Lyricalanalysis - A breakdown of Mac Miller\'s use of lyrics in one of his songs to describe the PDF

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A breakdown of Mac Miller's use of lyrics in one of his songs to describe the overall feeling and mood of the song. Also touches on lyrical techniques used and emotions portrayed. ...

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Clark Herring Prof. Talhem ENG 209-01

Lyrical Analysis #1

The song that I have chosen to discuss with you is a song composed by the late hip-hop artist, Mac Miller, that happens to be the very first song on his last album. The song in particular is called “Come Back To Earth”, it is a very multi-faceted laid back jazz composure featuring twinkling guitar riffs, a splendid bass walks and slides alongside a chorus of strings and piano. Although the song only contains one verse and chorus repeated twice, it is a very dark yet humbling introduction into what many regarded as essentially being a suicide note like album that Mac used to wave goodbye to the world. It is a song lyrically, as well as musically and stylistically talented which is why I regard it as being an excellent composition. The intro of the song starts right off with Mac Miller singing the words “my regrets look just like texts I shouldn’t send”, a reference that probably alludes to Mac’s intoxicated moments of texting people in his life that ended up in effecting those relationships negatively. It also is something many people can relate to as the use of cell phones becomes ever more the allocated source of human connection, and especially the moments in life when someone used their phone to call or text someone they really shouldn’t have so early in the morning. The next line continues, “I got neighbors more like strangers, we could be friends. I just need a way out of my head.”. This show’s the artist’s vulnerability of how although he’s famous and well known, he still feels lonely, the following line then being “I’ll do anything for a way out of my head”

alluding to more moments of intoxication from drugs or drinking. Mac is expressing he’s in trouble, and he can’t trust himself to help solve this trouble. Continuing into the verse the opening guitar and bass come together melodically with strings and piano riffs quite angelic. The lines continue, “In a way I feel like this is living, I was drowning but now I’m swimming”. A paradox is shown here; the idea of being so rich and famous it’s often seen as a “good” life, and “drowning” in fame, money, sex, drugs or whatever seems awesome but may be overwhelming. Also when drowning you just accept it, however swimming means you’re trying to stay afloat, and not comfortable going under. Mac continues to express this anxiety and introverted thoughts by saying “and what I won’t tell you, I’ll probably never tell myself. It was nice out, but it looked like rain. Grey skies and I’m drifting, not living forever. They say to only gets better.”. The outright expression of Mac saying he’s depressed and can’t juggle his thoughts or emotions, in addition to an intense foreshadow of possible suicide or death is what makes this verse incredible. After this Mac repeats the chorus and all the instruments collide in perfect harmony of diverse melodic structure. For these reasons I feel that this is an incredible song and what I would hold up to the standards of a lyrically dense and incredible piece. There is a lot of very straightforward pointers to what the author of it is feeling but also the ability to twist in clever ideas into such a texturally well-balanced piece of music....