Donda

Keep My Spirit Alive

Kanye West

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

21

End

117

Internal

27

Multi

133

Slant

10

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Kanye West]
More than anything✦
You can take it all, but the Lord on my side
Spirit✦ won't die, die
Oh, oh, my life
Is in His hands, so I don't stress, I pray and strategize✦
[Verse 2: Conway the Machine]
Yeah, don't hate me, 'cause my heart is full of love
No weapon✦ formed✦ against me 'cause I'm covered in the blood
Layin' in the hospital when I got shot, fam
Mama✦ prayed for me, said she left it in God's hands, yeah
So I'ma✦ leave it in God's hands
Everything✦ I'm doin' now is God's plan
Doctor said I wouldn't walk no more, now I stand
Then I ran, here I am, Machine
[Chorus: Kanye West]
Keep my spirit✦ alive,✦ alive✦
More than anything✦
You can take it all, but the Lord on my side
[Verse 3: Kanye West & Dem Jointz]
Well, between a mix of bad schools with the fast food
Bad had tools and a bad mood
If you don't turn to a lil' Gotti,✦ they gon' drain all the strength in your lil' body✦
They turned✦ me into✦ a lil' Gotti,✦ uh, yeah
Not Wakanda✦ but Wakanda✦ is kinda✦ like what we 'bout to make
And who gon' make it? Kan', duh
Who the squad? Donda✦
Who the mom? Donda✦
Who can see? Don, duh, get Don C
Who needs practice? I don't do rehearsals
And I don't do commercials, 'cause they too commercial
Give it all to God and let Jesus reimburse you
She said "You in the studio✦ with who? I'ma✦ hurt you"
How I'm forty-two and you got a curfew?
How nerves dictate how they gon' curve you?
Quiet all the cordialness
We walk in God's spiritual ordinance
We know the Blacks, the orphans refused to be runaways
Rebel, renegade, must stay paid
[Chorus: Kanye West]
More than anything✦
You can take it all, but the Lord on my side
Spirit✦ won't die, die
Oh, oh, my life
Is in His hands, so I don't stress, I pray and strategize✦

Technical Breakdown

7.8
Multisyllabic Rhymes7.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres6.5

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm9.0

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 Score7.84

Production

— Kanye West, BoogzDaBeast, Ojivolta, FNZ, Darius Woodley, Rico Nichols, Dem Jointz

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Conway the Machine delivers a masterclass in biographical storytelling, contrasting brutal life circumstances with spiritual resilience through a tightly knit, repetitive rhythmic structure that emphasizes the gravity of his survival.

B+
7.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
9
Cadence / Flow
6
Vocabulary
6.5
Wordplay
7
Delivery
AnaphoraInternal Rhyme ChainsBiographical Narrative ArcStructural Repetition for Emotional Emphasis
Rhyme Architecture: Conway utilizes an AABB and AAAA-influenced structure, heavily relying on the repetition of 'hands' and 'stand' to provide a thematic anchor for his cadence, transitioning from internal rhyme density to strong terminal rhymes.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"covered in the blood"

① A literal reference to surviving the gunshot wounds described in the subsequent lines.② A theological reference to being 'covered by the blood of Christ,' implying divine protection and salvation.

"Doctor said I wouldn't walk no more, now I stand"

① The physical act of standing after a medical prognosis of paralysis.② A metaphorical assertion of dignity, moral fortitude, and success within the rap industry.

Authentic delivery conveying lived experience

Effective use of structural repetition to underscore spiritual themes

Compelling narrative arc from victimhood to triumph

Seamless integration of internal rhyme chains

Some lyrical choices lean on genre tropes

Vocabulary breadth is limited by the intentional repetition of specific anchor words

Kanye's contribution lacks the lyrical density of Conway's section

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