NF – HOPE Lyrics

“HOPE” is NF’s first release of 2023 and his first release since his March 2021 mixtape, CLOUDS (THE MIXTAPE), it serves as the lead single, intro and title track of his fifth studio album HOPE, which is set to release on April 7th, 2023.

In this track, NF introduces the audience to a new side of him, a side that’s hopeful and that has come a long way.

In the music video there are two versions of NF, one is wearing all white which represents a changed version of himself, this version has found hope and is trying to be a better version of NF than his past self. The other version of NF that is seen in the music video is the dark version of him, dressed in all back, this version is the NF that’s been seen ever since it was introduced on the cover of NF’s second album Therapy Session.

At the beginning of the video NF in white is seen sitting alone on a raft drifting in the middle of an ocean. This could be a new way for Nate to perceive his own mind: the ocean would symbolize the thoughts of Nate. And the raft would be the foundations he built by working on himself and which have allowed to raise this new Nate on the surface.

At 2:22 in the video, NF is standing next to the dark side of himself, holding a map, which is a callback to his March 2019 song “The Search”, where he says:

I’m lookin’ for the map to hope, you seen it? (You seen it?)

In the music video for The Search, NF is wearing all black. By also looking at the name of the song, “HOPE”, NF demonstrates he’s found the map he has always been looking for, or simply put, he’s finally found hope. As he is looking at the map, his dark side follows him around, pointing him in the wrong direction. Confused, he follows the directions until he winds up right back where he started, as he walks away looking at his map, his dark side comes up behind him and pushes the bright side of NF into the sand, causing him to fall inside of a mansion.
As Nate picks himself up from the floor, his March 2015 song “Mansion” starts playing as he walks around inside looking for an exit. This is a visual representation of NF’s mind as he’s always referred to it as a mansion, the mansion is where fear, his burdens, pain, hurt and several other emotions reside. This symbolizes that NF has finally been able to escape his mind and not let the things he used to carry around and hold onto keep him captive.

As NF walks around inside the mansion, he finds a door that he opens only to see that inside is fear and his past burdens trying to get him to come back, he quickly closes it. He finds another door that he opens and sees a version of himself standing inside a cage holding a set of keys. This is a callback to his third album Perception where NF is shown on the cover standing inside of a cage. As NF gets closer the version of himself inside the cage takes his hat off revealing gray hair. This is a callback to the music video for his October 2017 song “Let You Down”, NF was afraid he would be trapped in his mind until he was old. The keys that the older version of himself is seen carrying is a callback to his October 2017 track “Intro III”, where he says:

I thought you had me in prison the whole time, but I was the one holding the keys

HOPE Lyrics by NF

[Part I]

[Intro]
Hope
Yeah, I’m on my way, I’m comin’
Don’t
Don’t lose faith in me
I know you’ve been waiting
I know you’ve been prayin’ for my soul
Hope
Hope
Thirty years you been draggin’ your feet, tellin’ me I’m the reason we’re stagnant
Thirty years you’ve been claiming you’re honest and promising progress, well, where’s it at?
I don’t want you to feel like a failure
I know this hurts
But I gave you your chance to deliver
Now it’s my turn
Don’t get me wrong
Nate, you’ve had a great run
But it’s time to
Give the people somethin’ different
So without furthеr ado, I’d
Like to introduce my
My album (My album)
My album (My album), my album
My album (My album), my album (My album), my album (My album)
My album—
HOPE
[Verse 1]
What’s my definition of succеss? (Of success)
Listening to what your heart says (Your heart says)
Standing up for what you know is (Is)
Right, while everybody else is (Is)
Tucking their tail between their legs (Okay)
What’s my definition of success? (Of success)
Creating something no one else can (Else can)
Being brave enough to dream big (Big)
Grinding when you’re told to just quit (Quit)
Giving more when you got nothing left (Left)
It’s a person that’ll take a chance on
Something they were told could never happen
It’s a person that can see the bright side
Through the dark times when there ain’t one
It’s when someone who ain’t never had nothin’
Ain’t afraid to walk away from
More profit ’cause they’d rather do somethin’
That they really love and take the pay cut
It’s a person that would never waver
Or change who they are
Just to try and gain some credibility
So they could feel accepted by a stranger
It’s a person that can take the failures in their life and turn them into motivation
It’s believing in yourself when no one else does, it’s amazin’
What a little bit of faith can do if you don’t even believe in you
Why would you think or expect anybody else that’s around you to?
I done did things that I regret, I done said things I can’t take back
Was a lost soul at a crossroad who had no hope, but I changed that
I spent years of my life holdin’ on to things I never should’ve kept, full of hatred
Years of my life carryin’ a lot of baggage that I should’ve walked away from
Years of my life wishin’ I was someone different, lookin’ for some validation
Years of my life tryna fill the void, pretending I was in—
They get it

[Verse 2]
Growing pain’s a necessary evil
Difficult to go through, yes, but beneficial
Some would say having a mental breakdown is a negative thing
Which on one hand, I agree with
On the other hand, it was the push I needed
To get help and start the healing process, see if
I’d have never hit rock bottom, would I be the person that I am today? I don’t believe so
I’m a prime example of what happens when you choose to not accept defeat and face your demons
Took me thirty years to realize that if you wanna get that opportunity to be the
Greatest version of yourself, sometimes you got to be someone you’re not to hear the voice of reason
Having kids will make you really take a step back and look in the mirror, at least for me, that’s what it did, I

[Part II]

[Outro]
Wake up every day and pick my son up, hold him in my arms and let him know he’s loved (Loved)
Standing by the window, questioning if Dad is ever going to show up (Up)
Isn’t something he’s gon’ have to worry ’bout, don’t get it twisted, that wasn’t a shot
Mama, I forgive you, I just don’t want him to grow up thinkin’ that he’ll never be enough
Thirty years of running, thirty years of searchin’
Thirty years of hurting, thirty years of pain
Thirty years of fearful, thirty years of anger
Thirty years of empty, thirty years of shame
Thirty years of broken, thirty years of anguish
Thirty years of hopeless, thirty years of (Hey)
Thirty years of never, thirty years of maybe
Thirty years of later, thirty years of fake
Thirty years of hollow, thirty years of sorrow
Thirty years of darkness, thirty years of (Nate)
Thirty years of baggage, thirty years of sadness
Thirty years of stagnant, thirty years of chains
Thirty years of anxious, thirty years of suffering
Thirty years of torment, thirty years of (Wait)
Thirty years of bitter, thirty years of lonely
Thirty years of pushing everyone away (‘Way)
(You’ll never evolve) I know I can change
(We are not enough) We are not the same
(You don’t have the heart) You don’t have the strength
(You don’t have the will) You don’t have the faith
(You’ll never be loved, you’ll never be safe)
(Might as well give up) Not running away
(You don’t have the guts) You’re the one afraid
(I’m the one in charge) I’m taking the— (No)
I’m taking the
Reins