X

## Song by Little Simz

"**X**" is the fifth track from British rapper Little Simz's fifth studio album, *No Thank You* (2022).

## Personnel

* Ben Baptie – recording engineer, mastering engineer
* Cleopatra Nikolic – background vocals, writer
* Dean "Inflo" Cover – writer, producer
* Hannah Khemoh – background vocals
* Rosie Danvers – arranger
* Simbiatu "Little Simz" Ajikawo – vocals, writer
* Todd Monfalcone – recording engineer

## Lyrics

**Lyrics**
[Verse 1: Little Simz]

The mercenary don't fight the war for free

They fight the war for a currency, not unity, not peace

Bookkeepers with information that covers all of these details

Fake news won't prevail if we holdin' the keys

Land of the free, enslaved by the false pretence

They attack and we play defence

How do I make you see sense?

Have all of your thoughts deepen, test your beliefs

If the law ain't for us, who's policin' thе police?

Who's increasin' all their fees?

Listеnin' to their speeches

How many times did we march with no shoes on?

No J's or Louboutin

Been beaten on, we been chewed on

But it happened years ago, so we should just move on

You think that man don't know pain 'cause he got a suit on?

'Cause he finally got a plate that he can now have food on?

Tellin' me that luck isn't everybody's friend

But, really, you can't fathom that my tree now has fruit on

Don't get me irate in this climate, it's heatin' up and that plane now

Can't fly straight, I might up and migrate

Turbulence results in your mind racin', prone to dehydration

Runnin' 'cause you want freedom, don't die chasin'

This is post-apocalyptic where we stand

You wanna give us the Bible and have us give up the land

They will dangle the carrot when nothin' is in your hand

And tell you never to worry, "it's all just part of the plan"

Fuck what you got planned, your wish isn't my command

These people are not your friends, I finally understand

They wanna divide you and close people in your set

'Cause when you're winnin' together, that's bigger than any check

[Chorus]

One day, you'll love my pain

One day, you'll love my pain

I need you, Lord

I need you, Lord (*I need you, Lord*)

I need you, Lord

[Verse 2: Little Simz]

Undervalued, under-appreciated in the workplace

Why I give you my ideas in the first place?

Know how you contribute, they tell you "describe how"

You ask for a pay rise and they raisin' they eyebrows

Why does my Blackness have to come with a fight now?

I'm peaceful at heart, but I suggest you pipe down

I'm not ashamed of the soil that I'm made of

Brave woman, my granddaddy is where I got my name from

You don't know me well enough to call me "Simbi"

The closest people to me actually call me "Simz"

Apart from my family, in a lovin' capacity

I could never sell my soul for a salary, no

They want everything I own, the audacity

Try somethin' and test your mortality

That there is a tragedy

Oh, you mad how I clocked it and I got here?

Mentally takin' back my power and I'm signin' out, respectfully

[Chorus]

One day, you'll love my pain

One day, you'll love my pain

Protect me, Lord (*Protect me, Lord*)

Protect me, Lord (*I need you, Lord*)

Protect me, Lord

[Verse 3: Little Simz]

Protect the body, protect the mind

Know God makin' sure my blessings are perfectly timed

We, as a people, die over pride

Those handouts are never options where we reside

And I still gotta provide

What a mess I'm in, wonder if it's 'cause I been westernised?

Speakin' to the suits, they never give you the best advice

A lesson I've learnt the hard way, emphasised

Real recognise real, then you become weaponised

Oh, please step aside if you're not fightin' the war with us

How do you become numb to a genocide?

Can't you see that everything we feelin' is intensified?

Bleedin' straight from the heart, leave you painfully scarred

Many say rehabilitation is hard

You saw your vice as an escape through the dark

Runnin' away from the childhood trauma

So, tryna get clean's soundin' like torture

I'm somebody's daughter

I'm somebody's sister, I'm somebody's friend

You don't see me how they see me, you see money you could spend

Took me some years to comprehend

Which led me to writin' the realest shit ever penned

God said it's time to give them some gems

Switch your perspective, have you look at it through my lens

They can never fool me again

Never silenced, I'ma speak my truth till the end

[Outro: Cleo Sol]

(*The Lord is with you, dear*)

One day, you'll love my pain

One day, you'll love my pain

I need you, Lord (*Lord*)

I need you, Lord (*I need you, Lord*)

I need you, Lord (*Lord*)

I need you, Lord (*I need you, Lord*)

I need you, Lord (*Lord*)

I need you, Lord (*I need you, Lord*)

I need you, Lord

(*You'll never be alone*)

(*The Lord is with you, dear*)

(*The Lord is with you*)

Template:Little Simz songs