Lyric Essay

It is often said that rap lyrics contain no meaning and are just ramblings of cuss words and vulgar references but that is not always the case. Some artists have a true message in their lyrics, one such examples is Tupac Shakur’s song “Changes.” This song delivers a pretty direct message about the need for a change in the world. The title alone gives that away, but the lyrics expose the speaker’s feelings as well as the problem that needs to be changed. In order to clearly understand the song the speaker must be determined. One line in the song has the speaker describe himself “I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black.” So in this line we learn that the speaker is poor and black they also refers to themselves as a “brother” which leads us to be the speaker is male. The vernacular used in the song, such as dropping g’s and replacing –er with –a, leads us to believe he is a younger man.

I see no changes. Wake up in the morning and I ask myself,
"Is life worth living? Should I blast myself?"
I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black.
My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.
Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.

This exert expresses the speakers discontent with the way the world is and even that he may not want to live anymore. He mentions that since his “stomach hurts,” is hungry, he has to steal money. He also expresses that it is difficult to be black, that the police would like to get the chance to kill them much less car about things that happen to them.

Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares? One less hungry mouth on the welfare.
First ship 'em dope & let 'em deal the brothers.
Give 'em guns, step back, and watch 'em kill each other.
"It's time to fight back", that's what Huey said.
2 shots in the dark now Huey's dead.

This section expresses a few things that are wrong with the world. Giving crack to kids just so no one has to deal with them and welfare does not have to pay for them it is ignored. This image reveals strongly to pathos, the image of kids doing crack certainly evoke certain feelings of discontent. He claims that we give the community access to drugs and guns, which in combination lead to the people killing each other. He refers to a man named “Huey” who after mentioning the idea of fighting back is quickly silenced by being shot.

I got love for my brother, but we can never go nowhere
unless we share with each other. We gotta start makin' changes.
to see me as a brother 'stead of 2 distant strangers.
And that's how it's supposed to be.
How can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me?
I'd love to go back to when we played as kids,
but things change, and that's the way it is.

The first four lines express the speaker’s feelings about how if people would start treating and thinking of each other differently many of the problems would be solved. That if people treat each other as brothers they would not shoot each other people would not be killed if they had emotional attachments to each other. The last two lines tell the reader that things have not always been the way they are now, which then leads into the chorus “That's just the way it is. Things'll never be the same.” Though the rest of the song seems to show that there is hope to change back to a better time the chorus tells us that he believes we are stuck this way and that we can not go back to that time. Perhaps he is only hopeful for any change for a better not a complete fix.

I see no changes. All I see is racist faces.
Misplaced hate makes disgrace for races we under.
I wonder what it takes to make this one better place...
let's erase the wasted.
Take the evil out the people, they'll be acting right.
'Cause mo' black than white is smokin' crack tonight.
And only time we chill is when we kill each other.
It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other.

The first two lines express the speakers concern for the way we are all racist towards each other and how that makes us seem ignorant. He also mentions that more black people than white are doing drugs, to maybe not seem as though he is putting blame of the problems onto only other races. He also says that the only time people of different races are around each other is when they are fighting because perhaps it is easier than getting along and we are too impatient.

And although it seems heaven sent,
we ain't ready to see a black President, uhh.
It ain't a secret don't conceal the fact...
the penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks.
But some things will never change.
Try to show another way, but they stayin' in the dope game.
Now tell me what's a mother to do?
Bein' real don't appeal to the brother in you.
You gotta operate the easy way.
"I made a G today" But you made it in a sleazy way.
Sellin' crack to the kids. "I gotta get paid,"
Well hey, well that's the way it is.

This passage expresses that even though he himself is black and is pushing against racism, he recognizes that the world is not ready for certain things like, a black president. He does not want the world to go where it is not ready but to try to simply get along as individuals. He does not place blame for the fact that “the penitentiary’s pack, and it’s filled with blacks,” he says that criminals have been shown other ways to make money but continuing breaking the law is easier so their conscious is simply ignored. This perhaps attracts another audience than the rest of the song it gives the song a less aggressive tone.

And still I see no changes. Can't a brother get a little peace?
There's war on the streets & the war in the Middle East.
Instead of war on poverty,
they got a war on drugs so the police can bother me.
And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do.
But now I'm back with the facts givin' 'em back to you.
Don't let 'em jack you up, back you up, crack you up and pimp smack you up.
You gotta learn to hold ya own.
They get jealous when they see ya with ya mobile phone.
But tell the cops they can't touch this.
I don't trust this, when they try to rush I bust this.
That's the sound of my tune. You say it ain't cool, but mama didn't raise no fool.
And as long as I stay black, I gotta stay strapped & I never get to lay back.
'Cause I always got to worry 'bout the pay backs.
Some buck that I roughed up way back... comin' back after all these years.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat. That's the way it is. uhh


This passage’s tone changes from the last instead of saying that committing crimes is wrong and only for the lazy he says that he just wants to be left alone. They have a war on drugs instead of a war on poverty, which he feels would prevent the problem with drugs. He sees this as that they only want to bother him and not really fix problems. He feels like he cannot rely on other people but in fact has to watch out for others. This gives him more credibility to say what he has in previous passages. He shows that he lives the worst of the problems and he is one of the people he is speaking to. The speaker expresses that he is stuck in the place he is in forever. Perhaps he sees the problem with changing as a catch-22, people will not change until others do, so until one person takes that step no one will change.

This song certainly contains depth even though the speaker does use vulgar language it is used to relay a message. The tone of anger conveyed certainly catches the readers’ attention so it is used in an affective manner. Then by using disturbing images the readers’ feelings are affected it makes the reader feel strongly about changing the world. Then by putting himself into the situation the speaker makes a believable argument he does not seem like a clueless outsider but rather a knowledgeable member of the world that he is discussing. By combining these two types of argument he not only catches his audiences attention but also gives a clear concise argument that the readers can easily believe.

lyrics from tupac shakur's "changes" http://www.lyrics007.com/2Pac%20(Tupac%20Shakur)%20Lyrics/Changes%20Lyrics.html