All For Us by Labrinth Lyrics Meaning – The Anthem of Sacrifice and Devotion

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Labrinth's All For Us at Lyrics.org.

Lyrics

Oh, I’m taking it all for us
I’m taking it all
Taking it all for us
Oh, I’m doing it all for love
I’m doing it all
Doing it all for love

Taking it all for us, all
Doing it all for love
Yeah-eah, yeah-eah

Too much in my system (famine, famine)
Money MIA (pockets hella empty)
Mama making ends meet (making ends meet)
Working like a slave (Mississippi, ay, ay)
Daddy ain’t at home, no (father, father)
Gotta be a man (Michael Corleone)
Do it for my homegrowns (sisters, brothers)
Do it for the fam (yeah, so tell ’em, Labby)

Ay (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Just for your love, yeah, I’ll (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Give you the world (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Mona Lisa’s smile (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Hey (oh, oh, oh, oh)
Hell, I’ll do twenty-five to life (oh, oh, oh, oh)
If it makes me a king (oh, oh, oh, oh)
A star in your eyes (oh, oh, oh, oh)

Guilty or innocent
My love is infinite, I’m giving it
No need for prisoners
Bitch, please, hands up
This is a stickup, ’cause I’m

Hey, yeah
I’m taking it
Yeah-eah
I’m taking it all for us, all
Doing it all for love
Yeah-eah, yeah-eah

Guess you figured my two times two
Always equates to one
Dreamers are selfish
When it all comes down to it
I hope one of you come back
To remind me of who I was
When I go disappear
Into that good night
(Good night, good night, good night, good night)

I’m taking it all for us, all
Doing it all for love
Yeah-eah, yeah-eah

Labrinth’s ‘All For Us’ strikes a chord that reverberates through the soul, echoing a powerful message of sacrifice and devotion. This track transcends mere melodies and enters the realm of a manifesto for those who shoulder the burdens of their world out of an overwhelming sense of love.

The song, seeping with gritty realism and heart-wrenching truths, unravels the layers of familial obligation, societal issues, and personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself. It’s a deep dive into the motivations that drive human resilience and the extent to which one will go for the ones they love.

A Tapestry of Love and Duty: Understanding the Duality

Labrinth constructs a masterful narrative, embedding his lyrics with the duality of love and duty. The visceral repetition of ‘I’m taking it all for us’ and ‘Doing it all for love’ are not just catchy phrases but a mantra symbolizing life’s often thankless grind. It’s a universal shout-out to those who are unfairly made to carry a heavier load for the collective betterment.

Bridging personal sacrifice with the larger societal landscape, the track elucidates the struggles faced by countless individuals. Beneath the haunting beats, there’s an outcry for the recognition of silent heroes who, in their small world, are everything.

Facing Famine and Feast: A Metaphor for Disparity

When the lyrics delve into ‘famine, famine’ and ‘pockets hella empty,’ it’s not just poverty Labrinth sings about—it’s a metaphor for emotional and spiritual bankruptcy. Such vivid pictures invite the listener to confront the glaring disparities that dictate our world, amplifying the refrain ‘Taking it all for us, doing it all for love’ into a war cry for equality and justice.

By juxtaposing the imagery of a mother slaving away and an absentee father, the song doesn’t shy away from the complexities and stark realities facing many. It’s a poignant reminder of broken systems and the lengths individuals go to mend the cracks out of necessity and love.

The Sacrifices That Make and Break: Labrinth’s Ode to the Unsung

There is an evident sense of weight borne by the song’s protagonist, hinted in lines like ‘Working like a slave’ and ‘Hell, I’ll do twenty-five to life.’ These sacrifices, both large and small, draw attention to the shadow warriors in life’s epic battles—parents, caregivers, and even dreamers who give it all, often without accolade or acknowledgment.

Labrinth doesn’t just pen lyrics but paints a haunting mural of resilience. The song’s message is clear: sacrifice is an inexorable part of love, a badge of honor worn by the battle-weary, and yet they soldier on. It’s a gritty, raw reflection of life’s noblest, most selfless acts.

The Echoes of Selflessness in ‘All For Us’: Peeling Back the Hidden Layers

Beyond the superficial churn of its rhythm, ‘All For Us’ harbors profound reflections on the nature of selflessness. The line ‘Dreamers are selfish, When it all comes down to it’ serves as an ironic counterpoint, suggesting that even in the pursuit of dreams, there is an inherent sacrifice, a relinquishing of one part of the self for another’s benefit.

The chorus can be seen as both an indictment of those who burden others and a beacon of hope for improvement. Labrinth summons us to realize that every dreamer or worker ‘taking it all for us’ is anchored by a love that’s boundless, sometimes to the point of self-erasure.

Lines That Stick: ‘A star in your eyes’ and the Pursuit of Validation

Among the raw cries and aching lyrics stand out the memorable lines, ‘If it makes me a king, A star in your eyes.’ Here is where Labrinth shows his hand. It’s not just about the blind sacrifice; it’s about the human need for recognition and validation from those they love.

This sought-after validation is not vanity. It is the very currency of human connection that bonds individuals in a web of mutual appreciation and love. It reveals the deepest drive within all the sacrifice—the desire to be seen and to matter, not to society at large, but to the ‘you’ for whom the ‘all’ is taken.