Rating: 9.1/10

tl;wr

In case you’re unaware, Post Malone released a mixtape titled August 26th. Buried within the musical innovation showcased in this tape is an unexpecting tip of the hat to the CS Community. In Post Malone’s song Git Wit U, not only does he acknowledge the importance of version control, but also reaffirms the undoubtable superiority of Git while also utilizing the undeniable romance of pair programming to court his female of interest. What follows is an in depth lyrical analysis of Post Malone’s bleeding edge musical composition Git Wit U.

The Basics

What is Git? In layman’s terms, it’s one flavor of version control, which is a way for multiple people to contribute to a project (typically code) through a tool that elegantly merges separate workflows. For a more nuanced explanation, git yourself to this link. Other flavors include Subversion and Mercurial.

The most pressing idea presented in this song is the budding romance between Malone and the person of interest (POI from here on out). Malone shows his awareness of romantic trends developing in young tech circles, using pair programming as the vehicle through which he pursues the POI. Romance in any Pair Programming duo is undoubtable. Many people try and fight it, as they may not be programming with their Significant Other. Others crumble to the sexual tension and lose hours of productivity to sexual ventures. Seeing the intellect behind a person as you code with them reaches levels of erotica known only to the ancient Greeks and dolphins.

In the song, Malone specifically acknowledges Git as his preference of version control, evident in the title. Notice how the title plays on the word get through it’s spelling. Understand also that Malone is emphatically stating the superiority of Git, as the song is not titled “SVN Wit U” or anything else. So, why Git? The answer lies at the intersection of Malone’s romantic desires and Git’s implementation of version control. Git is a distributed version control system, meaning that “there isn’t one centralized code base to pull from”, allowing users to branch on their separate path. Malone understands he’s simply infatuated and realistically expects himself and the POI to branch off and do their own thing, with neither person holding any dominant position after things are done.

The romantic power of pair programming is underscored by the fact that Malone is well known as the ugliest rapper in the game:

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If partner programming with Git can seduce a POI for Malone, then it’s romance-inducing power is boundless.

Side Note: Let’s see what happens when we type ‘git wit u’ in the command line:

$ git wit u
git: 'wit' is not a git command. See 'git --help'.

Did you mean this?
        Init

Malone anticipated the curiosity of the tech community. This is his way of cleverly showing us the second option for the song title, as Git Init or Git In It would also be a flame-ass title, but didn’t make the cut.

Lyrical Analysis

The following lyrical analysis pulls lyrics from genius. All analysis, however, is original. The analysis takes exerpts in context from the song. The lyrics in their entirety can be found below.

The Hook

The Hook starts with a booming recitation of the title: “Said I wanna git with you”, reiterating Malone’s desire to pair program and link up romantically. It ends with a soothing, yet upbeat “Ooh Ooh Ooh”, expressing the gratified yet unsatisfied feeling of committing code in a long project: Progress is being made, but there’s still work to be done. This leads beautifully into the verses.

Verse 1

Malone begins by basking in his tech bubble riches “All these jewels I’m just flossin’/Plainly on my boss shit”. Shortly after, he jumps straight into his programming habits, lamenting that he’s “Off a pill, feel nauseous”, opening up about his reliance on Aderal which he uses to increase his productivity.

Malone then hits on the aforementioned intellectual and sexual stimulation that results from peer programming, crooning “No sayin’ got her brain lit/Wanna fuck I’m almost famous”. Malone exposes a pervasive cockiness within the tech industry with his claim to near fame, showing that everyone who’s running a startup feels they’re almost famous. He later indulges in his riches, exclaiming that he’s “paid up”. The POI understands Malone’s cockiness and adept seductive technique, as she notes that he’s ‘jaded’.

However, the freedom of Git and tension of pair programming is too much, as she’s been ‘caged up’ by her mans and Malone promises he won’t tell her who to stay with, which gets back at the aforementioned branching that’s vital to this dynamic as well as Git. This comes back in the Bridge, accompanied by Malone’s drug addictions, as he warns “You know after we done I gotta roll/You know after we done I gotta go”.

Verse 2

Verse 2 begins much the same as Verse 1, with Malone indulging in his riches. The storyline develops nonetheless, as the attractive tension was too much and physical actions are longed for “Do something with that ass/Put something in my hands”.

Malone then jumps back a bit, understanding that taking on a physical relationship, much like a partner project, requires a lot. “Don’t be shy girl it’s okay [to commit]” he says. He understands that many times people will be scared to commit, as they don’t want to cause any merge conflicts because those suck.

Malone follows this with a “How much did you pay, pay, pay?/I’m a let you in my chain”, opening up casual discussion on the price of Git when used for a corporate purposes (Github has been known to charge exorbitant amounts for it’s services) while also inviting her to merge into his chain of commits.

Conclusion

Malone displays a nuanced understanding of not just the quick-hook-up lifestyle, but also a technically advanced grasp of Version Control and Git. His self-indulgent claims give the listener a window into the current tech playboy while also providing an intimate look into romance within this environment.

See y’all next time!

[Intro]
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake

[Hook]
Said I wanna get with you, (I wanna get with you)
Lil mama bust a move, (lil mama bust a move)
Said I wanna get with you, (I wanna get with you)
Ayy, ooh, ooh, ooh, (ooh, ooh, ooh)

[Verse 1]
All these jewels, I'm just flossin'
Plainly on my boss shit
Bad bitch on my carpet
All white, I'm so on God shit
Hundred miles get caught shit
Off a pill, feel nauseous
Ain't babysittin' these bitches
I ain't Kevin Costner
No sayin' got her brain lit
Wanna fuck? I'm almost famous
She blow this thing, get faded
Lil mama say that I'm jaded
Maybe you saw that I'm payed up
Your man, he keep you so caged up
I won't tell who you stay with
That's on everyone that I came with

[Bridge]
You know after we done I gotta roll
You know after we done I gotta go

[Hook]
Said I wanna get with you, (I wanna get with you)
Lil mama bust a move, (lil mama bust a move)
Said I wanna get with you, (I wanna get with you)
Ooh, ooh, ooh, (ooh, ooh, ooh)

[Verse 2]
I'm the fuckin' man
Jumpin' out the Benz
Every time you see
I post these hundreds in my pants
I'll do what he can't
Just wanna see you dance
Do something with that ass
Girl put something in my hands
Shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
Don't be shy girl it's okay
Reload, fade, fade, fade, fade, fade
How much did you pay, pay, pay?
I'ma let you in my chain
Just might let you sip this 'pagne
Every single night the same
Lemme hear you say my name

[Hook]
Said I wanna get with you, (I wanna get with you)
Lil mama bust a move, (lil mama bust a move)
Said I wanna get with you, (I wanna get with you)
Ooh, ooh, ooh, (ooh, ooh, ooh)