Text Analysis-John Page

John Page 

ENG 102 

Professor Miller 

2-21-20 

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis- “Can’t hold us”  

The song “Can’t hold us” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis is a monumental hip-hop song.  The Seattle Hip-Hop artists have a huge fan base and are backed by their home city of Seattle. “I got my city right behind me/ If I fall they got me” (Verse 2 Macklemore).  The song was released in 2011 on August 16.  The song is a part of the duos studio album The Heist which came out in 2012.  The song has a quick beat and great message 

The song is about the good old days of rap/ hip-hop.  With the lyrics, “Can we go back, this is the moment/ Tonight is the night, we’ll fight till it’s over…” (Verse 1 Ryan Lewis), listeners become aware of the old rap that the singers are talking about.  Lewis says that they will fight till it is over, he is referring to them continuing to make and perform that style of music till it is no longer wanted or ceases to be made.  They say that they pass the torch onto the next generation to light the way for their city. 

Macklemore starts off his part of the song by talking about his return.  He says that he has found a new way how to get up out of bed and keep moving on, facing his mistakes and building on them.  No longer is he getting up and checking to see what the internet thinks of his music.  Instead, he is, “… fresh out, pimp strut walking/Little bit of humble, little bit of cautious” (Verse 1 Macklemore).  He says that this new life is his party and no one else can copy it.   

Macklemore also talks about how he never sang for the fame and money but how it was to give back to the people. Listeners hear this with the lyrics, “Nah, I never ever did it for a throne/ That validation comes from giving it back to the people…” (Verse 2 Macklemore).  Macklemore gives off great message for the younger aspiring singer/songwriters.  He tells about how the fame. was never about him and how he sang for the people.  It is evident that he loves his city and its people.  All he has achieved has been dedicated toward giving back to the people and his city.  The artist is grateful for all he has achieved and know they owe it all to the people. 

The way that the artists use the phrases such as, “Chasing dreams since I was fourteen” (Verse 2 Macklemore), “… I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T” (Verse 2 Macklemore), listeners become aware that being independent and going after things on your own is the only way to success. After all, no one can do it for you.  Macklemore uses phrases like these to show how he has been working at this for a young age. “We did it our way” (Verse 1 Macklemore). This shows how he has been dedicated and determined to live life the way he wants, the best life he can live.  He mentions that we need to learn from our failure and move on.  That we need to keep marching and grow stronger. 

I believe that the audience would love this song as it appeals to many types of people.  This song is a great pump up/work out song. It gets the adrenaline pumping and hypes you up. It motivates you, not only through its lyrics but through its beat. I would recommend this song to everyone.  Even if you don’t like rap this song has a great message. This song tells the story of how the singers have worked hard to do things their own way and give back to the people who have given so much to them. “Can’t hold us” also appeals to people who love to dance as this song is easy to dance to.