Revenge
Song Meaning

“Revenge” is about the emotional aftermath of loss and a broken relationship, not literal vengeance: XXXTentacion dedicated the song to his friend Jocelyn Flores, who died by suicide, saying “I love you Garette, rest in peace Jocelyn, I will have my revenge upon the world” 1 2. The lyrics open with an attempt at self-forgiveness 2 3 before spiraling into a rhetorical struggle over whether he’d actually act on revenge, using it more as a symbol of the mutual damage caused by a fractured relationship than an actual threat 2. Ultimately it’s a song about heartbreak, regret, and the difficulty of letting go, framed as a tribute to Jocelyn 4.

The meaning

XXXTentacion frames “Revenge” as a tribute born directly from loss, stating plainly, “I love you Garette, rest in peace Jocelyn, I will have my revenge upon the world” 1. The song was written after the death of his close friend Jocelyn Flores, who died by suicide while visiting him, and that tragedy shapes the track’s raw, unguarded tone 2 4. Rather than revenge in a literal sense, the title comes to stand for grief that curdles into anger with nowhere to go 4.

The song opens on an unexpectedly hopeful note, with a spoken intro about finally learning to forgive himself for past mistakes as “the first step” toward healing 2 3. That fragile optimism quickly collapses in the verse: “I’ve dug two graves for us, my dear / Can’t pretend that I was perfect, leavin’ you in fear.” The two-graves image captures mutual destruction, his own faults have wounded both himself and the person he’s addressing 2 3.

From there the song oscillates between justice and self-sabotage. The recurring chorus question, “If I could act on my revenge, then, oh, would I?” poses revenge as a temptation he keeps circling back to without resolving, hinting that acting on it would be futile anyway 2 3. Lines like “broken hearts break bones, so break up fast” frame emotional pain as every bit as damaging as physical harm, and as a warning to end painful relationships before they fester 3.

Rather than resolving, X chooses to stay in his own hurt: “I don’t wanna let it go, so in my grave, I’ll rot.” That refusal to release the pain reads as a kind of self-punishment, an implied wish for the other person to suffer alongside him even as he sinks further into his own 3. It’s consistent with the broader self-awareness in the song, he doesn’t cast himself as hero or victim but owns his imperfections and their fallout 3 4.

The outro’s closing questions, “Is my pain your freedom?”, underscore that the song is less about outward vengeance than about an unresolved, internal reckoning with grief, guilt, and heartbreak 2 3. Fitting within 17’s broader preoccupation with depression and loss, “Revenge” ultimately plays as a meditation on regret and the near-impossibility of forgiveness after devastating loss, dedicated to the memory of a friend gone too soon 2.

Last updated 2026-07-23