Before Drake began living in the fast lane on “0 to 100,” there was a time when he was riding at 25 with the wind lightly breezing past his face. Drake— first name Aubrey, last name Graham — never had a problem expressing emotions through his signature singing-and-rapping combination, but after his last album, Nothing Was The Same, Drake fronted and gave us “fuck a stripper on a mink rug” type songs. (“Days In The East” doesn’t count because he was “reportedly” dating Rihanna at the time, which means he went back to his roots for that one.)

Last October, Drake vented in an interview with CBC Radio saying, “I’m so sick of people saying that I’m lonely and emotional, and associating me with this longing for a woman.” Too late. The truth is forever in the music. In case Drake’s 2015 project that he hinted at turns out to be stone cold, here are five bars that are sure to melt any willing heart.

“What good is all the cash, if it doesn’t buy time. And what good is being famous, if I’m never on your mind.” – off “Sooner Than Later”

Drake’s 2009 effort, So Far Gone,is a gold mine stacked with emotional bars. Let’s skip a few tracks and head to #13, where a piano woos you into “Sooner Than Later.” Drake’s cooing welcomes you with arms wide open but there’s a catch, he’s realized he’s mistreated his love interest and wants her back before it’s too late, and you’re there to listen.

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“Everything that I write is either for her or about her so I’m with her even when I’m here without her and she know it.” – from “The Motion”

And the circle of life continues, even after a relationship comes to an end. In “The Motion,” a track that was released as promotion for Nothing Was The Same, Aubrey accepts Newton’s first law and understands that his influence did little to change the mind of his now extinguished flame. That doesn’t mean he can’t write a song about it. Noah “40” Shebib and Sampha provide the perfect soundscape for Drake’s enlightened heartbreak.

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“From 8 until late I think bout you. You own my nights I don’t know what to do. I can’t get no rest, can’t get to sleep. This whole thing got way too deep.” – from “Mine” by Beyoncé f. Drake

One of the many symptoms of love includes insomnia. The sheep Drake is supposed to be counting in his head has been exchanged with the face of the mystery woman (not Beyoncé, because Jay Z) that keeps him up at night unless he manages to get her in his dreams which means he’s really sleeping but still thinking about her. There is no way out of this one, Drake. As much as you claim she is “yours,” you’re “hers” too because of the mental domination she has over you. But then again, this is what Beyoncé and Drake are singing/rapping about in “Mine,” equal dominion on both sides.

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“Baby, being a part of this life. I feel like I’m bound to end up with somebody that’s been with everybody. I need you to rescue me from my destiny. I’m trying to live right and give you whatever’s left of me” – from “Un-thinkable (Remix)” by Alicia Keys f. Drake

Being surrounded by fame and fortune doesn’t always bring out the best in people. Drake knows this as he is always reaching out and trying to hold on to the good girls in his life. He clearly says, “Good women are rare,” in his verse for the remix of Alicia Keys’ “Un-thinkable.” On top of that, he’s reaching out to the good woman in his life, the one that apparently hasn’t “been with everybody,” and asking her to save him from the secretly not-so glamorous destiny he’s falling into.

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“Next time we fuck, I don’t wanna fuck, I wanna make love.” – from “Own It” 

Drizzy declares that he’s ready for something special. He’s ready to take it to the next level from “fuck” to “make love” in “Own It,” track #5 from Nothing Was The Same. The single was actually the follow-up to “Wu-Tang Forever” and continues to use “It’s yours” (“It’s Yourz” for the Wu-Tang fans) throughout the song. Guessing what “it” is referring to? His feelings, of course.

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