Yeezus

Blood on the Leaves

Kanye West

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

29

End

116

Internal

75

Multi

166

Slant

7

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Post-Chorus: Kanye West]
Before✦ the limelight✦ tore you
Before✦ the limelight✦ stole you
Remember we were so young
When I would hold you
[Bridge: Kanye West]
Before✦ the blood on the leaves✦
I know there ain't... wrong with me
Something strange happenin'
Uh, uh, ayy, ayy
[Chorus: Kanye West]
You could've been somebody✦
We could've, uh, we could've been somebody✦
Or was it on the first party✦
When we tried our first molly?✦
And came out of our body✦
And came out of our body,✦ yeah
[Post-Chorus: Kanye West]
Before✦ they call lawyers
Before✦ you tried to destroy us
How you gon' lie to the lawyer?✦
It's like I don't even✦ know you
I gotta✦ bring it back to the 'Nolia✦
[Interlude: Kanye West]
Fuck them other✦ niggas,✦ 'cause I'm down with my niggas✦
Fuck them other✦ niggas,✦ 'cause I'm down with my niggas✦
Fuck them other✦ niggas,✦ 'cause I'm down with my niggas✦
I ride with my niggas,✦ I'd die for my—
[Bridge: Kanye West & Nina Simone]
Uh
Uh, on the southern✦ leaves✦
[Verse 2: Kanye West]
To all my second-string bitches tryna✦ get a baby✦
Tryna✦ get a baby?✦ Now you talkin'✦ crazy✦
I don't give a damn if you used✦ to talk to JAY-Z
He ain't with you, he with Beyoncé, you need to stop actin'✦ lazy✦
She Instagram✦ herself, like, "Bad bitch alert"✦
He Instagram✦ his watch, like, "Mad rich alert"✦
He only✦ wanna✦ see that ass in reverse
Two-thousand-dollar bag with no cash in your purse
Now you sittin'✦ courtside, wifey✦ on the other✦ side
Gotta✦ keep 'em separated,✦ I call that apartheid
Then she said she pregnant-ated,✦ that's the night your heart died
Then you gotta✦ go and tell your girl and report✦ that
Main reason✦ 'cause your pastor said you can't abort✦ that
Now your driver✦ say that new Benz, you can't afford that
All that cocaine on the table, you can't snort that
That go into that, all that money✦ that the court got
All in on that alimony,✦ uh
Yeah-yeah, she got you, homie, yeah
'Til death, but do your part, uh
Unholy✦ matrimony✦
[Bridge: Nina Simone]
Black bodies✦ swinging in the southern✦ breeze
Freeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar✦ trees
From the poplar✦ trees
[Outro: Kanye West]
That summer✦ night, holdin'✦ long and long
'Din long
No waiting for the summer✦ rose and...
And breathe
And breathe and breathe
And breathe and breathe
And breathe and breathe
And live and learn, and live and learn
And livin'✦ and livin'✦ like I'm lonely✦
Lonely,✦ lonely,✦ lonely✦
And livin'✦ lonely✦
And live and learn
And live
And live
[Produced by TNGHT, Kanye West, Mike Dean, Arca, Carlos "6 July" Broady, and 88 Keys]

Technical Breakdown

7.5
Multisyllabic Rhymes8.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes8.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres6.0

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm8.0

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity5.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control7.5

Performance and control

Computed Score7.46

Production

— Kanye West, Hudson Mohawke, Lunice, TNGHT, Mike Dean, Arca, 88-Keys, Carlos Broady

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

Kanye West prioritizes emotional atmosphere and sonic texture over intricate linguistic wordplay, utilizing repetitive, mantra-like structures to evoke a sense of descent and loss.

B+
8.5
Multisyllabic
8.5
Internal Rhymes
8
Cadence / Flow
5
Vocabulary
6
Wordplay
7.5
Delivery
Assonant rhyme chainsRepetitive phrasing as emotional signifierInternal rhythmic mirroringCall-and-response cadence
Rhyme Architecture: The verse relies heavily on mono-rhyme and slant-rhyme clusters (limelight/stole/young/hold; somebody/party/molly/body; lawyers/destroy/Nolia), creating a hypnotic, claustrophobic loop that reinforces the lyrical themes of instability.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Came out of our body"

① The physical sensation of a dissociative drug experience induced by molly.② A metaphor for the loss of self, innocence, and moral clarity within the destructive cycle of celebrity life.

"Before the blood on the leaves"

① A literal reference to the track title and the dark imagery of the 'Strange Fruit' sample.② A symbolic marker of the transition from a pure, pre-fame relationship to one marred by violent, historical trauma and systemic decay.

Strong emotional resonance through repetitive cadence

Effective use of the 'somebody/body/molly' sequence to ground the narrative

Vocal delivery shifts provide a sense of urgency despite simple vocabulary

Limited lexical complexity

Wordplay is functional rather than layered

Relies more on the atmospheric production for impact than the written density

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