The Master
The Watcher
Rakim
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
42
End
210
Internal
58
Multi
212
Slant
15
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Pre-Chorus: Truth Hurts]
I know
You got your eyes on me
I feel you watching✦ me
But it ain't hard to see that you can't see me
You try
But what you think you saw
Ain't what you thought you saw
You better✦ off not looking✦ at all
[Chorus: Terri]
Everywhere✦ that I go
Ain't the same as before✦
People I used✦ to know
Just don't know me no more
But everywhere✦ that I go
I got people I know
Who got people they know
So I suggest✦ you lay low
[Verse 2: Dr. Dre]
I'm still on top of the game
Still droppin' flames,✦ still cock and aim
Still at the top, had to rock for the fame
Over✦ setbacks, there's✦ been a lot since I came
You seen it all – how I got, how I gained✦
The momentum when it dropped, how I got through the pain
When I roll and shock, they watched me reclaim
The streets, they made a special spot for my name
Dre – haters want a stop to my reign
But the music lives✦ in me, every✦ drop in my veins
The pride and the pain
All the way back from the rise of my name
See the world clear through the eyes of the man
See the world cheer for the rhymes✦ that I gave
When the beat bangs, it'll drive 'em insane,✦ the odds that I played
The best to emerge✦ in the game: it's The Watcher✦
[Pre-Chorus: Truth Hurts]
I know
You got your eyes on me
I feel you watching✦ me
But it ain't hard to see that you can't see me
You try
But what you think you saw
Ain't what you thought you saw
You better✦ off not looking✦ at all
[Chorus: Terri]
Everywhere✦ that I go
Ain't the same as before✦
People I used✦ to know
Just don't know me no more
But everywhere✦ that I go
I got people I know
Who got people they know
So I suggest✦ you lay low
[Verse 3: Rakim]
I'm rated✦ R, my brain contains graphic things
It turn traumatic teens into✦ addicts and fiends
It's like watching✦ a movie through a panoramic screen
Which means I can see the whole planet✦ in the scene
Cash is the topic—the object? A fatter✦ pocket✦
Some take the crack and chop it, but those that haven't got it
Take away✦ to add a profit,✦ it's catastrophic
I take the gat and cock it, and I'll sit back and watch it
These New York streets is ugly,✦ I keep it gully✦
The world is mine and can't nobody✦ keep it from me
Yo, my neighborhood is never✦ sunny✦
In the place where the number✦ one cause of death is money✦
You can try coping
I seen enough shit to leave your frame of mind broken✦
I'm still alive✦ and scoping
Be another hundred years 'til my skies close in
And I'ma die with my eyes open—The Watcher✦
[Pre-Chorus: Truth Hurts]
I know
You got your eyes on me
I feel you watching✦ me
But it ain't hard to see that you can't see me
You try
But what you think you saw
Ain't what you thought you saw
You better✦ off not looking✦ at all
[Chorus: Terri]
Everywhere✦ that I go
Ain't the same as before✦
People I used✦ to know
Just don't know me no more
But everywhere✦ that I go
I got people I know
Who got people they know
So I suggest✦ you lay low
[Outro]
The Watcher✦
The Watcher✦
I'm watching,✦ The Watcher✦
Bah, bah, The Watcher✦
The Watcher✦
Technical Breakdown
8.0
Multisyllabic Rhymes7.5
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 Complexity6.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control7.0
Performance and control
Computed Score8.02
Production
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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Dr. Dre utilizes a straightforward, rhythmic cadence focused on legacy and dominance, relying more on percussive vocal delivery and internal rhyme reinforcement than complex lyrical abstraction.
A
7.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
6
Vocabulary
5
Wordplay
7
Delivery
monorhyme persistencerhythmic syncopationinternal rhyme chainingpercussive staccato delivery
Rhyme Architecture: The verse maintains a heavy, consistent AAAA rhyme scheme based on the 'ame' phoneme, punctuated by rhythmic internal multisyllabic clusters.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"still cock and aim"
① the physical act of preparing a firearm② the metaphorical preparation for artistic competition or industry execution
"rock for the fame"
① performing music in front of an audience② enduring the hardships or 'rocks' encountered while pursuing success
strong rhythmic placement on the pocket
consistent thematic focus on career longevity
authoritative vocal performance
lack of complex figurative language
repetition of the same rhyme ending for the entire verse
predictability of the lyrical trajectory