Meaning of “Sandra’s Rose” by Drake

by SMF· Published January 2, 2019· Updated September 18, 2020

“Sandra’s Rose” is a song by Canadian superstar rapper and singer Drake. The lyrics of “Sandra’s Rose” see Drake having deep reflections on how his wealth and fame have affected his life.

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In one way or another, the song is an ode to his mother. Why do we say so? We say so simply because the song is titled after Drake’s beloved mother Sandra Graham. The rose in the title comes from the job Drake’s mother once used to do before he became wealthy and famous. Sandra Graham (also known as “Sandi”) used to work as a florist. FYI she also worked as an English teacher.

Others have said the “rose” refers to Drake himself. So Drake is basically saying he is his mother’s rose. It’s noteworthy that Drake and his mother are very close (at least as of the date of the song’s release). Drake is in fact so close to his mother that he often refers to himself as a “momma’s boy”.

Drake and his mother Sandi — *This is a picture of Drake and his mother Sandra Graham, also known as Sandi. Sandra raised Drake as a single mother after she and Drake’s father divorced. Drake was only 5 years then.*

In the course of the song, Drake devotes some lyrics to takes shots at some of his haters, including rapper Pusha T. FYI Pusha had earlier dissed Drake’s mother Sandi on his “The Story of Adidon” track.

Away from Pusha, Drake also mocks American radio presenter Charlamagne tha God. He name drops Charlamagne and mocks his uneven skin tone by rapping about seeing light and dark patches. It’s worth mentioning that Charlamagne has been accusedon multiple occasions of bleaching his skin to look more attractive.

Lyrics of "Sandra's Rose" — *This is arguably the most famous line in the entire song.*

Facts about “Sandra’s Rose”

Drake co-wrote this song with songwriters Maneesh and DJ Premier. DJ Premier went on to work with Drake to produce the track.
This isn’t the first time that Drake has written a song that pays homage to his mother. For example, he did the same on his 2015 song “You & The 6”.
“Sandra’s Rose” was released commercially on June 29, 2018. It came out as the 10th track on Drake’s fifth studio album Scorpion.
In addition to Drake’s vocals, this track also features the vocals of its co-writers Maneesh and Premier.
No music video was ever shot for “Sandra’s Rose”.