Lyrics from Beyoncé & Jay-Z’s new album that give us an in-depth look into their relationship
Beyoncé is known for her surprise album rollouts — and the superstar once again opted to drop a new project without any warning. Beyoncé and Jay-Z released their first-ever joint album, called Everything Is Love, this afternoon. The couple announced the nine-track album during their On the Run II tour stop in London. Everything Is Love initially dropped on Tidal (of course), and is now also available on Apple Music and Spotify.
Though the album has only been out for a few hours, we are paying close attention to the lyrics that allude to their relationship. Beyoncé opened up about the pair’s marital troubles on Lemonade, and Jay-Z accepted responsibility for his indiscretions on his solo project, 4:44. Everything Is Love seems to mark the couple moving on and growing from a difficult chapter in their relationship. Below, a few of the lyrics, first reported by Genius, that give us a peek into the Carters’ personal lives:
“Summer” is the opening track — and it’s all about love.
Bey serenades us with the line “Let’s make love in the summertime.” We know summer has always been this couple’s season. We’ve seen the yachts and the hair and the style for years.
The second track, “APES**T,” has some serious references to real life.
In the opening chorus, the line “I can’t believe we made it” stands out as a very clear reference to their coupledom. The two have been through a lot, namely (ahem) Jay’s infidelity, but look at them now.
In the third track, “BOSS,” Beyoncé boasts about her life.
"I be ridin' around with my seat reclining/Droppin' my daughter off at school every morning."
Of course, the daughter in question is the wonderful Blue Ivy. In another stand-out line, Bey references the empire she’s building for future generations of her family: “My great-great-grandchildren already rich/That’s a lot of brown chi’r’en on your Forbes list”.
The track “NICE” brings up a topic that has long been a conversation around their marriage.
Many people have wondered if Beyoncé would drop the “Knowles” or the hyphenated “Knowles-Carter” from her last name, but she clears it up in “NICE.”
"Last name gon' be here forever/Now we finna float like feathers."
You tell ’em, Bey. The chorus continues with the line “Me and Hova do it like rebels,” proving that the two are a team, now and forever.
In “714,” the couple reveals even more.
The chorus features both Jay and Bey singing, “Ain’t no way to stop this love.” Jay-Z then continues with a whole slew of lines about his lovely wife:
"We played the pool at the pool of the Cancun VMA/Confidence you exude make the fools stay away."
The verse also includes a story about how they met: “Had me sitting next to you on the plane/And I knew straight away, the next time we would speak was like two years away/You had a man, you shut it down until you two had a break/I beg that dude rued the day.” The last verse is all about love, in a broader sense, but is also tied to Jay’s relationship to Bey:
"To all the good girls that love hustlers/To the mothers that put up with us/To all the babies that suffered cause of us/We only know love because of ya."
Jay ends the song with the line “Black queen, you rescued us.” (Tears in eyes.)
The song “BLACK EFFECT” is entirely about love.
The intro breaks down the different types of love that exist: the love you have for your god, yourself, and your partner. And the love this couple has for each other is palpable. The line at the end, rapped by Jay-Z, is very Beyoncé-centric:
"Extra magazine hopped on a plane with my Ebony chick."
The last track of the album “LOVEHAPPY” is the perfect conclusion to the album.
Jay-Z goes into even more detail about the pair’s issues and how they ended up back together, while the line “happy in love” is repeated throughout.
"Y'all know how I met her, we broke up and got back together/To get her back, I had to sweat her."
In Beyoncé’s verse, she directly discusses Jay’s betrayal and where they stand now, even confirming that the two renewed their vows, and she also seems to allude to “Becky with the good hair.”
Bey: “Yeah, you fucked up the first time, we had to get remarried”
Jay: “Yo, chill man”
Bey:”We keepin’ it real with these people right?/Lucky I ain’t kill you when I met that b—”
"You did some things to me, boy you do some things to me/But love is deeper than your pain and I believe you can change."
We have all seen how Bey has forgiven Jay, and how much she loves him. Their love is so clear. Bey continues with the conversation about their relationship.
"We're flawed but we're still perfect for each other/Sometimes I thought we'd never see the light/Went through hell with heaven on our side/This beach ain't always been no paradise/But nightmares only last one night."
THESE. TWO. It seems as if everyone has an opinion about their relationship. Their relationship, however, is just theirs. That’s it. They are wildly famous, yet they’ve found a way to perfectly balance letting their fans in on some details, while at the same time maintaining their privacy. We are stoked for this album and their current tour. Bey and Jay, we’re here for you forever.
