Listen first
Sexual innuendo, drug mentions, suggestive content
Detailed Analysis
This is Run-DMC's 'It's Tricky' (1986), a hip-hop track that is largely about the challenges of fame and rapping. However, it does contain content requiring parental guidance. The verse 'I met this little girlie, her hair was kinda curly / Went to her house and bust her out, I had to leave real early / These girls are really sleazy, all they just say is please me' contains clear sexual innuendo and euphemisms suggesting a casual sexual encounter ('bust her out'), and frames women in a sexually objectifying and derogatory way ('sleazy'). The lyric 'girls be cryin'' and references to groupie culture further reinforce themes of casual sexual availability. There is also a reference to drug culture ('They offer coke and lots of dope'), though it is framed in an anti-drug context. There is no explicit profanity or graphic violence. The overall message is largely positive — rejecting drugs and emphasizing hard work — but the sexual objectification of women and implied casual sexual encounter in the second verse elevate this beyond content suitable for young teens.
Themes
sexual innuendo
fame
drug references
hip-hop culture
braggadocio
groupies
Lyrics
This speech is my recital, I think it's very vital To rock (a rhyme), that's right (on time) It's Tricky is the title, here we go... It's Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time It's Tricky... it's Tricky (Tricky) Tricky (Tricky) It's Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time It's Tricky... Tr-tr-tr-tricky (Tricky) Trrrrrrrrrrricky I met this little girlie, her hair was kinda curly Went to her house and bust her out, I had to leave real early These girls are really sleazy, all they just say is please me Or spend some time and rock a rhyme, I said "It's not that easy" It's Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time It's Tricky...(How is it D?) It's Tricky (Tricky) Tricky (Trrrrrricky) It's Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time It's Tricky... Tricky (Tricky) Tricky In New York the people talk and try to make us rhyme They really (hawk) but we just (walk) because we have no time And in the city it's a pity cos we just can't hide Tinted windows don't mean nothin', they know who's inside It's Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time It's Tricky...(How is it D?) Tricky (Tricky) Tricky (Tricky) It's Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time It's Tricky... Tricky (Tricky) Tricky (Tricky) huh! When I wake up people take up mostly all of my time I'm not singin', phone keep ringin' cos I make up a rhyme I'm not braggin', people naggin' cos they think I'm a star Always tearin' what I'm wearin', I think they're goin' too far A girl named Carol follows Daryll every gig we play Then D dissed her and dismissed her, now she's jockin' Jay I ain't lyin', girls be cryin' cos I'm on TV They even bother my poor father cos he's down with me It's Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time It's Tricky...(How is it?) Tricky (Tricky) Tricky (Tricky) It's Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time It's Tricky... Tr-tr-tr-tr-tr-tricky (Tr-Tr-Tr-Tricky) Tr-tr-tr... We are not thugs (we don't use drugs) but you assume (on your own) They offer coke (and lots of dope) but we just leave it alone It's like that y'all (y'all), but we don't quit You keep on (rock!) shock! Cos this is it...
Remember: You know your child best. Use LyricsRay as a tool to inform your decisions, but always trust your parental instincts and family values when determining what's right for your children.
Did this analysis help you?
If so, consider supporting the project to cover some of the development and hosting costs ❤️
Analysis performed on August 22, 2026