... And Then There Was X

Here We Go Again

DMX

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

End

195

Internal

Multi

179

Slant

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight

[Verse 2]

Niggas^✦ that I fuck with wanna^✦ get him dead

But I'm cool with shorty's peoples, so I let him live

Under normal^✦ circumstances, he would be a marked^✦ man

But I hit him with a grand, just didn't shake his hand (Ooh)

Go about^✦ your business (Uh-huh), do what you gon' do (Uh)

Be what you gon' be, I wash my hands, I'm through (A'ight)

I can forgive, I just can't forget^✦

You're on your own, little man, don't ask me for shit (No)

If you paid attention^✦ to what I taught you, then you good (Uh)

If I see you again,^✦ get it, understood?

Go 'head before^✦ I change my mind 'cause you know you should be dead

"I just wanted^✦ to say—," ah, go ahead^✦

Instinct^✦ told me to kill him, but the savior^✦ is

I'm a good nigga,^✦ plus I owed^✦ his peeps a favor^✦ (Mmm)

But I also^✦ knew the decision^✦ I just made (Yeah)

Went against the rules^✦ of the game that we play (Damn)

[Chorus]

Here we go again^✦

Same old shit, dog, just a different^✦ day

Here we go again^✦

You know how niggas^✦ do, when we play, how we play

Here we go again^✦

A man's gotta^✦ do what a man's gotta^✦ do

Here we go again^✦

So if it's fuck me, nigga,^✦ then you know it's fuck you

[Verse 3]

I should've followed my first instinct^✦ 'cause I knew (Right)

Sometimes you gotta^✦ do what you gotta^✦ do (True)

Now this nigga's^✦ fuckin'^✦ with the competition^✦ (What)

Ungrateful motherfucker, should've got him missin'^✦ (What)

This nigga^✦ got the nerve to take my kindness for a weakness

Gots to get back on some street shit so I can creep this

Rat, when I act, take one, set him up

Take two, get him there, take three, get him done

Wasn't hard for me to get him where I wanted^✦ him, confronted him

Bzzt, click, there was a bullet^✦ in one of them

Feelin'^✦ lucky?^✦ Click, looks like you are

Click-click-click, luck ain't goin' too far (Uh)

What you did was put on another pair of shoes

And they just happened to be too big

What you did was stupid^✦ (Damn), real fuckin'^✦ stupid^✦ (A'ight)

Well, shorty,^✦ I gave you a chance and what did you do?

Threw it back in my fuckin'^✦ face, so fuck you too (A'ight)

[Chorus]

Here we go again^✦

Same old shit, dog, just a different^✦ day

Here we go again^✦

You know how niggas^✦ do, when we play, how we play

Here we go again^✦

A man's gotta^✦ do what a man's gotta^✦ do

Here we go again^✦

So if it's fuck me, nigga,^✦ then you know it's fuck you

Here we go again^✦

Same old shit, dog, just a different^✦ day

Here we go again^✦

You know how niggas^✦ do, when we play, how we play

Here we go again^✦

A man's gotta^✦ do what a man's gotta^✦ do

Here we go again^✦

So if it's fuck me, nigga,^✦ then you know it's fuck you

Technical Breakdown

7.9

Multisyllabic Rhymes8.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres5.5

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm8.0

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity6.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control8.5

Performance and control

Computed Score7.86

Production

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Critic Analysis

RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

DMX prioritizes narrative pacing and visceral authenticity over dense lyrical ornamentation, using his signature gravelly, rhythmic delivery to turn simple conversational syntax into high-stakes dramatic tension.

B+

8.5

Multisyllabic

9.5

Internal Rhymes

Cadence / Flow

Vocabulary

5.5

Wordplay

8.5

Delivery

Conversational cadenceNarrative storytellingDynamic vocal projectionInternal rhyme clusters

Rhyme Architecture: A mix of AABB and AAAA end-rhyme structures utilizing long-vowel closures (dead/live/man/hand, do/through/forget/shit), heavily supported by consistent internal rhyme anchoring to maintain the beat.

Verified Doubles & Entendres

"I wash my hands, I'm through"

① Physical action of cleaning hands after a deal.② A biblical/idiomatic reference to Pontius Pilate, signifying the intentional washing away of responsibility for a person's future fate.

"the savior is / I'm a good nigga"

① Literal statement that he is a 'good man'.② A play on the religious imagery of a 'Savior' contrasting with his self-identification as a 'good nigga' in the context of street morality.

Compelling narrative arc that feels like an authentic street confrontation

Exceptional vocal delivery that implies character motivation through tone

Strong rhythmic consistency that stays strictly in the pocket

Limited reliance on complex metaphors or multi-layered wordplay

Simplified vocabulary usage typical of the era's 'street-realist' subgenre

Lack of structural variation in rhyme patterns

Here We Go Again

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

Technical Breakdown

Production

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