The Great Depression
I Miss You (featuring Faith Evans)
DMX
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
18
End
197
Internal
109
Multi
145
Slant
6
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Faith Evans & DMX]
Baby,✦ it's gon' be okay✦
She used✦ to tell me that…
Baby,✦ it's gon' be okay✦
I really✦ miss hearin'…✦
Baby,✦ it's gon' be okay✦
She used✦ to tell me that…
Baby,✦ it's gon' be okay✦
I really✦ miss hearin'…✦
[Verse 2: DMX]
What I'm about✦ to say a couple of family✦ members is gon' hate me
But I'ma✦ let you know what's been goin' on lately✦
Now you know since you left a lot of things with your kids done changed✦
Yeah, Jackie's still crazy,✦ don't know what's up with James✦
Ain't seen Jerry✦ in a while, you know he walk like you
And Renée's✦ back in jail, you know she talk like you
Raquela doing real good now, she workin'✦
Rhonda's still runnin'✦ around,✦ trickin', jerkin'✦
Buckeye's buggin',✦ he done lost his mind
And Jarvis?✦ Back out of jail, doin' fine
Kylie? He done changed,✦ it ain't all about✦ self
As for my father...✦ well, that's somethin' else
Boog, that's my dog, he hold his grandmother✦ down
My great grandmother,✦ makin'✦ a lot of trips out of town
But that's a good thing, and if I could only✦ hear you sing
Once more, oh Lord, the comfort it would bring
[Chorus: Faith Evans & DMX]
Baby,✦ it's gon' be okay✦
She used✦ to tell me that…
Baby,✦ it's gon' be okay✦
I really✦ miss hearin'…✦
Baby,✦ it's gon' be okay✦
She used✦ to tell me that…
Baby,✦ it's gon' be okay✦
I really✦ miss hearin'…✦
[Verse 3: DMX (Faith Evans)]
You left behind✦ a mother,✦ eleven✦ kids, eleven✦ grand-kids✦
And since then, two of your grand-kids✦ done had kids
I got a boy named✦ Tacoma,✦ Xavier's✦ brother✦
That's right, Xavier's✦ made you a great-grandmother✦
I thank you for the best times✦ of my life
I thank you for when you first met her acceptin' and lovin'✦ my wife
I thank you for those Sunday✦ dinners, they were vital✦
I thank you for my life, I thank you for the Bible
I thank you for the songs that you'd sing in the mornin'✦
(Amazing✦ Grace…) while I'm yawnin'✦
I thank you for the two beatings✦ you gave me
'Cause I know somewhere along the line the lesson✦ I learned from the two beatings✦ saved✦ me
And when you died I cried like a baby,✦ I begged✦ the Lord to take me
'Cause no one else could give me what you gave me
But life, like everything, comes✦ to an end
I pray I go to Heaven✦ to see you again✦ – Amen✦
[Chorus: Faith Evans & DMX]
Baby,✦ it's gon' be okay✦
She used✦ to tell me that…
Baby,✦ it's gon' be okay✦
I really✦ miss hearin'…✦
Baby,✦ it's gon' be okay✦
She used✦ to tell me that…
Baby,✦ it's gon' be okay✦
I really✦ miss hearin'…✦
Baby,✦ it's gon' be okay✦
She used✦ to tell me that…
Baby,✦ it's gon' be okay✦
I really✦ miss hearin'…✦
Baby,✦ it's gon' be okay✦
She used✦ to tell me that…
Baby,✦ it's gon' be okay✦
I really✦ miss hearin'…✦
[Outro: Faith Evans]
Amazing✦ Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved✦ a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see, yeah
Technical Breakdown
7.6
Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5
Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)
Internal Rhymes9.5
Rhymes within a line (data-driven)
Wordplay / Double Entendres4.0
Clever language, metaphors, punchlines
Cadence / Rhythm7.5
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 Score7.64
Production
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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
The verse relies on raw, conversational narrative rather than dense wordplay, utilizing DMX's signature guttural delivery to transform mundane family updates into a poignant, emotionally resonant eulogy.
B+
9.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
7.5
Cadence / Flow
6
Vocabulary
4
Wordplay
8.5
Delivery
Conversational flowAnaphoraCall-and-response structureDirect address to the deceasedEnjambment
Rhyme Architecture: The verse utilizes a consistent AABB-adjacent rhyming structure based on mono-rhyme couplets (hate me/lately, changed/James, you/you, workin'/jerkin'). This creates a predictable, chant-like cadence suitable for a grieving narrative.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"he walk like you"
① Physical gait similarity② Mannerisms and character traits passed down from the deceased
"she talk like you"
① Verbal mimicry② Inherited behavioral patterns and vocal temperament
High emotional authenticity
Excellent use of internal rhyme to maintain forward momentum
Effective narrative pacing
Commanding vocal presence that adds weight to simple observations
Limited metaphorical depth
Lack of complex linguistic wordplay
Reliance on repetitive list-based storytelling