhhhhhhhhhohoh [4x]
La-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la-la [4x]
I'm on my way, on my way, on my way down
I'm on my way, on my way, on my way down
You're the one that was tryna keep me way down
But like the sun, all you know I found my way back 'round, baby, back
'round...
You are the one that was tryna keep me way down
But like the sun, i know you I found my way back 'round, back 'round...
You are the one that was tryna keep me way down
But like the sun, i know you I found my way back 'round
This represents a change in tone, and
suggests that everyone is ready to
embrace their imperfections
Despite all her imperfections, she has
found her ‘way back round’ and is
now accepting who she is and what
she looks like.
The fact that the lyrics are repeated
are a sign she is now confident in
who she is and is now in control of
her emotions.