I’m Coming Home - J. Cole (rap)
J. Cole, in his song “I’m Coming Home”, uses euphemism, symbolism, and apostrophe to convey the speaker’s mixed emotions about death. The song begins with a delicate chorus in which the speaker talks calmly about “coming home” as a euphemism for death. She alludes to Heaven when she says, “I know my kingdom awaits and they’ve forgiven my mistakes”, and this line shows that she is truly at peace with the end she is coming to. Also, she talks about the rain, which could represent sadness, saying that it will “wash away all the pain of yesterday.” After the chorus, a different speaker comes in, talking about the new strength he feels through this experience and about how he is finally “back where [he belongs].” He conveys his feelings of empowerment by writing that he is now “in the zone”, as the zone symbolizes his final, blissful, resting place. One of the greatest examples of figurative language throughout the song is when the speaker writes, “to appreciate the sun you gotta know what rain is.” This line holds an important message to all of its listeners: we have to get through the negative parts of our lives to truly enjoy the better times. After years of hard work throughout his life, he has finally reached a place of content, and he writes that he “ain’t looking back.” In the second verse, however, the song’s tone shifts from peaceful to anguished. He worries about what will happen when he is judged by God on the mistakes he has made throughout his life. He wonders, “if my good's outweigh my bads, do you think my mistakes is gon even out.” This sudden transition reveals the remorse the speaker feels about the wrong he has done in his lifetime. He calls out to God in an apostrophe, writing “hey Dear Lord please help me get the demons out.” This cry for help uses demons to symbolize his sins and mistakes that haunt him wherever he goes. Towards the end of the song, he makes an allusion to the founder of Uptown Records, saying “wonder if Andre Harrell knew how great I would be when he fired me.” Perhaps Harrell fired him from his label and J. Cole was now writing about his anger on this subject, but we will never know for sure. These thought-provoking lyrics convey the song’s theme, which is that death can be a relief from the mistakes made in one’s life, but it can also be a hindrance when looking back and facing the truth.
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