Better Dayz

Better Dayz

2Pac

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

39

End

138

Internal

81

Multi

149

Slant

20

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus]
Better✦ days, better✦ days
Hey! Better✦ days
Got me thinkin'✦ 'bout better✦ days
Better✦ days, better✦ days, better✦ days
Hey!
Better✦ days
Got me thinkin'✦ 'bout better✦ days
[Verse 2]
Thinkin'✦ back as an adolescent
Who would've guessed that in my future✦ years I'd be stressin'?✦
Some say the ghetto's sick and corrupted
Plus my P.O. won't let me hang with the brothers I grew up with
Tryna✦ keep my head up and stay strong
All my homies✦ slangin' yayo all day long
But they wrong, so I'm solo✦ and so broke
Savin'✦ up for some Jordans ‘cause they dope
I got a girl and I love her, but she broke too
And so am I — I can't take her to the place she wanna✦ go to
So, we argue and play fight, all day and night
Makin'✦ passionate✦ love 'til the daylight
Plus we about✦ to get evicted, can't pay the rent
Guess it's time to see who really✦ is your friend
Tell me you pregnant and I'm amazed✦
So many✦ blessings while we stressin',✦ lookin'✦ for them better✦ days (For better✦ days)
[Chorus]
Better✦ days, better✦ days
Hey! Better✦ days
Thinkin'✦ 'bout better✦ days
Better✦ days, better✦ days, better✦ days
Hey!
Better✦ days
Got me thinkin'✦ 'bout better✦ days
[Verse 3]
Now, me and you was real cool, hell on them square fools
Since back in high school, we was true, me and you
Hardly✦ parted✦ or separated,✦ we stayed faded✦
Affiliated✦ with gang-bangers and still made it
Up in the gym, mess with me, gotta✦ mess with him
Still dressin'✦ like grown men when rollin'✦
Out in the dark, smokin'✦ Newports, gamin'✦ marks
Got a place in my heart, homie, stay smart
Locked✦ you up in the pen', and gave you three to ten
I send you letters with naked✦ flicks of old friends
Hopin'✦ you well, I know it's hell
Doin' time in the cells, you need mail when you in jail
And me, I'm doin' cool
I settled down, had a family,✦ workin'✦ and night school
Every✦ once in a while, I reminisce
And I wonder✦ how we ever✦ came to this; I miss the better✦ days
[Chorus]
Better✦ days, better✦ days
Hey! Better✦ days
Thinkin'✦ 'bout better✦ days
Better✦ days, better✦ days, better✦ days
Hey!
Better✦ days
Got me thinkin'✦ 'bout better✦ days
[Outro]
I send this one out to all the homeboys down in, uh
Clinton lockdown, Rikers✦ Island✦
All them dudes✦ I was, uh, locked✦ up with, hehe
E Block, F Block, lower✦ H
N-I-C in Rikers✦ Island,✦ downstate✦
All the peoples I met along✦ the way
Better✦ days is comin',✦ homeboy, keep your head up!

Technical Breakdown

8.7
Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres5.0

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm10.0

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity7.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control8.5

Performance and control

Computed Score8.70

Production

— Johnny J

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

The verse excels in narrative consistency and emotional authenticity over complex lyrical acrobatics, utilizing a grounded storytelling arc that mirrors the socio-economic pressures of the 90s hip-hop landscape.

A
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
7
Vocabulary
5
Wordplay
8.5
Delivery
Multisyllabic rhyme chainsInternal rhyme densityConfessional narrative structureConversational cadence
Rhyme Architecture: 2Pac utilizes a classic AABB and AAAA-influenced structure, heavily reinforced by dense multisyllabic end rhymes that maintain a consistent, conversational flow throughout the stanza.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"slangin' yayo all day long / But they wrong"

① Literal description of homies selling cocaine.② Moral judgment of the cycle of poverty and illegal activities versus the speaker's attempt to remain on a different path.

"she broke too / And so am I"

① Financial insolvency (having no money).② Metaphorical exhaustion or 'broken' spirits resulting from the systemic strain of poverty.

High emotional resonance and relatability

Effective use of internal rhythm to drive the narrative forward

Excellent pacing and breath control implied by the line length variations

Relatively low usage of complex metaphors or intricate wordplay

Occasional reliance on standard colloquialisms that lack deeper subtext

User Scores