I Don't Like You a Lot

Perhaps the most thought provoking song on his debut studio album (Doris), "Sunday" features Earl Sweatshirt and collaborator Frank Ocean going back and forth about their respective struggles. They primarily discuss the intersection of their romantic relationships and drug use, simultaneously condemning their own faults while revealing the immense uncertainty they both feel. The chorus reads

All my dreams got dimmer when I stopped smoking pot

Nightmares got more vivid when I stopped smoking pot

And loving you is a little different, I don't like you a lot

and uses parallel structure to rather overtly draw into question both the song's main topics. The first two lines can be taken literally, meaning his sleep has been affected by him no longer smoking. However, the more serious side effects are revealed in those same lines through an analogy, his "dreams" referring to his ambitions and goals, and his "nightmares" to his fears. These "nightmares" are further elaborated upon in the chorus' third line.

Stepping back to Earl's first verse, he laments his partner being "not passionate" about anything while still acknowledging that "it's difficult to admit that I miss you". This self reflective sentiment continues throughout the verse as he discusses all he's done wrong to his partner, and implores them to consider all the good he's done at well. The section ends on him drinking outside where his partner usually parks and stating that when he sees their car approaching he knows "the dark isn't coming".

While this seems like a touching sentiment, Earl juxtaposes it with a harsher view of the relationship in the chorus. He claims to not really like his partner when he quits smoking, making his previous drunken declaration of love seem like a farce. Perhaps the whole relationship was indeed superficial, with his weed use giving him exaggerated feelings towards his lover.

The next section of the song features Frank Ocean rapping about his own sobriety and relationship. He seems less disdainful of his partner than Earl and similarly less frustrated by his abstention from drug use. The line

Give me Bali beach, no molly please

Palm, no marijuana, trees

beautifully use the analogy of a beach to reveal how Frank now prefers the natural tranquility of a beach side vacation to the soothing effects he may have previously gained by getting high. He later reveals, in contrast to this, that the decision to become sober wasn't necessarily his own. Stating that

When I’m playing surfboarder, put whisky in that salt water

I emptied every canteen, just to wear

that straight edge varsity you think’s cool

shows that he may have quit only to please his partner. To some people being "straight edge" (aka drug free) is a huge badge of honor, especially within music communities. Frank pours out his liquor so he too can wear this metaphorical varsity jacket, revealing his sobriety to have the same superficial roots as wearing a jacket to fit in does. Clearly he aims to impress his "straight edge" partner, changing himself to their liking as many self conscious teenagers do. This high school analogy continues throughout the verse, leading into a longer discussion on Frank's success and sexuality.

The song then repeats its bleak chorus before heading into a duet in which the pair concludes only that they're uncertain about their future. Earl got clean on his own accord, but now struggles with the realization that his relationship may have been a sham. Frank on the other hand appears very happy with his partner, yet still reflects on how his own decision to get clean wasn't truly his own. They both "don't know what we're about" with regards to their partners, deciding only to "put the flowers in bowls" like they used to. This conclusion perfectly sums up the vast and overwhelming uncertainty one feels in a flawed relationship, while also acknowledging the use of smoking to deal with said emotions.