MICHAEL
Shed Tears
Killer Mike
Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis
51
End
192
Internal
54
Multi
207
Slant
20
Chain
Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Chorus: Jason McGee & The Choir, Lena Byrd Miles]
Rest, rest
I'm right here waiting to give you rest for your soul
Oh, rest for your soul
When your soul needs peace, come unto✦ me, I'll give you rest
Come unto✦ me, I'll give you rest
Rest, rest
Today✦ is the day you find rest
Rest for your soul
Trust in me, I will give you rest
Rest, rest
Rest for your soul
[Verse 2: Mozzy]
Yeah, ayy
Love nothing,✦ we ain't just come from it, we cut from it
Troubled youngin, unload firearms, ain't think nothing✦ of it
Product of my environment, I am nothing✦ but it
We prepare ourself for the penitentiary, it come with thuggin'
Ayy, mama told me it get lonely✦ in that cell
But she ain't tell me it'll break you, sis, I thank you for your mail
Poppin'✦ pills 'til I can't feel, somebody save me from myself
Giveaways is bool and all, let's do some **** that'll really✦ help
'Member✦ granny✦ grabbed the belt and went berserk about✦ us smokin'✦
Get teary-eyed about✦ them moments, they was golden✦
Yeah, rainy✦ days approaching, we was sheltered,✦ do they help her?
Wish I could hit your cellular, without you here, I'm helpless
[Chorus: Jason McGee & The Choir, Lena Byrd Miles]
Rest, rest
I'll give you rest, rest for, rest for
Oh, rest for your soul
I'm standin' here waitin'✦
Come unto✦ me, I'll give you rest
Rest, rest
Don't be afraid to rest
Rest for your soul
[Verse 3: Killer Mike]
I shed tears every✦ morning in the bathroom mirror
Face to face with fate, had to face my fears
It was me, I'm the reason that I fell
That was hell, locked✦ in self-guilt like jail
Lord, I cried, almost died, empty✦ inside✦
The devil✦ whispers in your ear, you contemplate suicide
I tell you I know, promise, honest,✦ been there before✦
And it's pride before✦ the fall, it's how it usually go
Lookin'✦ at me, I was struttin', proud as can be
Couldn't tell me nothin',✦ I was hushin'✦ people, keepin'✦ it G
I heard my ancestors' voices, now they speakin' through me
Sometime my faith get fully✦ shaken,✦ I get weak as can be
Pray and repent,✦ gather✦ my strength, fast like it's Lent
The devil✦ sent the storm to break me, but I didn't bow or bend
Won't buy a bin, I'll suffer,✦ then will do it again✦
Made it to the mountaintop straight from the valley✦ of sin
[Chorus: Jason McGee & The Choir, Killer Mike, & Lena Byrd Miles]
Rest, rest
I've learned✦ to live with some pain
When you're feeling✦ tired✦
I guess it come with the game
Oh, rest for your soul
When you're feeling✦ broken✦
For those who suffered✦ for years
When you're feeling✦ burdened
Th-th-that's why I shed tears
Come unto✦ me, I'll give you rest
I will give you rest
I've learned✦ to live with some pain
Rest, come unto✦ me
Rest, rest
I guess it come with the game
I'll give you
Rest for your soul
For those who suffered✦ for years
I'm your refuge,✦ any✦ day you can find me
Th-th-that's why I shed tears
Come unto✦ me, I'll give you rest
Rest, rest
Oh, rest
Rest for your soul
For your soul, for your soul
Come unto✦ me, I'll give you rest
Rest, rest
Ooh
Rest for your soul
I'll give you rest, rest for your soul
Technical Breakdown
8.3
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 / Rhythm10.0
Flow variation and timing (data-driven)
Vocabulary Complexity6.0
Range and depth of words used (data-driven)
Delivery / Breath Control7.5
Performance and control
Computed Score8.30
Production
— No I.D., Warryn Campbell, DJ Cutmaster SwiffBe the first to rate the production
Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™
Mozzy employs a highly visceral, diaristic flow that relies on rhythmic urgency and autobiographical gravity rather than complex linguistic abstraction, effectively grounding the emotional weight of his upbringing.
A
7.5
Multisyllabic
9.5
Internal Rhymes
10
Cadence / Flow
6
Vocabulary
6.5
Wordplay
7.5
Delivery
Assonance-heavy internal rhymeStaccato deliveryAutobiographical narrative progressionVowel-sound repetition
Rhyme Architecture: The verse utilizes a dense AAAA/BBBB internal rhyme structure where Mozzy anchors end-rhymes (it, cell, mail, self, help) while stringing together multi-syllabic internal rhymes that bleed across the bar lines, prioritizing rhythmic persistence over traditional AABB patterns.
Verified Doubles & Entendres
"we ain't just come from it, we cut from it"
① The speaker was born into the environment of the streets.② The speaker is a 'cut' or an extraction of that environment, suggesting the environment actively shaped his identity as a sculptor shapes clay.
"Product of my environment, I am nothing but it"
① His character is entirely comprised of the negative influences of his upbringing.② A nihilistic self-assessment that he has no individual identity outside of his trauma.
Exceptional rhythmic lock-in with the production
Authenticity in storytelling
High emotional resonance in delivery
Strong use of internal rhyme clusters
Limited vocabulary range as noted in computational metrics
Punchlines are functional rather than witty
Predictable subject matter compared to the depth of the production
Occasional filler-heavy phrasing