English speakers, help to understand "to hold SO up" in a particular context

[Anna***]

Hi everyone,

I try to translate a song I love. It's "Hard times" of Baby Huey. This part confuses me :

"But to my surprise I find a man corrupt
Although he be my brother, he wants to hold me up"

I found that "to hold someone up" is another way to say "to support someone". But in this phrase it seems to express the contrary. Are the lyrics just weird, or do I miss a possible meaning of this expression ?

Thank you for your time

[rdearman]

Another meaning of "to hold up" is to rob them at gun point.

[golyplot]

Another meaning of "to hold up" is to rob them at gun point.

Yeah, based on the snippet provided, this is the most likely explanation. Presumably it originates from robbers telling their victims to hold their hands up. There's also the similar "stickup", though that's usually used as a noun rather than a verb.

[Montmorency]

It can also mean to delay someone (or more likely to delay an inanimate object like a bus or a train - e.g. an accident or a traffic jam might hold your bus up), but unlikely to be relevant in this case.

[Anna***]

Thank you so much!

I actually feel a bit stupid... In french we use "hold up" to say "armed robbery" but generaly we use it only in the context of a bank. I didn't even think about it in this context.

Thanks Montmorency as well