Henan God - 窮慣了 (Habitually Poor)
A curated collection of music, with a special focus on the Chinese hip-hop artist Henan God.
窮慣了 (Habitually Poor)
📺 Watch here
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej1XkvP9sic
“窮慣了 (Habitually Poor)” is a Chinese hip-hop track by Henan God that explores the psychological weight of growing up in poverty and how those habits persist even after finding success. Through raw and introspective lyrics, the artist navigates themes of the scarcity mindset, social pressure on artists in China, and staying connected to one’s roots.
English Lyrics Translation
[Lyrics “Habitually Poor”]
[00:27]
I’m still that “poor and sour” person when you call me.
Even now, it’s hard to change.
[00:34]
I’m trapped by the concept of money.
When buying things, I still have the habit of splitting every penny.
I study prices for ages, overthinking it until my mind goes blank.
[00:45]
To be honest, the person I used to be has already been broken by me.
But what can I do? I lived in those red-brick houses for so long.
[01:01]
Even if fortune visits you, it can feel like it’s for nothing.
Those feelings are real; I don’t want to part with them.
I don’t know who is giving money to whom.
[01:17]
But life goes on whether you have money or not.
When I’m out in the world, I don’t want to be blamed for being poor,
But at any moment, that feeling of lack returns.
[01:35]
It feels like dreams are useless.
Today I dream of having money for the New Year,
Yet everyone is still trying to persuade me to just “go find a real job.”
[02:04]
We talk about this—being used to being poor.
That’s why we can only keep moving forward this way.
[02:12]
Because I was poor, I followed my friends’ lead, having no other choice.
The only thing that stayed with me throughout it all was my temper.
[02:19]
My temper… it’s just my temper.
My temper, my temper.
Key Themes in the Lyrics
The “Scarcity Mindset”: The artist highlights how he still over-analyzes small purchases [00:40] and feels “trapped” by the idea of money even when he has it.
Social Pressure: He mentions the common struggle of artists in China being told to give up on “useless dreams” to find a stable job [01:47].
Roots: The mention of “red-brick houses” [00:51] is a common symbol of rural or low-income urban housing in China, grounding his story in his Henan upbringing.