Biking

Album: Not on an album (2017)
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Songfacts®:

  • Over Frank Duke's acoustic guitar production, Frank Ocean, Jay Z and Tyler, The Creator croon and rap metaphoric lines related to riding a bike.

    Hova kicks things off on the first verse by noting how life is cyclical like the wheels of a bicycle. He goes on to name-drop the 12 O'Clock Boys – Baltimore's infamous dirt bike crew – and continues with several other cycling references.
  • During the chorus Ocean continues the theme by liking biking to his spiritual walk during testing times:

    God gave you what you can handle
    Gave you what you can handle
    I got the grip like the handle
    And I'm bikin'


    The lyrics play on the word "handle" as meaning both bike handles and dealing with personal hardships and temptations. Ocean is stating his belief that God wouldn't have given him the trials and tribulations he's faced if he didn't think the New Orleans raised singer could "handle" them. This ties in with the Bible verse 1 Corinthians 10:13 (TLV):

    No temptation has taken hold of you except what is common to mankind. But God is faithful - He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can handle.
  • Tyler raps the closing verse in which he talk about riding his favorite bike, which he calls Slater. The Odd Future rapper recorded a track about riding bikes on his 2013 album Wolf titled "Slater," which featured a certain Frank Ocean.
  • While Frank Ocean has a long history of working together with his Odd Future collaborator, Tyler the Creator the singer has also contributed on three previous occasions to Jay-Z tracks: 2011's "No Church in The Wild" and "Made In America" from Watch The Throne, and two years later on "Oceans" from Hova's Magna Carta, Holy Grail.

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