Ride Or Die (2019)

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of a narrator caught in a cycle of substance use and superficial relationships, grappling with a profound sense of internal emptiness. The opening lines immediately establish a dualistic choice: "Ride or die or will you just love." This sets up a core tension between genuine connection and a more destructive, all-encompassing loyalty, juxtaposed with the narrator's admission that "Pills on my mind is all I love." The repeated phrase "sick in my head" underscores a feeling of being mentally unwell or trapped. The narrator describes a detached existence, feeling "lost in this world" and physically absent, "not here at all, no I am far away." This detachment is fueled by a pursuit of wealth, symbolized by the need for "cash" despite clean "white shoes." The imagery of "3 AM I smoke gas, brothers pull white" and counting "money and am high again" highlights a lifestyle centered on immediate gratification and escapism, rather than meaningful engagement. The contrast between the narrator's external possessions and internal state is stark: "I have bars, I have hoes / I have a bad bitch, but my heart so broke." A key element of the song's craft is the recurring motif of "lovescars." The narrator observes these marks on a partner, stating, "You have lovescars all over your skin," and later, "lovescars, you are wounded, but I can't take another." This suggests a history of pain and damage, both in the partner and perhaps in the narrator's own inability to offer healing or sustained affection. The repetition of "I am in low life" in the bridge powerfully reinforces the narrator's self-perception and current state of being, emphasizing a downward spiral. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics lies in their raw portrayal of emotional desolation masked by material pursuits and substance abuse. The narrator's confession of a "broke heart" despite having "foreign hoes" and "bankrolls" is a poignant, albeit bleak, statement about the emptiness that can accompany a life focused on fleeting pleasures. The lyrics suggest that the narrator is aware of the superficiality of their connections, recognizing them as "facts, though" rather than genuine love, yet seems unable or unwilling to break free from this cycle.