Let's break down a song- vol.1? JayZ- I know

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It dawned on me to make this post when a friend of mine and i were riding in the whip and he said he didn't get this song. Hopefully, we can do this with anew song every few days or so.


verse1
Uh-
She wants that old thing back
Uh- uh- uh-
She want those Heroin tracks
She likes me
She fiends for me nightly
She leans for me
Morning she rush for my touch
This is about LUST
Cold sweats occur when I'm not with her
My presence is a must- must- must-
Bonita Applebum, i gotta put you on
If i didn't when we cuttin' the feeling would be too strong
In any form, I'm giving you sweet dreams
That Sugar Hill, she call me her sweet thing
That Black Rain that take away your pain
Just for one night, baby, take me in vein
Now that feelin' got you trippin'
You no wanna feel no differently
Said lust has got you itchin'
Nose wide open and its' drippin' -eh -eh -eh -eh
I know what you like, i am your prescription
I'm your physician, I'm your addiction

verse2
I am so DOPE
Like Lou Vuitton's with the red bottoms
You gotta have 'em, you glad you got 'em
Like every color Giuseppe's, your guilty pleasure is me
Its so much fun, you shun therapy
Although it never be, the feeling is fleeting
Shopping's like coppin', you constantly need it
I'm never around, you constantly seek it
You'll never be down, i know where your peak is
9 1/2 weeks is better than 12-steps
I keep tryin' to remind you to keep tellin' yourself
Now your conscience is interfering, like "Better yourself!"
Like you better get help
But when that medicine's felt?
We're back together
Don't ever leave me
Don't ever let 'em tell you that you'll never need me
My China White, 'til we D.O.A.
Its Montego forever, baby, lets get away....


verse 3
How could you leave me?
I thought that you needed me!
When the world got too much and you pleaded with me--
Who helped you immediately?
How speedy of me!
How could you deny me so vehemently?
Now your body is shakin' trying to free it of me
And your soul is in control, trying to lead it from me
And your heart no longer pledge allegiance to me
Damn, I'm missing the days when you needed the D


verse 1 the addiction
It's quite obvious this song is about the dynamic between a lustful relationship with music and heroin addiction. Jayuses a smooth double entendre to open the song, "heroin tracks" referring to 'dope' music and actual heroin abuse. He then moves on to thecold sweat that happens when someone goes into withdrawal from being without their addiction, then jay moves right on to the idea of cutting the heroin or thetrack, describing how when uncut it's too strong(the reason so many od'd on blue magic) In any form, I'm giving you sweet dreams, another slickdouble entendre describing how his mutiple flows can create the desired result or how blue magic was strong enough to be used intavenously or smoked. jay thenpledges his music to her(the addict) by asking her to take him in vain/vein(a true pledge or shooting up heroin?) and then we move on to that feeling thatheroin or 'dope' music can give, almost as if you're tripping and he describes the side effects, the uncontrollable itching and constant runningnose of a fiend. He close with describing he's the physician, how he can provide the 'dope' in more than one way obviously.

verse 2 the intervention, relapse and rehab

Jay comends himself and the heroin simontaneously to open and continues to liken the indulgence of finer to things toheroin indulgence, he describes the feeling of shunning help when people suggest she may need it. but like anyone with an addiction the constant need toindulge is overwhelming, they know they'll never be able to achieve this high by other means and then their better half suggest they me need help to betterthemselves. Our addict then goes into a 12 step prgram and has a relapse while she there and jay attempts to coax her back into addiction by describing hownothing else can ever be better for her and how he'll be there till this addiction kills her

verse 3 the recovery

Hov plays the role of the drug here, calling back his former fiend, question how she can deny her indulgence, how heknows her body still need the dope but how her mind and sould have led her away from it, and then the realization that she's beat this addiction.


As far as wordplay and double entendres go, this might be Jay's greatest song ever, you thoughs, opinions, different ideas?
 
Out of all the songs to break down, this one isn't a very good choice. It's a pretty straightforward metaphor. As long as you listen to the song itshouldn't be hard to get.
 
another example of simple #@%! making peoples minds get boggled ... LOL ... dude just said this could be his greatest song ever ... ... ... ... ...
 
Originally Posted by MarleysProtege

another example of simple #@%! making peoples minds get boggled ... LOL ... dude just said this could be his greatest song ever ... ... ... ... ...


... ... Do you have reading comprehension issues? He stated as far as wordplay and double entendres go, it MIGHT be his greatest song ever. I repeat, as far asWORDPLAY AND DOUBLE ENTENDRES, it MIGHT be his greatest song ever. I still disagree with that statement, but damn are you !%##!## annoying... ... ...
 
Originally Posted by N3FF 3000

... ... Do you have reading comprehension issues? He stated as far as wordplay and double entendres go, it MIGHT be his greatest song ever. I repeat, as far as WORDPLAY AND DOUBLE ENTENDRES, it MIGHT be his greatest song ever. I still disagree with that statement, but damn are you !%##!## annoying... ... ...
i mean how do you go from the first bold to the next?
 
Originally Posted by MarleysProtege

Originally Posted by N3FF 3000

... ... Do you have reading comprehension issues? He stated as far as wordplay and double entendres go, it MIGHT be his greatest song ever. I repeat, as far as WORDPLAY AND DOUBLE ENTENDRES, it MIGHT be his greatest song ever. I still disagree with that statement, but damn are you !%##!## annoying... ... ...
i mean how do you go from the first bold to the next?


Is that your attempt at making people laugh? Or are you really that @%++### stupid..? I'm stumped.
 
so lets see ... you disagree with what he said, but youre mad at me cuz i laughed at what he said cuz i found it comical ... and to answer your first question,yes i did realize he said as far as "wordplay and double entendres go, this might be Jay's greatest song ever" ... and to that i reply ..."another example of simple #@%! making peoples minds get boggled ... LOL ... dude just said this could be his greatest song ever ... ... ... ... ..."
 
Originally Posted by N3FF 3000

Originally Posted by MarleysProtege

Originally Posted by N3FF 3000

... ... Do you have reading comprehension issues? He stated as far as wordplay and double entendres go, it MIGHT be his greatest song ever. I repeat, as far as WORDPLAY AND DOUBLE ENTENDRES, it MIGHT be his greatest song ever. I still disagree with that statement, but damn are you !%##!## annoying... ... ...
i mean how do you go from the first bold to the next?


Is that your attempt at making people laugh? Or are you really that @%++### stupid..? I'm stumped.
Oh snap, shots fired!
 
Originally Posted by JC08

Originally Posted by N3FF 3000

Originally Posted by MarleysProtege

Originally Posted by N3FF 3000

... ... Do you have reading comprehension issues? He stated as far as wordplay and double entendres go, it MIGHT be his greatest song ever. I repeat, as far as WORDPLAY AND DOUBLE ENTENDRES, it MIGHT be his greatest song ever. I still disagree with that statement, but damn are you !%##!## annoying... ... ...
i mean how do you go from the first bold to the next?


Is that your attempt at making people laugh? Or are you really that @%++### stupid..? I'm stumped.
Oh snap, shots fired!
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roll.gif


naw but due is right this could be ONE of his greatest songs out there. love when hov does this. he got ol dude so stumped all he can do is try and be funnyon this thread.

oh and OP love the avy
laugh.gif
 
$!+@ is you talkin about stumped? and when was i tryin to be funny? dude disagreed with the op and then got mad at me cuz i disagreed too ... $!+@ outta here
 
Originally Posted by MarleysProtege

$!+@ is you talkin about stumped? and when was i tryin to be funny? dude disagreed with the op and then got mad at me cuz i disagreed too ... $!+@ outta here

laugh.gif
true but he saved himself by getting on you
roll.gif
indifferent.gif
 
Originally Posted by HARMCITY45

i don't see the need for a breakdown..*+*@@ was talkin' about that heroin...


all jay did was copy of 50's Baltimore love thing...

no way jay copied ANYTHING from 50 ... that would be an abomination! ... ... ...
eyes.gif
 
Jay-Z is one of my favorite artists...but this is not a song I wouldve chose to analyze. This is newer and just not very deep in my opinion. A better songchoice would have been D'Evils, Dead Presidents, or Just A Week Ago.

It is very interesting to analyze a song where the metaphors and connections are more subtle than obvious. As an English major, I wrote an analysis aboutNas' song "Blunt Ashes" from Hip-Hop Is Dead and was pleasently surprised by the complexity of something that to some may sound like a songsolely about marijuana.

Subtle > Obvious
 
Originally Posted by MarleysProtege

Originally Posted by HARMCITY45

i don't see the need for a breakdown..*+*@@ was talkin' about that heroin...


all jay did was copy of 50's Baltimore love thing...

no way jay copied ANYTHING from 50 ... that would be an abomination! ... ... ...
eyes.gif
 
I Know is a very cool song but it's not complicated at all. It's a very simple metaphor... there are a few clever metaphors but no need for abreakdown. It's like breaking down Kanye's Homecoming.

For Jay we should try D'Evils or A Week Ago like mentioned. Those are more complicated and have a little more meaning.
 
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