You're missing the final verse Kanye sings, at least in the version I have. In it, he sings this verse before the final repeat of the hook:
"Never was much of a romantic/I could never take the intimacy/And I know it did damage/'Cause the look in your eyes is killin' me/I guess that you had an advantage/'Cause you could blame me for everything/And I don't know how I'm-a manage/If one day you just up and leave".
To me, this may be the most important verse, because it gives us a final, slightly deeper glimpse at the fear and regret behind his ambivalence and inability to fully commit, even to a woman he truly loves--there are simply too many temptations, his old habits are too ingrained, and his partner has made it too easy for him to buy into his own excuses. He doesn't understand why she won't give into his attempts to drive her away--"I'm about to get crazy/why can't she just run away?", even as he admits that it will break him when she finally does give up and leave.
That said, I think this song isn't about someone who doesn't love the woman he's with, but about a guy that admits that he doesn't really know how to love anyone, including himself--hence the back and forth between lines that play up his secret pockets of self-loathing and lines that brag about his money and its ability to pull in women. He admits that his woman is a "good girl", but he's still addicted to the "hood rats" even though he knows their attraction to him is almost certainly totally shallow and all about what he could provide for them if they took her place. To me there's a lingering sadness in this song about the loneliness of that fact--he can't really connect, so he drowns himself in money and stray p***y, and feels helpless to change that fact. I absolutely love Kanye, but was shocked that he wrote a song that revealed so much vulnerability; I feel like he's really grown as an artist on this album.
This interpretation makes the most sense to me. Very well-written. Thanks for not just connecting the two closest dots together and calling it meaning.
This interpretation makes the most sense to me. Very well-written. Thanks for not just connecting the two closest dots together and calling it meaning.
I'm really feeling your take on this. It is very interesting song for psychological observation. As in, why does Kanye feel compelled to be this way? Is it just the way he is and he can't change it? Is he able to change his feelings and behavior as an individual? Or is he stuck this way or just prefers to stay this way? It's a fascinating look inside his psyche.
I'm really feeling your take on this. It is very interesting song for psychological observation. As in, why does Kanye feel compelled to be this way? Is it just the way he is and he can't change it? Is he able to change his feelings and behavior as an individual? Or is he stuck this way or just prefers to stay this way? It's a fascinating look inside his psyche.
@carpeomniachica You hit the nail on the head, I know this because I am this guy and this is a real experience. Now I'm just wondering which one was the woman he truly loved - or if this was imagined.
@carpeomniachica You hit the nail on the head, I know this because I am this guy and this is a real experience. Now I'm just wondering which one was the woman he truly loved - or if this was imagined.
You're missing the final verse Kanye sings, at least in the version I have. In it, he sings this verse before the final repeat of the hook:
"Never was much of a romantic/I could never take the intimacy/And I know it did damage/'Cause the look in your eyes is killin' me/I guess that you had an advantage/'Cause you could blame me for everything/And I don't know how I'm-a manage/If one day you just up and leave".
To me, this may be the most important verse, because it gives us a final, slightly deeper glimpse at the fear and regret behind his ambivalence and inability to fully commit, even to a woman he truly loves--there are simply too many temptations, his old habits are too ingrained, and his partner has made it too easy for him to buy into his own excuses. He doesn't understand why she won't give into his attempts to drive her away--"I'm about to get crazy/why can't she just run away?", even as he admits that it will break him when she finally does give up and leave.
That said, I think this song isn't about someone who doesn't love the woman he's with, but about a guy that admits that he doesn't really know how to love anyone, including himself--hence the back and forth between lines that play up his secret pockets of self-loathing and lines that brag about his money and its ability to pull in women. He admits that his woman is a "good girl", but he's still addicted to the "hood rats" even though he knows their attraction to him is almost certainly totally shallow and all about what he could provide for them if they took her place. To me there's a lingering sadness in this song about the loneliness of that fact--he can't really connect, so he drowns himself in money and stray p***y, and feels helpless to change that fact. I absolutely love Kanye, but was shocked that he wrote a song that revealed so much vulnerability; I feel like he's really grown as an artist on this album.
carpeomniachica- what a great post, thank you!
carpeomniachica- what a great post, thank you!
This interpretation makes the most sense to me. Very well-written. Thanks for not just connecting the two closest dots together and calling it meaning.
This interpretation makes the most sense to me. Very well-written. Thanks for not just connecting the two closest dots together and calling it meaning.
I'm really feeling your take on this. It is very interesting song for psychological observation. As in, why does Kanye feel compelled to be this way? Is it just the way he is and he can't change it? Is he able to change his feelings and behavior as an individual? Or is he stuck this way or just prefers to stay this way? It's a fascinating look inside his psyche.
I'm really feeling your take on this. It is very interesting song for psychological observation. As in, why does Kanye feel compelled to be this way? Is it just the way he is and he can't change it? Is he able to change his feelings and behavior as an individual? Or is he stuck this way or just prefers to stay this way? It's a fascinating look inside his psyche.
@carpeomniachica You hit the nail on the head, I know this because I am this guy and this is a real experience. Now I'm just wondering which one was the woman he truly loved - or if this was imagined.
@carpeomniachica You hit the nail on the head, I know this because I am this guy and this is a real experience. Now I'm just wondering which one was the woman he truly loved - or if this was imagined.