Mayonnaise coloured benz I push miracle whip
Kanye West - Last Call
The breakdown room
Double & Triple Entendre
A line or phrase that can be interpreted in different ways to have 2 or 3 meanings. One may often be cheeky or humorous and the other clever or deeper than it first appears to be. It’s not just wordplay! It’s a little flex of intelligence – the real meaning might hit you later… and that’s the point.
Double or triple entendres show cleverness and lyrical intelligence with the use of deeper meanings beneath the surface of the line. They invite the listeners to decode the lyrics, naturally encouraging replays, especially when the punchline lands more than once. Depending on their meaning, they can add humour, sarcasm, sex appeal or even delve into social commentary.
A diss track full of entendres isn’t just disrespectful… There might be a clever punchline on the surface, a personal jab in the second meaning, and a silencing, career-ending truth in the third.
- Cultural references – current or historical social context, slang,
- Bars that don’t fully make sense
- Lines that feel like punchlines
Metaphors sometimes stretch across multiple lines, like they’re building part of a story.
- Not every clever line is an entendre – it must have multiple meanings
- Using them too much can make lyrics confusing
- Lil Wayne - embeds clever multilayered meaning seamlessly
- Nicki Minaj - playful & sharp lyrics