by SMF AI· Published December 21, 2023· Updated December 31, 2023

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1. Music Video
2. Lyrics
3. Song Meaning
4. The Mantra of Resilience: ‘I Ain’t Felt Like This in a Long Time’
5. A Gritty Lament: ‘No Cap and Gown, I Ain’t Go to Class’
6. Unraveling the Hidden Meaning: Beyond Material Success
7. Memorable Lines: Snapshot of a Survivor’s Creed
8. The Realist’s Romance: Carti’s Intimate Dialogue with Success

Lyrics

No cap and gown I ain’t go to class
I rather die before I come in last

I ain’t felt like this in a long time
I ain’t felt like this in a long time
I ain’t had shit in a long time
Just to feel like this it took a long time, yeah
Just to feel like this it took a long time, yeah
Just to look like this it took a long time, yeah
Just to look like this it took a long time, yeah

Hold up, I’m tryna find
Hold up I’m tryna do something right now
Just leave me alone right now
Just leave me alone
I’ma go and tell shawty, we don’t do that

Lil’ black jean jacket, yeah
Got VLONE on me, yeah
Got this bad ass bitch
Wanna fuck me and my homie, yeah
Got this bad ass bitch, yeah
Tryna fuck me and my homie, yeah
Shawty gon’ suck ’til the mornin’, yeah

I can’t wife no thot, yeah
Pass that bih to the homie, yeah
I just fucked your thottie
I ain’t even pass her to homie, yeah
We might rob your homies
We might rob your homies
We might rob your homies

I’d rather get caught with it than without it
Wake up and smell the motherfuckin’ coffee
I’m about to put these boys in a coffin

I ain’t feel like this in a long time
I ain’t feel like this in a long time
I ain’t had shit in a long time
Just to feel like this it took a long time, yeah
Just to feel like this it took a long time, yeah
Just to look like this it took a long time, yeah
Just to look like this it took a long time, yeah

You been to Atlanta?
Have I been to Atlanta?
You’ve most definitely been to Atlanta
With who?

No cap and gown I ain’t go to class
I’d rather die before I come in last

Would you just send me your address
Please, send me your address?
For here?

I ain’t had shit in a long time
I ain’t felt like this in a long time
I ain’t felt like this in a long time
I ain’t had shit in a long time
Just to feel like this it took a long time, yeah
Just to feel like this it took a long time, yeah
Just to look like this it took a long time, yeah
Just to look like this it took a long time, yeah

I ain’t had shit in a long time
I ain’t had shit in a long time
I ain’t had shit in a long time
I ain’t had shit in a long time
Just to feel like this took a long time, yeah
Just to feel like this took a long time, yeah

Full Lyrics

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Playboi Carti’s ‘Long Time – Intro’ is not merely an opening track, but a window into the artist’s soul, a hauntingly hypnotic declaration of personal growth, struggle, and the musing of an unconventional path to success. Through echoing refrains and candid verses, Carti invites listeners to a reflective journey that encapsulates the tension between past hardships and present triumphs.

As we peel back the rhythmic layers, we uncover a piece of art that is endlessly compelling—both a cry of defiance and a symphony of survival. Carti’s lyrical prowess paints a nuanced portrait of self-assertion in the face of life’s perils and the music industry’s unforgiving nature.

The Mantra of Resilience: ‘I Ain’t Felt Like This in a Long Time’

Carti’s repetitive invocation, ‘I ain’t felt like this in a long time,’ functions as an anchoring refrain, drawing the listener into a vault of emotional introspection. It suggests a rebirth, a long-awaited revival from a past that was overshadowed by struggle. More than just words, it’s an emotional metric of how far the artist has traveled in his personal and professional life.

This phrase, etched into the rhythm like an incantation, sets the tone for the rest of the song. It’s optimistic yet seasoned, acknowledging the darkness of ‘not having’ while basking in the light of finally ‘feeling’ and ‘looking’ the part of success. This duality echoes throughout the track, capturing the essence of Carti’s journey.

A Gritty Lament: ‘No Cap and Gown, I Ain’t Go to Class’

There’s a poignant sense of sacrifice in the lines ‘No cap and gown, I ain’t go to class.’ Playboi Carti reflects on the conventional milestones he bypassed in pursuit of his craft. The absence of formal accolades hints at a deeper societal message regarding the value of institutional education versus life’s experiences and innate talent.

By rejecting the classic narrative of systematic success, Carti paints a gritty image of someone who has bet everything on his own terms—and come out stronger for it. The defiant nature of these lines resonates with anyone who chooses to carve their own path, regardless of society’s traditional expectations.

Unraveling the Hidden Meaning: Beyond Material Success

A cursory glance at ‘Long Time – Intro’ might lure one into thinking it’s all about material wealth and external appearances. However, diving deeper, it becomes evident that Playboi Carti’s lyrics are an allegory for the existential trials one endures while chasing a dream.

The implicit message seems to be about transcendence—rising above circumstances, and the recognition that the most significant victory is the triumph over one’s former self. Carti’s journey depicted in the song is about lasting endurance, the long-term struggle for self-improvement and peace, rather than fleeting gains.

Memorable Lines: Snapshot of a Survivor’s Creed

Every verse in ‘Long Time – Intro’ is a thread in the fabric of Playboi Carti’s survivor’s creed. He declares ‘I’d rather die before I come in last,’ a powerful testament to his ambition and fearlessness in chasing excellence. This line is not just bravado; it’s a hardcore expression of his will to succeed against all odds.

Carti does more than just speak his truth; he lives it, embodying the hunger for success with a refusal to settle for mediocrity. This line resonates as a battle cry, encapsulating the spirit of anyone who’s ever been driven by sheer determination to rise above their circumstances, making it both personal and universally relatable.

The Realist’s Romance: Carti’s Intimate Dialogue with Success

The track’s colloquial back-and-forth towards the end exposes a more vulnerable side of Carti, evoking the image of an artist in conversation with success itself. The questions about Atlanta, the requests for ‘your address,’ serve as metaphors for his grappling with newfound fame and the roots he’s still tied to.

These moments of dialogue bring the listener to the precipice of Carti’s reality, one where he navigates the dissonance between his past and the present. It’s a realist’s romance with success—a complex, sometimes uncomfortable, embrace of the life he’s crafted and the hard-earned joy that accompanies it.