For the Last Time, It's Not About Drugs

Chance the Rapper's most recent mixtape, Coloring Book, earned him critical acclaim and award nominations. The record included such hits as "No Problem" and "Blessings," but my personal favorite is one of the more underrated songs included.

"Same Drugs", the 6th track on Coloring Book, is not, despite its name, about drugs. The lyrics are actually much deeper and quite beautiful. Chance writes:

We don't do the same drugs no more
We don't do the, we don't do the same drugs, do the same drugs no more
'Cause she don't do the same drugs no more

He uses drugs to symbolize how he and this woman no longer share as many similarities as they did when they were younger, and they aren't as close as they used to be. Chance alludes to Peter Pan in the next few lines, writing:

When did you change?
Wendy, you've aged
I thought you'd never grow up
I thought you'd never
Window closed, Wendy got old

Wendy, the oldest of the Darling siblings that Peter takes to Neverland, promises to leave her window open so that when Peter returns, he is able to find her. The foundation of Peter's character is that he doesn't want to grow up, which is why he's in Neverland. In the song, Chance indirectly compares himself to Peter, and this woman is his Wendy, leaving him behind as they've grown apart.

The way he uses this metaphor is so beautiful, and it created nostalgia for me because of his use of a common childhood story. Chance the Rapper is one of the best lyricists out there, but "Same Drugs" is the most poetic of his works.