Change

J. Cole raps here about the changes he is going through as he's grows older and gains wisdom and maturity. I know you desperate for a change let the pen glide But the only real change come from inside His change from being in a singular state of mind to more socially responsible adult has come from inside.

At the center of 4 Your Eyez Only is the story of a drug-dealing childhood friend of J. Cole's. He is named as James McMillan Jr. in this song, but according to Genius, the Fayetteville artist changed the name for the sake of privacy.

During the latter part of the song, Cole details the murder of James, when he was just 22. The North Carolina rapper recalls the shock he felt when his friend's killing was reported the next day on the news. In the outo, Cole re-enacts James' funeral, and expresses the emotions he felt at the time about the tragedy.