Late Registration

Roses

Kanye West

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

26

End

132

Internal

23

Multi

134

Slant

6

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Bill Withers & Tony Williams]
I smile
When roses✦ come to see me
And I can't wait for a sunny✦ day
Seeing it through your eyes
Can't wait for the clouds to break
[Verse 2: Kanye West & Patti LaBelle]
They outside of the emergency room, room
You can feel my heartbeat, beat, beat
If she gon' pull through, we gon' find out soon
But right now, she 'sleep, sleep, sleep
My momma✦ say they say she could pass away✦ any✦ day
Hey, chick, what these doctors know anyway?✦
Let me see the X-rays, I ain't no expert, I'm just hurt
Cousin✦ Kim took off of work
Plus, my Aunt Shirley, Aunt Beverly, Aunt Klaye and Aunt Jean
So many✦ aunties we could have an Auntie Team
Feel like Amerie,✦ it's this one thing
When they said that she made it, you see they eyes gleam (Oh, ah)
I think we at an all-time high
To get there, we run, we fly, we drive
'Cause with my family,✦ we know where home is (Oh, oh)
So instead of sending flowers, we the roses✦
[Chorus: Bill Withers, Tony Williams & Patti LaBelle]
I smile (Oh, ah)
When roses✦ come to see me (Oh, ah)
And I can't wait for a sunny✦ day
Seeing it through your eyes
Can't wait for the clouds to break
[Post-Chorus: Bill Withers & Patti LaBelle]
'Cause Rosie brings the sunshine✦ (Oh, oh, ooh)
Ooh, oh
[Chorus: Bill Withers, Tony Williams & Patti LaBelle]
I smile (Oh, ah)
When roses✦ come to see me (Come to, come away)✦
And I can't wait for a sunny✦ day (I can't wait, oh)
Seeing it through your eyes
Can't wait for the clouds to break (Your eyes, for the clouds to break, woo)
[Post-Chorus: Bill Withers & Patti LaBelle]
I smile
When Rosie comes✦ to see me
And I'm sad when Rosie goes away✦
'Cause Rosie brings the sunshine✦ (Say)
[Outro: Patti LaBelle]
Can't wait, I can't wait, no
Can't wait, I can't wait, no
Can't wait, I can't wait
No, can't wait for, for a sunny✦ day
Say, "Mama✦ can't wait for the clouds to break"
Mm, mm, mm, mm-mm, mm-mm
Oh, oh, oh, oh, no, no, say (Woah, say)
Tellin'✦ you the truth now
Said, "I can't wait," uh-uh
I won't wait, oh no

Technical Breakdown

7.6
Multisyllabic Rhymes6.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres6.5

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm8.0

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity6.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control8.0

Performance and control

Computed Score7.64

Production

— Kanye West, Jon Brion

Be the first to rate the production

Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Kanye utilizes high-density internal rhyme patterns to contrast clinical hospital anxiety with domestic familial warmth, effectively using the metaphor of the roses as a communal symbol of life rather than death.

B+
6.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
8
Cadence / Flow
6
Vocabulary
6.5
Wordplay
8
Delivery
Stutter-step repetition for emotional agitationList-based internal rhyme chainingMetaphorical inversionDynamic shift from external observation to internal resolve
Rhyme Architecture: Uses AABB and AAAA segments with heavy reliance on terminal word repetition (room, beat, sleep) to mirror the mechanical, repetitive nature of a hospital environment.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"So instead of sending flowers, we the roses"

① The physical act of providing comfort to a sick relative.② The family identifies as the life-giving force itself, subverting the traditional role of flowers as post-mortem/hospital gifts.

"I ain't no expert, I'm just hurt"

① Admitting a lack of medical knowledge regarding the X-rays.② A dual-definition of 'expert' vs 'hurt' where the emotional pain qualifies the speaker as an expert in the experience of suffering.

Authentic emotional vulnerability that anchors the technical flows

Effective use of familial listing to build a sense of community

Strong conceptual pivot at the final line

Vocabulary choices are intentionally simplistic, potentially under-utilizing potential complexity

Transition between the hospital urgency and the list of family members is slightly jarring

User Scores