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B.o.B_ft_Taylor_Swift_-_Both_of_Us_(Lyrics)

B.o.B ft Taylor Swift - Both of Us (Lyrics)

"Both of Us" is a song by American hip-hop singer and songwriter B.o.B. featuring American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift. It is the fourth track from his second studio album, Strange Clouds, released on May 1, 2011. The song became the third single from the album on May 22, 2012.

Background[]

"Both of Us" was released to critical acclaim, most praising Swift's feature, with some calling the country rap collaboration as a sweet and melodic catchy song. The lyrics of Both of Us talks about racism and bullying. It was Swift who came up with the idea for the collaboration after she visited B.o.B's label Grand Hustle. The rapper explained, "She came to Atlanta and she hit up Grand Hustle. I wasn't there. Tip was there and I eventually linked with her in Dallas and the rest is history." This is not the first time Swift contributed to a hip hop song, her other collaborations with include her hook up with T-Pain at the CMT Music Awards (2009) and two years later, the superstar recruited T.I., Nicki Minaj and Flo Rida to assist her during the Speak Now Tour.

Music video[]

B.o.B_-_Both_of_Us_ft._Taylor_Swift_Official_Video-0

B.o.B - Both of Us ft. Taylor Swift Official Video-0

The music video, directed by Jake Nava, was released on June 27, 2012. B.o.B announced the video on Twitter, sharing a photo and a release date time frame: "On the set of the #BothOfUs music video in Nashville with @taylorswift13. Video premieres end of June!".

Synopsis[]

The video starts with B.o.B standing before a small American flag then cuts to Swift singing the song's hook in a dark lit pool hall. B.o.B then takes to the train tracks and streets to deliver his verses while Swift croons the hook in a picturesque field while donning a white cotton dress, and shows a dog that leaves Swift awestruck with his high flying antics. Footage of the artists is interspliced with scenes of life in Nashville's less glamorous neighborhoods like tatted locals, cowboy-boot-wearing young women, shirtless youths playing in sprinklers, teens kissing, a mobile home (this leaves viewers knowing that the video isn't glamorous, but instead leaves viewers appreciating the little things in life - It's not about the money, it's understanding that a romp through a sprinkler or a good game of billiards is enough to take you away from the mundane moments of everyday life). As the first chorus precedes Swift is shown singing at a field covered with dandelions and flowers and several shots of B.o.B and Swift are interspliced. As the video closes out, viewers are left with a sort of fantasy, with B.o.B and Swift re-imagined as the every man and every woman living simple life in rural Tennessee, much like the folks in the video. At the end, we see B.o.B standing in a driveway with a car backing up and B.o.B staring at it.

Chart performance[]

It debuted on Australia Top 50 singles chart at #46. The song sold 143,000 copies first week, along with the album release, debuting at 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the week's top debut. It re-entered Billboard Hot 100 at 77 and has since peaked at 46.

Lyrics[]

[Chorus: Taylor Swift]
I wish I was strong enough to lift not one but both of us
Some day I will be strong enough to lift not one but both of us

[Verse 1: B.o.B]
Ever thought about losing it
When your money's all gone and you lose your whip
You might lose your grip when the landlord tell ya that you due for rent
And the grass so green on the other side
Make a n*gga wanna run straight through the fence
Open up the fridge about two hundred times
But still can't find no food in it
That's foolishness

And sometimes I wonder, why we care so much about the way we look,
And the way we talk and the way we act and the clothes we bought,
How much that cost?
Does it even really matter?
Cause is life is an uphill battle
We all tryna climb with the same ol' ladder
In the same boat, with the same ol' paddle

Why so shallow? I'm just asking
What's the pattern to the madness
Everybody ain't a number one draft pick
Most of us ain't hollywood actors

But if it's all for one, and one for all
Then maybe one day, we all can ball
Do it one time for the underdogs
Sincerely yours, from one of yours

[Chorus: Taylor Swift]
I wish I was strong enough to lift not one but both us
Some day I will be strong enough to lift not one but both of us

[Verse 2: B.o.B]
I can feel your pain, I can feel your struggle
You just wanna live, but everything is so low
That you could drown in a puddle
That's why I gotta hold us up, yeah hold us up
For all the times no one's ever spoke for us
To every single time that they play this song
You can say that that's what bobby ray wrote for us

When the tides get too high
And the sea up underneath get so deep
And you feel like you're just another person
Getting lost in the crowd, way up high in the nosebleeds
Uh, because we've both been there, yeah, both of us
But we still stand tall with our shoulders up
And even though we always against the odds
These are the things that've molded us

And if life hadn't chosen us
Sometimes I wonder where I would've wound up
Cause if it was up to me, i'd make a new blueprint
Than build from the ground up, hey
But if it's all for one, and one for all
Then maybe one day, we all can ball
Do it one time for the underdogs
From bobby ray, to all of y'all

[Chorus: Taylor Swift]
I wish I was strong enough to lift not one but both of us
Some day I will be strong enough to lift not one but both of us

Collaborations
Taylor Swift songs featuring other artists
"Anti-Hero" (Bleachers) • "Bad Blood" (Kendrick Lamar) • "Breathe" (Colbie Caillat) • "Castles Crumbling" (Hayley Williams) • "coney island" (The National) • "Electric Touch" (Fall Out Boy) "End Game" (Ed Sheeran, Future) • "evermore" (Bon Iver) • "Everything Has Changed" (Ed Sheeran) • "exile" (Bon Iver) • "Florida!!!" (Florence + The Machine) • "Fortnight" (Post Malone) • "I Bet You Think About Me" (Chris Stapleton) • "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" (ZAYN)• "Karma" (Ice Spice) • "Lover" (Shawn Mendes) • "ME!" (Brendon Urie) • "no body, no crime" (HAIM) • "Nothing New" (Phoebe Bridgers) • "Run" (Ed Sheeran) • "Safe & Sound (The Civil Wars) • "Snow On the Beach" (Lana Del Rey) • "Soon You'll Get Better" (The Chicks) • "That's When" (Keith Urban) • "The Last Time" (Gary Lightbody) • "You All Over Me" (Maren Morris)
Songs featuring Taylor Swift
"Babe" (Sugarland) • "Best Days of Your Life" (Kellie Pickler) • "Birch" (Big Red Machine) • "Both of Us" (B.o.B) • "Gasoline" (HAIM) • "Half of My Heart" (John Mayer)
"Highway Don't Care" (Tim McGraw ft. Keith Urban) • "Renegade" (Big Red Machine) • "The Alcott" (The National) • "The Joker and the Queen" (Ed Sheeran) • "This Is What You Came For" (Calvin Harris) • "Thug Story" (T-Pain) • "Two Is Better Than One" (Boys Like Girls)
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