People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm

I Left My Wallet in El Segundo

A Tribe Called Quest

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

17

End

83

Internal

52

Multi

151

Slant

5

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight
[Skit]
Well, describe to me what the wallet✦ looks like
[Verse 2: Q-Tip & Ali Shaheed Muhammad]
Anyway✦ a gas station we passed✦
We got gas and went on to get grub
It was a nice little pub in the middle of nowhere✦
Anywhere✦ would have been better✦
I ordered enchiladas and I ate 'em
Ali✦ had the fruit punch
When we finished we thought for ways to get back
I had a hunch
Ali✦ said: pay for lunch, so I did it
Pulled✦ out the wallet✦ and I saw this wicked✦ beautiful lady✦
She was a waitress there
Put the wallet✦ down and stared✦ and stared✦
To put me back into reality, here's✦ Shaheed✦
"Yo Tip man, you got what you need?"
I checked for keys and started to step
And what do you know, my wallet✦ I forget✦
[Skit: Q-Tip]
Yo, it was a brown wallet,✦ it had props numbers
It had my jimmy✦ hats, I gotta✦ get it man
[Verse 3: Q-Tip]
Lord, have mercy✦
The heat got hotter,✦ Ali✦ starts to curse me
I feel bad but he makes✦ me feel badder✦
Chit-chit-chatter,✦ car starts to scatter✦
Breaking on out, we was northeast bound
Jetting on down at the speed of sound
Three days coming✦ and three more going
We get back and there was no slack
490 Madison, we're here, Sha
He said, "all right, Tip, see you tomorrow
Thinking about✦ the past week, the last week
Hands go in my pocket,✦ I can't speak
Hopped✦ in the car and torped'✦ to the shack
Of Shaheed,✦ we gotta✦ go back
When he said "Why?," I said "We gotta✦ go
'Cause I left my wallet✦ in El Segundo"✦
[Chorus: Q-Tip]
Yeeahh
I left my wallet✦ in El Segundo✦
I left my wallet✦ in El Segundo✦
I left my wallet✦ in El Segundo✦
I gotta✦ get it, I got, got to get it
I left my wallet✦ in El Segundo✦
I left my wallet✦ in El Segundo✦
I left my wallet✦ in El Segundo✦
Come on, let's go
[Outro: Q-Tip​​]
Come on, let's go
Come on, let's go
(Yo Phife)

Technical Breakdown

6.8
Multisyllabic Rhymes8.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes8.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres5.5

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm6.5

Flow variation and timing (data-driven)

Vocabulary Complexity8.0

Range and depth of words used (data-driven)

Delivery / Breath Control6.0

Performance and control

Computed Score6.84

Production

— A Tribe Called Quest, The Jungle Brothers

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Critic Analysis
RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

The verse prioritizes narrative clarity and rhythmic conversationalism over dense lyrical complexity, serving as a foundational example of jazz-rap storytelling rather than technical exercise.

B
8.5
Multisyllabic
8.5
Internal Rhymes
6.5
Cadence / Flow
8
Vocabulary
5.5
Wordplay
6
Delivery
Conversational flowNarrative progressionEnjambment for pacingInternal rhyme clusters
Rhyme Architecture: Predominantly AABB or AABB-adjacent, utilizing slant rhymes to maintain a casual, stream-of-consciousness cadence consistent with the era's storytelling rap.
Verified Doubles & Entendres

"I checked for keys and started to step / And what do you know, my wallet I forget"

① The literal realization that the speaker has left his property behind at the establishment.② A situational ironic turn where the mundane act of 'stepping' (leaving) creates the conflict that drives the album's narrative.

Excellent narrative coherence

Rhythmic accessibility

Effective use of conversational persona

Strong structural arc for a story-based verse

Limited use of complex literary devices

Low density of secondary meanings

Delivery relies on simplicity rather than aggressive vocal modulation

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