Hail Mary

Tupac starts off the second track on the album by saying:

God said he should send his one begotten son
to lead the wild into the ways of the man, follow me

This sentence suggests that he believed that he was a spiritual leader. The front cover of his album does depict him as Jesus Christ. From a certain perspective, one could consider him a leader, or at least a cult leader, amongst his friends and fans.

After all, his lyrics are probably analysed with more consistency and precision than that of the Holy Bible amongst the younger generation of today. Nevertheless, much controversy surrounded these remarks and many Christian groups have attempted to censor these lyrics from future releases of the album. Tupac goes on:

I ain't a killer but don't push me
Revenge is like the sweetest joy next to gettin' pussy
Picture paragraphs unloaded; wise words bein' quoted
Peeped the weakness in the rap game and sewed it

The first two lines are self-explanatory. The second two lines are much more profound; by saying 'wise words being quoted' its as if he's saying people will analyse these lyrics much deeper, which is the whole point of this blog. The next line suggests that he saw what was wrong with rap genre and filled it with his work.

Bow down, pray to God hoping that he's listenin'
Seein' niggaz come for me, for my diamonds, when they glistenin'
Now pay attention, rest me please father
I'm a ghost in these killin' fields

Almost every lyric website which has these lyrics says that Tupac says 'rest in peace father' instead of 'rest me please father.' Of course, it's open to interpretation, however I believe he says the latter because he then says 'I'm a ghost in these killin' fields.'

Hail Mary, catch me if I go, let's go deep inside
the solitary mind of a madman who screams in the dark
Evil lurks, enemies, see me flee [or Send me pleas]

Tupac could mean two things here he says 'Hail Mary, catch me if I go.' Personally, I believe he means 'catch me if I go [insane]' and then he continues to justify the situation upon which insanity can be created.

An alternative explanation could mean, that 'if I go' would mean if he dies, and that he would want to be 'caught' and brought to heaven. The last line certainly sounds as if Tupac says 'see me flee,' which personally I believe does not really fit in with what he's trying to say here. He's attempting to justify his sins by saying that he is retaliating in the midst of a temporary insanity. Seeing him flee certainly wouldn't do that, but saying 'Enemies send me pleas' would seem to fit in.

Activate my hate, let it break, to the flame
Set trip, empty out my clip, never stop to aim

Emptying out his clip and not stopping to aim would seem to indicate that he doesn't care who dies and who lives. These lyrics would seemingly be an attempt to demonstrate 'no mercy' and him being 'heartless.'

Some say the game is all corrupted, fucked in this shit
Stuck, niggaz is lucky if we bust out this shit, plus
mama told me never stop until I bust a nut
Fuck the world if they can't adjust
It's just as well, Hail Mary

Here Tupac is using lyrics to articulate rhythmically that the World is bad; there are inherently evil things in this world and that we are 'lucky' if we are ever to live in a good world. Then he says 'mama told me never stop until I bust a nut.' This is a metaphor which implies that you never leave a job unfinished. The general job which Tupac cleverly applies this metaphor to is to fix the world. In order to fix it, he must show everyone whats wrong with it.

He concludes by saying 'Fuck the world if they can't adjust,' which means if these people take offense by the violence and the hate he embraces, and utilises for an effective delivery, then they deserve to be condemned in the evil world which we all live in. The second verse starts:

Penitentiaries is packed with promise makers
Never realisin' the precious time the bitch niggaz is wastin' institutionalised,

Perhaps here Tupac is drawing on some experiences for when he was incarcerated. Obviously, he feels that it was time wasted when he was in there and that he could have spent more time on the outside making music.

I lived my life a product made to crumble
But too hardened for a smile, we're too crazy to be humbled

Here that he is remarking perhaps on his 'past life.' If he's attempting to be 'reincarnated' as Makaveli, and that he is no longer Tupac, then perhaps this line would insinuate all his fame and accomplishments summed up to nothing either at the point which he was in jail or up to the point he chose to make this album (the album right after All Eyez On Me.)

Catch me father please, cause I'm fallin', in the liquor store
That's the Hennessey I hear ya callin', can I get some more?
Hail 'til I reach Hell, I ain't scared

Again, there's a reference to him 'falling' as he referred to it in the first verse. Perhaps he's falling into insanity or Hell, which he does make a reference to right after. He says 'Hail [Mary] until I reach Hell,' which would mean he has faith in God until he dies.

Mama checkin' in my bedroom; I ain't there
I got a head with no screws in it, what can I do
One life to live but I got nothing to lose

Again theres a reference to losing sanity and that he has no choice but to live the lifestyle he does. He also remarks that he has nothing to lose.

Just me and you
On a one way trip to prison, sellin' drugs
We all wrapped up in this livin', life as thugs
To my homeboys in Quentin max, doin' they bid
Raise hell to this real shit, and feel this
When they turn out the lights, I'll be down in the dark
Thuggin eternal through my heart, now Hail Mary nigga

Here he refers to the maximum security area of the San Quentin State Prison and the inhabitants of which must keep faith.

To conclude, it's quite easy to understand why Tupac chose this image of Jesus to portray. He had such a strong following, his fans loved everything he did and said.

He also had no real father growing up, something that Jesus and Tupac had in common. He was heavily religious demonstrated by the massive cross on his back. The mysterious nature of the album can provoke many different interpretations of Tupac's lyrics, I do not believe that everything I say is set in stone.