Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood
Coming From (featuring Mary J. Blige)
DMX
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
30
End
215
Internal
48
Multi
263
Slant
8
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
Come on!
[Chorus: Mary J. Blige]
If I don't know where I'm coming✦ from
Where would I go?
If I don't know where I'm coming✦ from
Where would I go?
-Gotta✦ keep it real with me
If I don't know where I'm coming✦ from
Where would I go?
-So the hell with you
If I don't know where I'm coming✦ from
Where would I go?
-I think I'm going to the top
Me and DMX
[Verse 2: DMX]
I will spend mad time in one spot, plottin'✦ my next move
Tryin' figure✦ out - why is it, that X do what X do
Some questions go unanswered (why?), that's what I'm afraid✦ of
Sometimes I can't show, but I know what I'm made of
They made love, or should I say they made lust
Bound, there didn't have to be love there, cause they made us
I got quite a few sisters, I was the only✦ boy
But being with my dog, was my only✦ joy
Like a kid with a new toy, I forgot✦ about✦ the grime
Escaped the misery,✦ didn't think about✦ the crime
Lost all track of time, was in another✦ world
Everybody knew Earl, but there was another✦ Earl
Lighter side of the dark, fight in the park but wouldn't wanna✦
Stayed and fought, but when they jumped✦ me, became✦ a good runner✦
One by one they all went under,✦ so I had the last laugh
They all thought it was a joke; but I had the last laugh
[Mary J. Blige]
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
[DMX]
Come on!
[Chorus: Mary J. Blige]
If I don't know where I'm coming✦ from
-If I don't know, I don't know
Where would I go?
-Where would I go?
If I don't know where I'm coming✦ from
Where would I go?
-Where we going, where we going, where we going?
If I don't know where I'm coming✦ from
-Where I'm going
Where would I go?
-But I know where I'm going
If I don't know where I'm coming✦ from
-Do you know, do you know
Where would I go?
-I go, I go
[Verse 3: DMX]
I feel the ghost from within,✦ comin'✦ back to haunt me
Stay lovin'✦ my peoples, even✦ though they don't want me
When I was bad, I was forgotten, like I was dead and rotten✦
Should've been gettin'✦ love, but instead was plottin'✦
Shit wasn't right, and it was all blamed✦ on me
Didn't know that I was special 'til this rap shit came to be
Gave me a way out, showed✦ me it was better✦ to teach
Than bust niggas with the 4-4, leave 'em dead in the streets
Over✦ beef that was worth less, than the cost of the slugs that I bought to kill them
And that's because I thought I ought to kill 'em
Little did I know, death wasn't right
Didn't always show every✦ breath was a life
It was to be captured in suspended animation
To be felt by all, understood by every✦ nation
What's the sense of hatin',✦ when I can show love
What's the sense of fakin',✦ when I can show blood
[Mary J. Blige]
Now what's the moral✦ to this story?✦
[DMX]
Come on!
[Chorus: Mary J. Blige]
If I don't know where I'm coming✦ from
Where would I go?
-Where would I go?
If I don't know where I'm coming✦ from
-If I don't know, I don't know
Where would I go?
If I don't know where I'm coming✦ from
-I don't know
Where would I go?
-But I know where I'm coming✦ from
If I don't know where I'm coming✦ from
-Do you know where you're coming✦ from?
Where would I go?
[Outro: Mary J. Blige]
Yonkers is where we grew
Trials we got through
On top is where we stay
'Til the end, as long as we pray
P.K. in Swizz's place
Send tracks everyday
On Hot97 ya hear
DMX all through the year
Technical Breakdown
7.5
Multisyllabic Rhymes6.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres5.0
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm8.5
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity5.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control8.0
Performance and control
Computed Score7.55
Production
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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
DMX prioritizes raw emotional projection and rhythmic internal rhyme density over dense metaphorical wordplay, utilizing a conversational yet gritty flow to ground the verse in personal history.
B+
6.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
8.5
Cadence / Flow
5
Vocabulary
5
Wordplay
8
Delivery
Internal rhyme stackingConversational cadenceAnaphoraEnjambment for rhythmic drive
Rhyme Architecture: Predominantly AABB/CC couplets with heavy usage of internal multi-syllabic rhyming structures (e.g., 'made love'/'made lust'/'made us').
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"they made love, or should I say they made lust / Bound, there didn't have to be love there, cause they made us"
① Physical act of intercourse defined by affection (love) vs physical desire (lust).② A cynical observation on his own origins: the 'making' of the speaker ('they made us') was a result of primal impulse rather than genuine parental connection.
High emotional resonance and authenticity
Excellent rhythmic placement on strong syllables
Effective use of internal rhyme to maintain flow
Commanding vocal presence typical of DMX's peak era
Low lexical variety
Limited metaphorical complexity
Relying on simple rhyme targets rather than complex wordplay
Structural predictability