14 DAY TRIAL // On the second single off the “Graffiti” album, out this December, Chris Brown is a far cry from the confident, young man who threw the entire world at the feet of an unnamed girl in the upbeat “I Can Transform Ya.” “Crawl,” the ballad of a man who’s been hurt in love and is pleading with his girlfriend to start all over again, is seen as Brown’s response to ex Rihanna’s “Russian Roulette,” while also being a testament to the power of true love.
The tune is catchy – in fact, it’s so catchy, that most fans are willing to completely forget who Brown is as a person and how he brutally assaulted Rihanna back in February, even if most media outlets are not yet ready to let that go. “Crawl” speaks of true love, the kind that starts with a crawl, continues with a walk, a run and then ends in flight, the symbol of ultimate happiness and power. However, coming to mirror real life, this kind of love also needs two for miracles to happen. “Everybody says we’re through / I hope you hadn’t said it too.” Brown also says in the opening lines.
“I like Chris Brown. I’ve always liked everything that he’s come out with and his songs are always catchy. This is no different.” one fan tells MTV after hearing the new song. “It’s something that I imagine putting on in the car when I’m driving with my friends, something we can all sing along to and really have a good time with.” another one adds. “It kind of does seem like he’s talking about Rihanna. I thought he was [on parole] or something for hitting her, but hey, love comes around, right?” another fan asks.
Whether the track is about Rihanna or not, perhaps only Chris Brown can confirm and, given he’s in no apparent mood of speaking of that chapter in his life, we’ll probably never find out. However, fans and critics agree almost unanimously that, even if this is not his way of asking for forgiveness and pleading with Rihanna to get back to him, it was heavily inspired from real life. Especially in those parts of the song where he takes most of the blame for something that went terribly wrong and killed the romance.
“Why did I change the pace / Hearts were never meant to race / I always felt the need for space / But now I can’t reach your face / So where / Are you standing now / Are you in the crowd of my vouch / Love, can you see my hand? / I need one more chance / We can still have it all.” Chris Brown sings in the second verse of “Crawl.”
Below is the full version of “Crawl,” Brown’s second single from the upcoming album. Enjoy.