Lyrical Breakdown of Can I Live - A Journey through Words and Rhymes

Welcome to the detailed analysis of "Can I Live" on Lazyjot. Here, we unravel the lyrical complexity and artistic brilliance that define this iconic song.

Lyric Overview: Witness how Jay-Z weaves words into powerful emotions and vivid imagery. From intricate rhyme schemes to compelling storytelling, every line in "Can I Live" is a testament to masterful songwriting.
Rhyme and Rhythm Analysis: Our Lazyjot editor highlights the ingenious use of multi-syllabic rhymes and the rhythm pattern that Jay-Z employs. Understand the construction of each verse and how it contributes to the song's overall impact.
Syllable Pattern Insights: Dive deeper into the structural elements of the lyrics. See how the syllable count varies across the song, adding a unique rhythm and flow to Jay-Z's narrative.

This lyrical analysis of "Can I Live" not only celebrates Jay-Z's artistic prowess but also serves as an educational tool for aspiring songwriters. If this analysis inspires you and you'd like to see your own songs analyzed in this way, join the Lazyjot community. Register at Lazyjot and start exploring the full potential of your lyrical creativity. Turn your thoughts into rhymes and your rhymes into songs with Lazyjot!

Yeah (Hah, yeah), Roc-A-Fella

We invite you to, somethin' epic y'all know? (Somethin', somethin')

Well, we hustle out of a sense of, hopelessness

Sort of a desperation (Live nigga)

Through that desperation, we 'come addicted

Sorta like the fiends we accustomed to servin'

Well, we feel we have nothin' to lose (Everything to gain)

So we offer you, well, we offer our lives (Right?)

What do you bring to the table?

While I'm watchin' every nigga watchin' me closely

My shit is butter for the bread they wanna toast me

I keep my head, both of them where they supposed to be

Hoes'll get you sidetracked then clap from closed feet

I don't sleep, I'm tired, I feel wired like codeine, these days

A brother gotta admire from four fiends away

My pain, wish it was quick to see, from sellin' 'caine

'Til brains was fried to a fricaisse, can't lie

At the time it never bothered me, at the bar

Gettin' my thug on properly, my squad and me

Lack of respect for authority, laughin' hard

Happy to be escapin' poverty, however brief

I know this game got valleys and peaks

Expectation for dips, for percipitation we stack chips, hardly

The youth I used to be, soon to see a mill'in

No more, Big Willie my game has grown prefer you call me William

Illin' for revenues, Rayful Edmund-like

Channel 7 news, round seven jewels, head dead in the mic

Forgettin all I ever knew, convenient amnesia

I suggest you call my lawyer, I know the procedure

Lock my body can't trap my mind, easily

Explain why we adapt to crime

I'd rather die enormous than live dormant that's how we on it

Live at the main event, I bet a trip to Maui on it

Presidential suites my residential for the weekend

Confidentially speakin' in codes since I sense you peekin'

The NSX rental, don't be fooled, my game is mental

We both out of town dog, what you tryin' to get into?

Viva, Las Vegas, see ya, later at the crap tables

Meet me by the one that starts a G up

This way no Fraud Willies present gamblin' they re-up

And we can have a pleasant time, sippin' margaritas

Ge-ge-ge-yeah, can I live?

Can I live?

My mind is infested, with sick thoughts that circle

Like a Lexus, if driven wrong it's sure to hurt you

Dual level like duplexes, in unity, my crew and me

Commit atrocities like we got immunity

You guessed it, manifested intangible goods

Platinum Rolex'd it, we don't lease

We buy the whole car, as you should

My confederation, dead a nation

Explode on detonation, overload the mind of a said patient

When it boils to steam, it comes to it

We all fiends gotta do it, even righteous minds go through this

True this, the streets school us to spend our money foolish

Bond with jewelers and, watch for intruders

I stepped it up another level, meditated like a Buddhist

Recruited lieutenants with ludicrous, dreams of gettin' cream

Let's do this, it gets tedious

So I keep one eye open like, CBS

You see me stressed, right?

Can I live?

(Ha-hah, Roc-A-Fella y'all)