Todd Smith

I've Changed

LL Cool J

Lyrics & Rhyme Analysis

End

177

Internal

Multi

180

Slant

Chain

Rhyme Groups — hover to spotlight

[Verse 2: LL Cool J]

I seen you at the movies^✦ with some tall cat

So I bust his headlights with a ball bat

When I was with you, he would give me dap and all that

Now you in his arms in the mall, what you call that?

That's what I get for creepin' and crawlin'

Every^✦ other^✦ weekend gone until^✦ the mornin'^✦

Sneakin' out to my dirt, dead wrong

Comin'^✦ back past dawn with the guilty^✦ mask on

And I never^✦ counted the cost, took heed to warnings

Try to hurt a rose, you get pricked by a thorn and

It don't feel nice when you wake up nights

Shakin'^✦ in cold sweats and your whole life's^✦ a wreck

That was the old me, the one I still regret^✦

The one you couldn't respect, the one you should forget^✦

But I'ma^✦ keep on callin',^✦ fightin' 'til the end

On my knees 'til they bleed to prove my love again^✦

[Chorus: Ryan Toby]

I sit in front of your crib in the pourin'^✦ rain

Wildin'^✦ out, screamin'^✦ your name

And keepin'^✦ ringin'^✦ your bell 'til you mad as hell

And call the po-po,^✦ I ain't afraid^✦

You can get your folks and your cousins^✦ and them

And try to run me off your block, uh

But I ain't scared,^✦ I ain't goin' nowhere^✦

And I ain't stoppin'^✦ 'til I gotcha^✦ to show you I changed,^✦ shawty^✦

[Post-Chorus: Ryan Toby & LL Cool J]

Show you I changed,^✦ shawty^✦

I really^✦ did change, shawty^✦ (I'm tellin'^✦ you, I changed!)^✦

I wanna^✦ show you I changed,^✦ shawty^✦ (I still love you!)

[Verse 3: LL Cool J]

I don't care if the cops got me surrounded

SWAT teams, whatever,^✦ tell 'em to send the hounds in

My mind's in an altered state

Like I'm headed^✦ for a wall, top speed, foot off the brake

I make a fool of myself, girl, whatever^✦ it takes^✦

I already played the fool when I let you escape^✦

You're as good as it gets, your friendship, your sex

Everything about^✦ you and yours connects

From your beautiful smile to the scent of your skin

The sheets smell different, this is not livin'^✦

It feels like dyin', God knows I'm tryin'

Ain't no sight sadder^✦ than a grown man cryin'

Please find it in your heart to forgive me

Realize only^✦ God can convict me

We all make mistakes, so have you

If God show mercy^✦ on me, then you should too

[Chorus: Ryan Toby]

I sit in front of your crib in the pourin'^✦ rain

Wildin'^✦ out, screamin'^✦ your name

And keepin'^✦ ringin'^✦ your bell 'til you mad as hell

And call the po-po,^✦ I ain't afraid^✦

You can get your folks and your cousins^✦ and them

And try to run me off your block, uh

But I ain't scared,^✦ I ain't goin' nowhere^✦

And I ain't stoppin'^✦ 'til I gotcha^✦ to show you I changed,^✦ shawty^✦

[Post-Chorus: Ryan Toby & LL Cool J]

Show you I changed,^✦ shawty^✦ (I'm tellin'^✦ you, I changed!)^✦

I really^✦ did change, shawty^✦

I wanna^✦ show you I changed,^✦ shawty^✦ (I still love you!)

[Outro: Ryan Toby & LL Cool J]

Oh (I'm tellin'^✦ you, I changed!)^✦

Technical Breakdown

7.4

Multisyllabic Rhymes9.5

Complexity of rhyme schemes (data-driven)

Internal Rhymes9.5

Rhymes within a line (data-driven)

Wordplay / Double Entendres5.0

Clever language, metaphors, punchlines

Cadence / Rhythm7.5

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 Score7.38

Production

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Critic Analysis

RAPLEDGER BAROMETER™

LL Cool J utilizes a narrative-heavy, confessional style that prioritizes emotional resonance and accessible storytelling over intricate, multi-layered wordplay, staying consistent with his mid-2000s commercial persona.

B+

9.5

Multisyllabic

9.5

Internal Rhymes

7.5

Cadence / Flow

Vocabulary

Wordplay

Delivery

AABB rhyme scheme extensionsConfessional narrative arcInternal rhyme densityVocalized desperation

Rhyme Architecture: The verse relies on a consistent, tightly knit rhyme scheme that often extends AABB or AAAA structures across multiple clauses, focusing on end-rhyme stability to drive the narrative momentum.

Verified Doubles & Entendres

"Try to hurt a rose, you get pricked by a thorn"

① Literal warning about thorns protecting a flower.② Metaphorical warning that causing pain to a delicate person (the rose) invites defensive retaliation (the thorn).

"Comin' back past dawn with the guilty mask on"

① The physical act of hiding one's face due to guilt.② The metaphorical 'mask' of deceit worn by an unfaithful partner to hide their extracurricular activities.

Strong narrative clarity

Consistent emotional tone

Effective use of internal rhyme to maintain rhythm within simple sentences

Lack of complex metaphors

Literal storytelling style misses opportunities for lyrical depth

Relies on standard tropes of the relationship-conflict subgenre

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