YNW Melly’s “Murder on my Mind” Lyrics Meaning

YNW Melly’s “Murder on My Mind” is split into three distinct sections or verses. The first details Melly’s experiences in a jail cell. The second is the story of “a homicide” he was involved in. And the third gives us insight into Melly’s analysis of his own personality.

The first verse starts off with Melly letting listeners know some of the privileges he was denied while in prison. For instance, he couldn’t see his friends nor have any physical contact with his mother. He also felt some level of paranoia in relation to his fellow inmates. Melly also points out that the women in his life were unfaithful when he was locked up.

However, it is the second and third verses of this track that have caused it to rise to infamy. In the second section, Melly gives a rather detailed account of him accidentally killing someone else who ‘caught him by surprise’. Before this person passed away, he and Melly had a heartfelt interaction. Then in the third verse he states outright that he is “a murderer”. This of course is a bold statement, even for a mainstream rapper. However, Melly later defends himself by saying he was speaking metaphorically. For instance, when he talks about killing someone he is referring to what he would do to a woman in the bedroom, not actually taking another person’s life.

According to the chorus, when Melly awakes from bed in the morning, one of his first thoughts is on “murder”. This includes images of a variety of firearms apparently at his disposal, as well as violent fantasies of the life-ending pain he will inflict on rivals.  And as the title suggests, it is these types of lyrics that truly dominate the song.

Facts about “Murder on my Mind”

• Writer(s): YNW Melly is the sole author of “Murder on my Mind”.
• Producer(s): The track was produced by Smoke Exclusive, who once lived within close proximity of Melly.
• Album/EP/Mixtape: This is the 13th song featured on YNW’s 2018 mixtape, “I Am You”.
• Release Date: The official release date for this track was 10 March 2017.
• Record Label: “Murder on my Mind” was released independently by Melly himself.
• Interesting Stuff: In February of 2019, Melly and an alleged accomplice were indeed charged with the murders of two of his close friends. Interestingly enough, prior to his arrest for the murders, Melly had publicly grieved over their deaths. According to police investigations, Melly fatally shot the men and proceeded to make it look as though it was a drive-by shooting.

Are the lyrics of “Murder on my Mind” about Melly’s participation in the killing of his friends?

No. The track was released in March 2017. And the murders themselves took place in October of 2018. The song could therefore not be about the murders. Many believe Melly is using this song to confess to murdering his friends. However, this isn’t true! Once again, the song was written and released long before the murders took place.