Damn

PRIDE.

Kendrick Lamar

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

23

End

95

Internal

29

Multi

86

Slant

13

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Steve Lacy & Kendrick Lamar]
Me, I wasn't taught to share, but care
In another✦ life, I surely✦ was there
Me, I wasn't taught to share, but care
I care, I care
[Post-Chorus: Kendrick Lamar & Anna Wise]
Maybe I wasn't there (We saw you first)
Maybe I wasn't there (I saw you first)
Maybe I wasn't there (I saw you first)
Maybe I wasn't there
[Verse 2: Kendrick Lamar]
Now, in a perfect✦ world, I probably won't be insensitive
Cold as December✦ but never✦ remember✦ what winter✦ did
I wouldn't blame you for mistakes I made or the bed I laid
Seems like I point the finger✦ just to make a point nowadays
Smiles✦ and cold stares,✦ the temperature goes there
Indigenous disposition,✦ feel like we belong here
I know the walls, they can listen,✦ I wish they could talk back
The hurt becomes repetition,✦ the love almost✦ lost that
Sick venom in men and women✦ overcome with pride
A perfect✦ world is never✦ perfect,✦ only✦ filled✦ with lies
Promises are broken✦ and more resentment come alive✦
Race barriers make inferior of you and I
See, in a perfect✦ world, I'll choose faith over✦ riches✦
I'll choose work over✦ bitches, I'll make schools out of prison
I'll take all the religions and put 'em all in one service
Just to tell 'em we ain't shit, but He's been perfect,✦ world
[Chorus: Steve Lacy & Kendrick Lamar]
Me, I wasn't taught to share, but care
In another✦ life, I surely✦ was there
Me, I wasn't taught to share, but care
I care, I care
[Post-Chorus: Kendrick Lamar & Anna Wise]
Maybe I wasn't there (We saw you first)
Maybe I wasn't there (I saw you first)
Maybe I wasn't there (I saw you first)
Maybe I wasn't there

Technical Breakdown

9.0
Multisyllabic Rhymes8.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres8.0

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 Control9.0

Performance and control

Computed Score9.03

Production

— Steve Lacy, Anthony Tiffith, Bēkon

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

The verse effectively utilizes a juxtaposition of cyclic, repetitive rhythmic phrasing with cynical, introspective thematic content to mirror the instability of the 'perfect world' persona.

A+
8.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
7
Vocabulary
8
Wordplay
9
Delivery
Cyclical imageryInternal rhyme densityConsonanceThematic dissonance
Rhyme Architecture: Kendrick employs a sophisticated internal rhyme scheme, prioritizing slant-rhyme connections (insensitive/December/remember/winter) that create a flow-state of melancholic repetition, punctuated by strong end-rhymes (laid/nowadays, talk/lost, pride/lies/alive/I).
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Cold as December but never remember what winter did"

① The literal lack of memory regarding past hardships or mistakes.② A metaphor for the cyclical nature of seasonal trauma, where the subject perpetually forgets the 'winter' (hardship) that caused their cold disposition.

"Seems like I point the finger just to make a point nowadays"

① The physical act of blaming others.② The performative nature of moral posturing where the act of assigning blame is more important to the speaker than the truth of the argument.

"I know the walls, they can listen, I wish they could talk back"

① Physical privacy being compromised by surveillance/walls.② A desire for external validation or truth from the environment that knows his secrets but refuses to engage in a dialogue.

Exceptional emotional resonance through vocal delivery

Coherent thematic trajectory from introspection to societal critique

Sophisticated use of rhythm to mask cynical undertones

Occasional reliance on abstract existential statements over concrete imagery

Pacing is deliberate and slow, which may feel sparse to those prioritizing high-speed technicality

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