 " Man Down " is a " murder fantasy " reggae song with " Caribbean @-@ rhythms " and elements of <unk> and electronic music . The song , in the key of C minor , has a tempo of 77 beats per minute . Rihanna 's voice spans more than one and a half octaves , from <unk> to E ♭ 5 . Slant Magazine critic Sal Cinquemani described " Man Down " as one of Rihanna 's " most confident vocal performances " with her strong Barbadian <unk> . Jon Pareles of The New York Times said that the singer " plays up her West Indian accent " , and August Brown of the Los Angeles Times described the vocals as <unk> " her Caribbean <unk> " . Entertainment Weekly writer Leah <unk> described " Man Down " as a song with " island rhythms " . Lyrically , Rihanna is a fugitive after she shoots a man , but later regrets it . Rihanna slowly relays the chain of events which led up to the murder . She cries to her mother about the act that she has committed – " Mama , I just shot a man down " – expressing guilt and remorse for not meaning to kill her attacker , and that he is somebody 's son . As the track develops , Rihanna 's <unk> accent becomes stronger and exaggerated , which <unk> during the bridge as she declares " Why deed I pull dee treeguh , pull dee treeguh , pull dee treeguh , <unk> ! " <unk> writer Bradley Stern thought that the track took on a confessional tone . 
