Déjà vu
Jay Z ft. Beyoncé Lyrics

Bass
The song starts with Jay Z signaling the bass, which is one of the essential components of the hip-hop music genre.

Uh
Jay Z often includes one-word interjections in his songs to give emphasis; this "Uh" is one such example.

Hi hat
The high-hat is another crucial element of the drum set, mainly in hip-hop music. Here, Jay draws attention to its importance in the beat.

808
The Roland TR-808 is a drum machine that is influential in hip-hop music production. Jay mentions it here, further highlighting the song's genre.

Jay (uh huh)
Jay Z introduces himself and affirmatively utters it with an adlib of "Uh huh."

Ready? (Uh huh)
Jay Z poses a rhetorical question to hype the beginning of the performance, with another adlib of "Uh huh."

Let's go get 'em
Jay Z pumps up the audience, metaphorically asking them to join him in his journey.

Uh huh, come on
Jay Z urges the audience to get on board with him.

I used to run base like Juan Pierre
Here, Jay Z reminisces his younger days, where he would run base (referring to stolen base attempts) like Juan Pierre, a former player in the major league baseball.

Now I run the bass, hi hat, and the snare
Jay Z's rise to fame enables him to switch his focus from stealing bases to playing with the beats and rhythms as a musician by running the bass, hi-hat, and snare.

I used to bag girls like Birken bags
Jay Z boasts about having many girls and compares them to Birken bags, one of the most popular and expensive handbags in the world.

Now I bag B (Boy, you hurtin' that)
Jay Z clarifies that he has a wife now and 'bags' Beyoncé, popularly referred to as 'B'. Here, Beyoncé affirms the same by referring to herself and calling out the people who are hurt by the couple's presence.

Brooklyn Bay where they birthed me at
Jay Z was born and brought up in Brooklyn, near the coast of the New York Bay. Here, he refers to this place as the origin of his existence, his roots.

Now I be everywhere, the nerve of rap
Jay Z is now a renowned superstar, achieving success that has taken him beyond Brooklyn. He mentions that he is popular everywhere and credits rap music for his fame, which took him from his modest roots.

The audacity to have me whipping curtains back
Jay Z explicitly boasts about his accomplishments and how they enable him to be in situations where he's "whipping curtains back" (revealing the luxury). It's also an allusion to how he's breaking barriers and becoming an established figure.

Me and B, she about to sting
Jay Z and Beyoncé, affectionately called 'B', are performing together, and here Jay Z mentions that their collective performance is about to make an impact comparable to a bee's sting.

Stand back
Jay Z metaphorically asks the audience to step back and witness this degree of excellence.

Baby, seems like everywhere I go
The verse sung by Beyoncé talks about how her presence is felt wherever Jay Z goes, to the point where it feels like they are one and the same.

I see you, from your eyes, your smile
Beyoncé refers to the person in the song by saying, 'I see you', followed by describing the person with smiling eyes.

It's like I breathe you, helplessly I reminisce
Beyoncé emphasizes the person's presence by saying, 'It's like I breathe you' and how she's trapped in memories of them by using, 'helplessly I reminisce.'

Don't want to compare nobody to you
Beyoncé states that the person they are singing about is so unique to her that she can't compare anyone else with them.

Boy, I try to catch myself
Here, Beyoncé highlights how she tries to maintain her senses whenever she encounters the person who they are revolving the song around.

But I'm out of control
Beyoncé, despite trying to catch herself, admits the person's effect on her is so extreme that she's out of control.

Your sexiness is so appealing
Beyoncé finds the person's sexiness so irresistible and attractive.

I can't let it go, oh
Beyoncé sings that she can't let go of this person's thought out of her mind.

You know that I can't get over you
Beyoncé confesses that she can't get over the person, highlighting her attraction and bond towards them.

'Cause everything I see is you
Beyoncé adds that everything she sees involuntarily reminds her of this person- hence her inability to forget about them.

And I don't want no substitute
Beyoncé doesn't want anyone else as a substitute for the person she is singing about, again emphasizing how unique their presence is to her.

Baby, I swear it's déjà vu
Beyoncé finally says that her feelings toward this person are familiar or rather a feeling of timelessness, hence the song's title, 'Deja vu.'

Know that I can't get over you
The hook (repeated by Jay Z now) affirms Beyoncé's confession that the person they are singing about has deeply impacted them emotionally.

I'm seeing things that I know can't be
Jay Z sings this verse, highlighting how significant the person is to him and how it's hard for him to believe they could be real.

Am I dreaming? When I saw you walking past me
Jay Z questions himself whether they were merely a dream and uses the image of them walking past him as an example of their reality.

Almost called your name
Jay Z nearly called out to the person because they looked so familiar/memorable.

Got a better glimpse and then I looked away
Jay Z admits he took a glimpse, but then he rules out that possibility of seeing the person, so he looks away.

Feels like I'm losing it
Jay Z feels like he's losing control of his mind and senses due to the person's effect on him.

'Cause everything I see is you (ohh)
Jay Z reiterates the thoughts from the preceding hook sung by Beyoncé, that everything he sees reminds him of the person they are singing about.

Yes, Hova's flow so unusual
Jay Z refers to himself with his nickname 'Hova', followed by a statement about how his rap flows are unique.

Baby girl, you should already know
Jay Z directs these lines at Beyoncé, reminding her again of how famous and talented he is.

It's H-O, light up the dro'
Jay Z is also known as H-O and commands someone to light up a blunt ('dro') to smoke weed.

'Cause you gon' need help tryin' to study my bounce
Jay Z uses the metaphor of bouncing to describe his flow/rhythm, implying that it's so complicated that someone would need some help trying to keep up.

Flow, blow, what's the difference?
Jay Z contrasts his rap flow with someone else's oral 'blow' abilities, implying that there's no difference.

One you take in vein while the other you sniffin'
Jay Z explains that one is orally ingested (flow), while the other involves inhaling smoke (blow).

It's still dough, po-po try to convict him
Jay Z compares the same under both canons and reiterates that what he does is legal, despite law enforcement officials attempting to bring him down for it.

That's a no-go, my dough keep the scales tipping
Jay Z claims that all attempts to stop him from doing what he does are unsuccessful, and that he maintains balance in terms of earning more wealth.

Like four-fours, like I'm from the H-O-U-S-T-O-N
Two metaphors are used here- Jay Z compares himself to a gun (four-fours) and the place he comes from (Houston), which is known for its rap culture.

Blow, wind so Chicago of him
Jay Z uses a metaphor comparing himself to winds blowing in Chicago, known for its harsh weather conditions here.

Is he the best ever? That's the argument
Jay Z is known to be among the best rappers ever, but he mentions how some people still debate it and don't like giving him credit.

I don't make the list, don't be mad at me
Jay Z declares that these rankings and debates are beyond his control and purely subjective/personal opinions.

I just make the hits like a factory
Jay Z takes pride in the fact that he's a hit-making machine.

I'm just one-to-one, nothin' after me
Jay Z confidently asserts that no one else can be like him- he's one-to-one, the unique original.

No déjà vu, just me and my, oh
Jay Z has no feelings of familiarity in terms of his success, rejecting the song's title of 'Deja Vu'. He just says that it's him and his ego, nothing else.

Baby, I can't go anywhere
This verse, sung by Beyoncé, emphasizes again that the person is in her thoughts constantly.

Without thinking that you're there
Beyoncé feels like the person is still with her, wherever she goes.

Seems like you're everywhere, it's true
Beyoncé reiterates that the person is omnipresent in her life, making it difficult to forget and move on.

Gotta be having déjà vu
Beyoncé concludes with the song's central theme- the feeling of timelessness associated with the person's thoughts, once more emphasizing the feeling of 'Deja Vu.'

'Cause in my mind I want you here
Reiterating the feelings expressed throughout the song, Beyoncé admits that she wishes the person was physically present with her.

Get on the next plane, I don't care
Beyoncé demands that the person should come and meet her as soon as possible, going to the extent of not caring how.

Is it because I'm missing you
Beyoncé concludes the song by affirming that the central theme of the song's feelings is her longing for the person's company.

That I'm having déjà vu?
'Deja Vu' strikes again, with Beyoncé emphasizing that the feeling is the consequence of her missing the person and their presence.