“Neat” refers to the lack of ice or mixers in a beverage, and a “chaser” is something you drink or eat after taking a strong shot to help combat the unpleasant taste or sensation from the alcohol. The chorus uses these images as a metaphor for bottled-up emotions—being tough and suppressing your emotions is like swallowing your drink straight up and having to deal with the alcohol’s full effects.

Within the narrative of the song, the chorus reflects how Kendrick had to force himself to bury his feelings because that’s what his dad taught him a man should do. By extension, he and Sampha are commenting on the psychological issues that can develop in young men when their paternal bond is rooted in the societal pressures of stereotypical masculinity.

Kendrick has maintained on many occasions that he doesn’t drink or smoke. Regardless, he has a history of discussing alcoholism in his music. On July 2012’s “Swimming Pools,” he delved into his grandfather’s alcoholism, and on March 2015’s “u,” he rapped from the perspective of being intoxicated.

Kendrick first introduced us to his son Enoch earlier on “Worldwide Steppers” and through revealing the cover art for the album. His name is inspired by the biblical prophet Enoch, mentioned in Genesis 5:21-24 and the extracanonical Book of Enoch. Instead of a natural death, “God took him away” and transformed him into the Archangel Metatron in the process. A piece of evidence that clues us into why his son’s namesake was chosen comes on “family ties,” where he states:

I’m a prophet, I answer to Metatron and Gabriel

Kendrick notes having detoxified himself in conjunction to following the alternative health advice given by the late Dr. Sebi, also referenced earlier on “Worldwide Steppers.”

“I must had a thousand lives and like three thousand wives” nods to the past-life regression therapy that Kendrick mentions later in the song:

Past life regressions to know my condition
It’s based off experience

When taken as pure metaphor rather than literal, having “three thousand wives” may allude to his infidelity to his actual wife Whitney Alford, admitted several times throughout the album due to his “lust addiction.” This figure of speech also seems to mirror Kanye West’s similar statement on “New Again,” where the Chicago native said:

I, I lived a hundred lives, uh
So that mean I had a hundred wives

In the outro to the prior track, “Mr. Morale,” a clip by author Eckhart Tolle is utilized to explain what he has dubbed “pain-bodies,” or traumas shared across multiple generations and throughout the collective consciousness of humanity.

Throughout the duration of this song, Kendrick describes not only his own traumatic instances, but of those he loves and cares about, including his mother, his female cousin who’s the mother of Baby Keem, and partner Whitney Alford. Within the context of Tolle’s “pain-bodies,” these are individual instances stemming from something more deeply rooted within the core of each person. Pertaining to this track and the album overall, not only are the collective “pain-bodies” of Black Americans and women are primarily addressed, but the path forward out of these spaces towards healing are examined, as with “the power of Whitney” invoking the importance of the power of forgiveness.

The tone delivery in this portion of the verse comes from a place of exhaustion, by someone tired of being told how to live their life by entities like the church. With this energetic outburst, and by sharing these experiences on wax, Kendrick’s intent is to release not only himself and his loved ones, but all of the listeners tuning into the song, both those victimized and perpetrators of hurtful actions alike. As the adage goes, “hurt people hurt people,” continually perpetuating the cycle of pain they’ve endured. Thus, everyone is in need of healing through forgiveness of self and others.

Kendrick introduced the world to his son with the cover art for Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, which shows him holding his aforementioned daughter as his partner Whitney Alford cradles Enoch.

While Kendrick refers to his own son in this song, the origin of their name comes from Enoch, a biblical figure mentioned in Genesis 5:21-24 and the extracanonical; apocryphal Book of Enoch. After living a long life, it was stated that “God took him away.”

It’s believed in Jewish and Christian mystical traditions, such as Kabbalah, that upon his transcendence from his mortal form, Enoch transformed into the Archangel Metatron, who is known to sit beside the throne of God, transcribing all which happens on Earth and across existence.

On the Grammy award-winning collaboration “family ties” with his cousin Baby Keem, Kendrick remarked “I’m a prophet, I answer to Metatron and Gabriel.” Hence, such a devotion and acceptance of spiritual guidance from Metatron likely served as the inspiration for his own son.

A$ton claims his affiliation with the Piru Blood gang, which is prevalent across Southern California. It’s common for those affiliated to replace C’s at the beginning of words with B’s, due to their distaste for Crip gangs.

Here Snoh plays the role of Vince’s latina girlfriend, who is a recurring theme across the album. She pleads for him not to fall into the path of addiction and drown in his vices.

While Vince states in the second verse to stay by him it’s clear he’s split between love and hate for her due to the drugs and pressures from LB. His girl offers him one last chance to show his love.

Unable to receive the ascension to a better life Vince asked for in “Lift Me Up”, he and his woman are falling victim to addiction, hence the cocaine withdrawals and “life way too hard”.

The only way to tell if he is truly alive and not fallen prisoner to these addictions and vices is to metaphorically jump off the roof.

The lyric “Highway to hell and I’m speedin'“ is also an obvious reference to the AC/DC song.