Simile Analysis 2

Title: My Life (ft. Lil Wayne) Artist: The Game

[Chorus: Lil’ Wayne]

And I’m grindin’ til I’m tiredThey say "You ain’t grindin’ til you tired"So I’m grindin’ with my eyes wideLooking to findA wayThrough the dayA lifeFor the nightDear Lord, you’ve done took so many of my people but I’m just wonderin’ whyYou haven’t taken (my life? x3)Like what the hell am I (doing right? x3)(My Life x3)

[Verse 1: The Game]Take me away from the hood like a state penitentiary Take me away from the hood in the casket or a Bentley Take me awayLike I overdosed on cocaine Or take me away like a bullet from Kurt Cobain Suicide (Suicide..suicide..)I'm from a Windy City, like "Do or Die"From a block close to where Biggie was crucifiedThat was Brooklyn's JesusShot for no f**kin' reasonAnd you wonder why Kanye wears Jesus pieces? (My Life x3)'Cause that's Jesus peopleAnd The Game, he's the equalHated on so much, "The Passion of Christ" need a sequelYeah, like Roc-a-fella needed SigelLike I needed my father, but he needed a needle (My Life x3)I need some meditation, so I can leave my peopleThey askin' “Why?" Why did John Lennon leave The Beatles?And why every hood n**** feed off evil?Answer my question before this bullet leave this Desert Eagle

[Chorus: Lil’ Wayne]And I’m grindin’ til I’m tiredThey say "You ain’t grindin’ til you tired"So I’m grindin’ with my eyes wideLooking to findA wayThrough the dayA lifeFor the nightDear Lord, you’ve done took so many of my people but I’m just wonderin’ whyYou haven’t taken (my life? x3)Like what the hell am I (doing right? x3)(My Life x3)

[Verse 2: The Game]We are not the same, I am a MartianSo approach my Phantom doors with caution (caution...caution)You see them 24's spinnin'? I earned themAnd I ain't no preacher, but here's my Erick SermonSo eat this black music, and tell me how it taste, now?And f**k Jesse Jackson cause it ain't about race, nowSometimes I think about my life with my face downThen I see my sons and put on that Kanye smile (My Life x3)Damn, I know his momma's proudAnd since you helped me sell my dream, we can share my momma nowAnd like MJB, "No More Drama" nowLivin’ the +good life+, me and Common on common groundI spit crack and n***** could drive it outta townGotta Chris Paul mind state, I'm never outta boundsMy life used to be empty like a glock without a round Now my life full, like a chopper with a thousand rounds (Gunshots)

[Chorus: Lil’ Wayne]And I’m grindin’ 'til I’m tiredThey say "You ain’t grindin’ 'til you tired"So I’m grindin’ with my eyes wideLooking to findA wayThrough the dayA lifeFor the nightDear Lord you’ve done took so many of my people but I’m just wonderin’ whyYou haven’t taken (my life? x3)Like what the hell am I (doing right? x3)(My Life x3)

[Verse 3: The Game]Walk through the gates of Hell, see my Impala parked in frontThe high beams on, me and the Devil share chronic bluntsListening to the "Chronic" album, playing backwardsShootin’ at pictures of Don Imus for target practiceMy mind f**ked up, so I cover it with a Raider hoodI'm from the city that made you motherf**kers afraid of Suge (Compton... Compton...)Made my grandmother pray for goodAnd never made her happy, when I bet that new Mercedes could (My Life x3)Ain't no bars, but n***** can't escape the hoodThey took so many of my n*****, that I should hate the hoodBut it's real n***** like me, that make the hoodRidin' slow in that Phantom just the way I should (My Life x3)With the top backIn my Sox hatI'm paid in full, the n**** Alpo couldn't stop thatEven if they brought the n**** 'Pac backI'd still keep this motherf**ker cocked back

[Chorus: Lil’ Wayne]And I’m grindin’ til I’m tiredThey say "You ain’t grindin’ til you tired"So I’m grindin’ with my eyes wideLooking to findA wayThrough the dayA lifeFor the nightDear Lord you’ve done took so many of my people but I’m just wonderin’ whyYou haven’t taken (my life x3)Like what the hell am I (doing right? x3)(My Life x3)(My Life x3)(My Life x3)(My Life x3)

This song is My Life by The Game. It was recently one of the most popular songs played on rap stations, like 94.5 and 106.3. The Game and Lil Wayne are some of the best rappers that are around today. They are able to incorporate poetry into their songs, like similes. One simile that is in this song is, "My life used to be empty like a glock without a round" and it is followed by, "Now my life full, like a chopper with a thousand rounds". These similes are different because the first one is saying that his life was not worth while and useless like a gun is without any bullets. The second simile is saying that now that he is famous and happy with his life, it is like a chopper which can carry a lot more than a gun. Another simile is, "Take me away from the hood like a state penitentiary". He is talking about being locked up in this simile because when the police take him out of his "hood", he is sent to jail for his actions. Next, these similes, "Take me away Like I overdosed on cocaine Or take me away like a bullet from Kurt Cobain" are very similar because they are talking about his death. He is telling the audience that he wants to die because he is not happy. He also does not care how he passes away, whether it be an overdose or being shot to death. Either way, he is finding a way out of his life. Overall, both of these rappers are extremely popular and also intelligent in the way that they use poetic devices in their songs.

Simile Analysis

Ooh Ahh Lyrics by Grits

My life be like

Ooh ahh yea ooh oooh

My life be like

Ooh ahh yea ooh oooh

Ooh ahh yea ooh oooh

My life be like

Ooh ahh yea ooh oooh

It's times like these that make me say

Lord if you see me please come my way

Leavin' bread crumbs for when I stray

Rely on sacrifice and the price you paid

Feel me like a fingertip

Sometimes I fall I slip

My heartfelt desire be more like you

Trying not to quench your fire by the things that I do

On an island by my lonesome stranded

Low key and stayin' candid

Reflect on all the things I try my hand at

Search for the equations to persuasions

Im used to

Finding comfort in the zones of closet bones

I get loose to

A mountainous fontaine

Spinnin' and monsoonin'

Grinnin' its high octane

Explosive how I came
Rollin down hills cause lifes a hastle

Enriched by my folly like a moat surround a castle

Stay afloat catch a second wind

Thin is the air I breathe

Teary eyed nose runnin'

Wipe the snot on my sleeve

I'm calling on my saviour

To be all that hat I need

Please forgive me

My behaviour had me lost at light speed

It's times like these that make me say

Lord if you see me please come my way

Leavin' bread crumbs for when I stray

Rely on sacrifice and the price you paid

Feel me like a fingertip

Sometimes I fall I slip

My heartfelt desire be more like you

Trying not to quench your fire by the things that I do

The fear of never falling in love

And the tears after losing the feelings

Of what you thought love was

Like the dirt still up under the rug

Bad characteristics

Covered in christ's blood

The joy of new birth

And the pain of growing up

The bliss between giving my all

And giving up

The highs and lows

Paths and roads I chose

In the cold I froze

Trying to ease my woes

In this world of sin

Clothes to thin to fend

So to god I send

Words of help to win

In grumblings so deep

Letters could never express

So the sound of ooh aah

Beneath my breath projects

My life be like

It's times like these that make me say

Lord if you see me please come my way

Leavin' bread crumbs for when I stray

Rely on sacrifice and the price you paid

Feel me like a fingertip

Sometimes I fall I slip

My heartfelt desire be more like you

Trying not to quench your fire by the things that I do

My life be like ooh aah ooh

Come young diti

Here comes that boy from the capital city

Last up on the Grits new diti

But eight bars of the truth will do, eh

I believe there's a bride thats stunning

And, I believe in the kingdom coming

I believe if you seek the truth,

You don't need to look far cuz' it's gonna find you

But why oh why do I trip and stumble

And ohh ahh's can make me crumble

I can't believe that I'm here again Again, again

My life be like

It's times like these that make me say

Lord if you see me please come my way

Leavin' bread crumbs for when I stray

Rely on sacrifice and the price you paid

Feel me like a fingertip

Sometimes I fall I slip

My heartfelt desire be more like you

Trying not to quench your fire by the things that I do (x2)

This song is called Ooh ahh by Grits. It fits into my theme and genre because it is a rap song about the struggles he has with love and getting by in life. He is asking the Lord to help him because he is not doing as well in life as he would like to. One of the simile's that is used is "Feel me like a fingertip". This, to me, means that he is able to feel that the Lord is near him even though he is unable to touch him, like you would with your fingers. Another simile is,
"Of what you thought love was Like the dirt still up under the rug". This means that he thought that he was in love because they were together for so long like dirt under a rug. Also, they swept all of their problems that they had under the rug, which lead to heartbreak. Finally the last simile in this song is, "Enriched by my folly like a moat surround a castle". This means that he was very foolish in the things that he did and he compares it to a moat around a castle because it is not intelligent to have water surrounding a castle. This is not intelligent because if the enemy that is on the outside of the castle gets in, it is hard for either of them to escape the castle since there is only one exit. Overall, Grits is very talented in the way he uses similes in this song.

Essay for "Runaway Love" by Ludacris

Ashlie LaCivita
Poetry of Song
Ms. Malone
02/11/09
Analysis Essay

Struggles Faced by Adolescents
Ludacris does a remarkable job of portraying his message about the struggles that some adolescents are faced with. “Runaway Love”, by Ludacris, featuring Mary J. Blige, represents the theme of struggle through Hip Hop and Rap music. It is about little girls who are “stuck up in the world on her own”. They have to take care of themselves because no one else around them cares about them. They range from nine to eleven years old and their goal in life, at such a young age, is to run away from home. Ludacris is trying to get the listener to realize the struggles that even children have to face because adults are not the only ones who have problems, like most people believe. He is very successful in portraying his message through this song and the tone of the song also goes along well with the lyrics. Overall, Ludacris is the most talented artist in the music industry.
Girls at that young of an age should be enjoying their childhood, but instead they are forced to become adults and take care of themselves. Lisa, whom is nine years old, is always stuck at home alone. She never met her Father and she never sees her Mother because she is always out partying and then brings home men every night. Once her Mother passes out from the drugs, the men sneak into Lisa’s room and try to have their way with her. As much as she resists, she is only nine years old and not strong enough to fight them off. Since no one is around to stick up for her, “she says she’s `bout to run away and never come back”.
Nicole, whom is ten years old, also deals with the stress of being abused. Her step-father always abuses her, mentally and physically, and even though her teachers realize what is going on, Nicole makes excuses for him. Nicole wishes that she could leave, but she is unable to because there is no where she can really go. Finally, she is able to find someone whom she can relate to and also become friends with. Both Nicole and Stacy know that they are going to have to stick together, so they “promise that they always be tight `til the end”. Their friendship shortly ends when Stacy ends up getting shot and killed in her neighborhood one day. Nicole now feels like she is all alone again and that there is “nothing else to do but get her clothes and pack”.
Erica, whom is eleven years old, also has to deal with daily struggles in her life. She does not feel safe and ends up taking pills because she thinks that they can get rid of her pain. Erica is only an adolescent and does not realize that she can ruin her life by becoming addicted to taking pills. After a while, she meets a sixteen year old boy and without her seeing it, he takes advantage of her. He knows that she is going through a lot, so he pretends that he loves her so he can have sex with her. Erica truly believes that she is in love, so when he asks to have unprotected sex, she agrees. She becomes pregnant and the “love of her life” decides that “he ain’t ready for a kid”, so he leaves her. Now Erica is stuck with the responsibility to not only take care of herself, but also for the child that she will be having. Even though her life is not fair, she is unable to face her consequences and “she say she’s about to run away and never come back”.
The tone of “Runaway Love” is sad, depressing, and it opens the eyes of the listeners. Although Ludacris only uses a few poetic devices, they enhance the tone of the song. People who read the lyrics to Ludacris’ song can tell that he is portraying a very serious story. The melody is not upbeat, like most other hip hop or rap songs, which makes the listener hear what he is trying to say. Also, he uses the word “hell” three times in his song, which symbolizes how awful and miserable their lives are. Another poetic device that is used is rhyme. Rhyming is often used in hip hop and rap songs to make the lyrics flow together. The last word in every line rhymes with the word in the previous line, but only during the verses. The only parts that do not rhyme in “Runaway Love” are the hook and the outro. Finally, Ludacris uses imagery to make his song feel more powerful. Imagery helps the listener to relate with the characters in the song because they can see in their mind what is taking place. “Mama is on drugs getting high up in the kitchen” is an example of the imagery that is being used because the listener can picture the little girl sitting alone in her room, while her mom is taking drugs in their kitchen. This makes the listener sympathize for the little girl, Lisa, because she is only nine years old and her mother is too busy getting high to take care of her. Ludacris is able to make his listeners grasp how important it is to pay attention to signs of abuse so that adolescents do not have to feel like “hell is a place called home”.
In conclusion, Ludacris is an extraordinary hip hop artist. He makes his listeners feel like they are in the same position as the girls who are in his song, which in return, makes them aware of child abuse. Ludacris not only makes his listeners aware of child abuse through his songs, but he also has a program called “The Ludacris Foundation”. It was created for “helping youth help themselves”. The foundation contains five different programs that are all focused on helping children in our country. Finally, at the end of “Runaway Love”, Ludacris comforts the girls to make them feel like someone out there cares for them. His Foundation also helps children realize that someone out there would like to help them because not everyone has to struggle to get through life.

Song Analysis Lyrics

"Runaway Love"

Ludacris
(feat. Mary J. Blige)

[Hook - Mary J. Blige]

Runaway love, Runaway loveRunaway love, Runaway loveRunaway love, Runaway loveRunaway love, Runaway love

[Verse 1 - Ludacris]

Now little Lisa is only 9 years oldShe's trying to figure out why the world is so coldWhy she's all alone and ain't never met her familyMama's always gone and she never met her daddyPart of her is missing and nobody will listenMama is on drugs getting high up in the kitchenBringing home men at different hours of the nightStarting with some laughs -- usually ending in a fightSneaking in her room while her mama's knocked outTrying to have his way and little Lisa says 'ouch'She tries to resist but then all he does is beat herTries to tell her mom but her mama don't believe herLisa is stuck up in the world on her ownForced to think that hell is a place called homeNothing else to do but get some clothes and packShe says she's 'bout to run away and never come back.

[Hook - Mary J. Blige]

Runaway love [x8]

[Verse 2 - Ludacris]

Little Nicole is only 10 years oldShe's steady trying to figure why the world is so coldWhy she's not pretty and nobody seems to like herAlcoholic step-dad always wanna strike herYells and abuses, leaves her with some bruisesTeachers ask questions she making up excusesBleeding on the inside, crying on the outIt's only one girl really knows what she aboutHer name is little Stacy and they become friendsPromise that they always be tight 'til the endUntil one day little Stacy gets shotA drive by bullet went stray up on her blockNow Nicole stuck up in the world on her ownForced to think that hell is a place called homeNothing else to do but get her clothes and packShe says she's 'bout to run away and never come back.

[Hook - Mary J. Blige]

Runaway love [x8]

[Verse 3 - Ludacris]

Little Erica is eleven years oldShe's steady trying to figure why the world is so coldSo she pops pills to get rid of all the painPlus she's having sex with a boy who's sixteenEmotions run deep and she thinks she's in loveSo there's no protection he's using no gloveNever thinking 'bout the consequences of her actionsLiving for today and not tomorrow's satisfactionThe days go by and her belly gets bigThe father bails out he ain't ready for a kidKnowing her mama will blow it all outta proportionPlus she lives poor so no money for abortionErica is stuck up in the world on her ownForced to think that hell is a place called homeNothing else to do but get her clothes and packShe say she's about to run away and never come back.

[Hook - Mary J. Blige]

Runaway loveDon't keep on runnin'Runnin' [4x]Don't keep on running [x]I know how you feel, I've been thereI was runnin' away tooI will run away with you [2x]Runaway Runaway LoveDon't keep running awayI'll run away with you, if you want me too

[Outro - Ludacris:]

Yea, I can only image what you're going through ladies,Sometimes I feel like running away myself,So do me a favor right now and close your eyes,And picture us running away together,when we come back everything is gonna be okay,Open your eyes....... eyes

About Me :)

I am a senior at Norton High School. This blog is for my poetry of song class. The Genre that I will be focusing on is Hip Hop; including: Lil Wayne, T.I., Chris Brown, Akon, Kanye West, T-Pain, etc.

Narrative Song for struggles through hip hop/rap

"Juicy"

NOTORIOUS B.I.G. LYRICS

[Intro:]

(F*** all you hoes) Get a grip motherf*****.

Yeah, this album is dedicated to all the teachers that told me I'd never amount to nothin', to all the people that lived above the buildings that I was hustlin' in front of that called the police on me when I was just tryin' to make some money to feed my daughters, and all the n***** in the struggle, you know what I'm sayin'?Uh-ha, it's all good baby bay-bee, uh

[Verse One:]

It was all a dream

I used to read Word Up magazine

Salt'n'Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine

Hangin' pictures on my wall

Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl

I let my tape rock 'til my tape popped

Smokin' weed and bamboo, sippin' on private stock

Way back, when I had the red and black lumberjack

With the hat to match Remember Rappin' Duke, duh-ha, duh-ha

You never thought that hip hop would take it this far

Now I'm in the limelight 'cause I rhyme tight

Time to get paid, blow up like the World Trade

Born sinner, the opposite of a winner

Remember when I used to eat sardines for dinner

Peace to Ron G, Brucey B, Kid Capri Funkmaster Flex, Lovebug Starsky

I'm blowin' up like you thought I would

Call the crib, same number same hood

It's all good

Uh, and if you don't know, now you know, n****, uh

[Chorus:]

You know very well who you are

Don't let em hold you down, reach for the stars

You had a goal, but not that many'cause you're the only one

I'll give you good and plenty

[Verse Two:]

I made the change from a common thief

To up close and personal with Robin Leach

And I'm far from cheap, I smoke skunk with my peeps all day

Spread love, it's the Brooklyn way

The Moet and Alize keep me pissy

Girls used to diss me

Now they write letters 'cause they miss me

I never thought it could happen, this rappin' stuff

I was too used to packin' gats and stuff

Now honies play me close like butter played toast

From the Mississippi down to the east coast

Condos in Queens, indo for weeks

Sold out seats to hear Biggie Smalls speak

Livin' life without fear

Puttin' 5 karats in my baby girl's ears

Lunches, brunches, interviews by the pool

Considered a fool 'cause I dropped out of high school

Stereotypes of a black male misunderstood

And it's still all good Uh...and if you don't know, now you know, n****

[Verse Three:]

Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis

When I was dead broke, man I couldn't picture this

50 inch screen, money green leather sofa

Got two rides, a limousine with a chauffeur

Phone bill about two G's flat

No need to worry, my accountant handles that

And my whole crew is loungin'

Celebratin' every day, no more public housin'

Thinkin' back on my one-room shack

Now my mom pimps a Ac' with minks on her back

And she loves to show me off, of course

Smiles every time my face is up in The Source

We used to fuss when the landlord dissed us

No heat, wonder why Christmas missed us

Birthdays was the worst days

Now we sip champagne when we thirst-ay

Uh, damn right I like the life I live

'Cause I went from negative to positive

And it's all...

(It's all good)

...and if you don't know, now you know, n****, uhUh, uh...and if you don't know, now you know, n****Uh...and if you don't know, now you know, n****, uh

Representin' B-Town in the house, Junior Mafia, mad flavor, uhUh, yeah, a-ight