Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: hip-hop
Song Meaning of “Swimming Pools (Drank) – Extended Version” by Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar’s song ‘Swimming Pools (Drank) – Extended Version’ deals with the universal struggle between temptation and restraint. Throughout the song he reflects on his own experience with drinking alcohol, and how it can be both an escape and an indulgence.
The song opens with a reference to temptation, as Kendrick sings “Pour up, drank, headshot, drank”, suggesting he’s trying to drown his internal struggles in alcohol rather than face them head on. Throughout the song he goes back and forth, trying to decide whether to give in to the desire to forget problems in the short term or focus on fixing the issues more permanently.
At the song’s chorus, he expresses his confusion in the advice he’s given and received throughout his life about drinking. He raps, “My homeboys, they tell me snip, snip, snip / Don’t just stand in the corner and sip, sip, sip / To count my blessing, I pose this question / How many ‘fore I forget what I’m stressin’?”
The bridge consists of an inner monologue about this balancing act, as he’s challenged to find a way to cope with his issues without numbing them with alcohol. Kendrick conveys the dichotomy between his desire to release his pain in the short term and his understanding of the need for lasting solutions by rapping “Pour up, dowwwwn, drink one mo’ round / And I still feel the same, still feel the same / Sippin’ on gin and juice, could be the wrong, fo’ cuz right now I should just be on a diet”.
The song culminates in a plea for realistic solutions beyond alcohol, as Kendrick admits he has to “figure out the sweet and flaws” of his life without the influence of alcohol. He ultimately acknowledges that he needs to apply himself and learn to solve his problems over time, rather than masking them with alcohol.