lyric study

[mrnicksta]

yo guys i thnk we should get some kind of discussion with timely/periodical updates going on here. so i was thinking, how about we start discussing some of the finest lyrics to be found in hip hop. maybe like one person chooses one song a week and we just have a talk about what makes the lyrics so great etc. kinda like an english lesson but with hip hop :) (maybe that wasnt the best way to sell this concept haha)

so without really knowing how much feedback this is gonna get (but it's worth a try!), may i present the first song, being my choice. if you'd like to post up the next song, just nominate yourself here.

so my choice is by one of favourite MCs, a Canadian chap by the name of Shad, from his debut album "when this is over"

Shad - A Story No one Told
listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phb0R-n_5g0

lyrics:

Picture life etched in stone
Life sketched in poems
On sidewalks in dry chalk next to homes
Picture all you’ve left alone
And kept in reflections shown
Your dome sketched in subjective tones
Picture life on a sidewalk
frame it - so all view
all you’ve ever felt
try to name it - its called you
picture it
in the space between steps
it’s the grace between breaths
and the message in this make-believe text
picture …

v-1
God exhaled
The moon shivered in a blue river
Stardust fell
Through space released and gave its peace
To a man in his place beneath
Graciously as he laid asleep
draped in sheets
with his honest wife
in the gold days of his old age
and on this nice August night
his soul raised
he saw this light - the calmest bright -
like Coldplay, it was all yellow
and in its gold rays, he saw his plight
as it showed him the youth that he’d forgot about
like how he block the spout on his house’s hose
and not let the water out
he thought it out and wondered
how he’d remembered it all?
how younger he’d enter the halls
when summer surrendered the fall
then he wondered was his life through?
In slumber under this bright moon?
Like skies after thunder, the light grew
And more from the limitless stash of images flashed
And poured from the reservoir to mimic his past
He saw himself with his wife growing old
his children’s lives
He filled with pride as the light showed his soul
Then it’s brilliance died …

v-2
And it was dead black in his eyes
A voice said that it was time
But he was steadfast in his mind
So he said back in reply
“Please! Seeing my life like this
It made me think
I could state succinctly everything life is
if you gave me ink
And I could maybe print every speech and thought
And release my plot on these streets I’ve walked
With a piece of chalk
To paint the sharpest image of a heart
Cuz as much as art can mimic
Nothing’s as real as a life told from start to finish”
Suddenly the man awoke with a violent cry
That strangely didn’t seem to disturb the silent sky
His wife was still beside him under the blankets enclosed
And when he looked up at the clock he saw the hands in it froze
So the man just arose, put his hands to the roads
And began to compose the most candid of prose…

v-3
So he wrote every quote spoken
And left every breath kept
Sketched in the next step of concrete
Then Death crept and lead him to his bed
As the sun began to rise
He titled his surprise
“The Story of the Man that Died”
Then his wife and the townsfolk awoke and were shocked
First by his passing, but then by what he wrote with his chalk
They got the roads blocked by a flock of postmen and cops
He wrote from his lot to the edge of town close to the docks
Where he used to watch the boats and often joked with his pops
His folks had not long ago passed and now both with him walk
People came from everywhere
They read the story through for days
It wasn’t nothing new or strange
Still they were moved and amazed
It wasn’t the places he’d been or the people he’d met
It was the spaces between and the secrets he’d kept
They wept joyfully, for the greatest story no one told
Was just the story of an ordinary man growing old

Picture life etched in stone
Life sketched in poems
On sidewalks in dry chalk next to homes
Picture all you’ve left alone
And kept in reflections shown
Your dome sketched in subjective tones
Picture life on a sidewalk
frame it - so all view
All you’ve ever felt
try to name it - its called you
picture it
in the space between steps
it’s the grace between breaths
and the message in this make-believe text
picture…


this song always leaves me filled with awe, a celebration of the beauty of life through the tragic tale of death. not to mention the beat is stunning and the flow is perfect. i won't get into too much depth until i see how this goes :)

leave your thoughts people!

[stereoblind]

I'd totally be into this if it wasn't all hip hop.
Haha
Good idea though, I'm sure theres plenty on here that will participate.
:)

[mrnicksta]

maybe this is your chance to finaly embark on a journey into hip hop ;)

did you listen to the son or read the lyrics? can't see how anyone would dislike that song, genre doesn't even come into it with that, pure artistry :)

[stereoblind]

I scanned the lyrics.
There's a lit bit of stuff in that genre I like.
I really like the When life gives you Lemons album by Atmosphere.
And I really like Sage Francis.
I'm all about what the person's voice sounds like when it comes to that genre.
I'm really critical on that :p
haha

[JSthelefty]

they say I live in a fantasy world but I dont care
They say I should leave my reality & join theirs
I say it's all fake and my adversaries evil..
cuz truthfully they're both filled with imaginary people

[greddie]

i listened to this on youtub when i got in at whatever time i got in last night.

i am all up for this idea, having a lil discussion on the tracks. but i have to honestly say i did not like that track. i like rap and hip hop, but i really dont like that style he has, i dont like the reflectively slow beat. this is not something i would ever listen to, and because of that i dont feel i can actually pass comment of what i think of the lyrics, cos i dont like them.

sorry

[kenz]

WOW ......on first listen i thought "generic shit, not feelin it" but then i listened back a couple of times and this is truly beautiful....

the mundanity of life is often beautiful....

maybe by reading one mans "ordinary" tales of growing old and being amazed...
the track is saying how everyone is unique and talented

"It wasn’t nothing new or strange
Still they were moved and amazed"


but i dont get this part

"It was the spaces between and the secrets he’d kept"

[mrnicksta]

@greddie, don't worry about the beat, this is all about the lyrics, i just thought a link would be good because sometimes lyrics don't jump out as much hen you're reading them unless you listen too.

@stereoblind, i'm a huge atmosphere and sage fan myself, got all their albums on CD :) and for me shad is easily as good an MC as both! give the song a good listen, read the lyrics thoroughly and see what you think. if you still don'tlike, check out shad's other shit, he's crazy with any type of beat/theme/concept. also, maybe you can nominate a track by one of the above for next time round :)

WOW ......on first listen i thought "generic shit, not feelin it" but then i listened back a couple of times and this is truly beautiful....

the mundanity of life is often beautiful....

maybe by reading one mans "ordinary" tales of growing old and being amazed...
the track is saying how everyone is unique and talented

"It wasn’t nothing new or strange
Still they were moved and amazed"


but i dont get this part

"It was the spaces between and the secrets he’d kept"

mega glad someone was finally feeling it! i don't think it's as much about everybody having talent, but you're right about the uniqueness aspect of it. i think it's a lot about how every life is interesting and worthwhile - even though the protagonist had a completely average life, everybody marvelled at the simple tale from start to finish.

as for the line "It was the spaces between and the secrets he’d kept", i don't think it makes sense on it's own, but if you include the previous line, "It wasn’t the places he’d been or the people he’d met" it is a little more striking. i think what shad is getting at is that it's what you do at the places you go to, the things you do with the people you meet that makes it all worthwhile - they're the parts that make life interesting and captivating.

also the imagery is throughout this song is incredible. the opening lines of the first verse:
"God exhaled
The moon shivered in a blue river
Stardust fell
Through space released and gave its peace"

it's so tranquil and gentle, beautiful and peaceful. i could literally just listen to this song over and over :)

[Kenshi]

sorry it took me so long to comment, been meaning to but ive been lazy. im a fan of this song, not my favorite by him because its not a good car song and that is where i listen to most of my music. i think they lyrics are amazing, its a very good story and the fact he had such good rhyme schemes through out it really show cases his talent and skill. not to many MC's can do songs like this. but mrnicksta to call shad just as good as sage is blasphemy! but that's likely personal opinion, i just think sage is FAR more clever, has a better flow and is more versatile. but then again, i think sage is one of the best. but back on topic, very good song to select to show lyrics good for a lot of the other genre listeners to come in and see what they are missing out on. regardless of genre this song is amazing

[kenz]

someone post somethin else up!! everythin i listen to lately is simple shit like jay-z lol or instrumentals
i aint really listened to much poetic shit in a while, maybe 6 months at least

[Kenshi]

you a fan of sage mega?

[kenz]

ive not really heard anythin by him so puttin something of his up will be interesting to analyze and discuss

[Kenshi]

alright, i warn you tho some of his shit is hard to decipher or you could say makes no sense, tho i'd like to think there is something behind it i just don't get it.

listen to audio as you read
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGVpGIjaJCg

Sage Francis - Conspiracy to Riot

They wanna corrupt me. They tried to corrupt me.
This ain't no Swan Song. This is for the ugly ducklings of my country.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE HERE!
'psst psst; conspiracy to riot.'

Peep the game, dummy. You can't keep the reign from me.
It's us who put in the over time, they who make the money.
Snickering at trickle down economy.
We got nickled and dimed? It's more like highway robbery.
Drive in the fast lane. Eyes on the gas gauge.
Listen to neo-cons cry about black rage.
It doesn't stop there.
They're the blowhards. They puff out their chest. They're full of hot air.
Providing entertainment for the status quo.
Then once every 4 years they pander to the black vote.
Oh, religion ain't a tool of control?
why they pull the God card once they're losing in the polls?
Foolish. I know. We're victims of circumstance.
It ain't coincidence we're children of the worker ants.
and those in power ain't never owned a pair of dirty pants
But they're quick to kill your health insurance plans.
The rich cheat death with their cheap survival.
They found more than one way to beat the Bible.
Street disciple... my beats are trifle mega.
Don't repeat the cycle, just live your life better.
Ima defeat my rival. That's why I'm writing this letter
to let em know that we ain't givin' up the fight ever.

'psst psst; conspiracy to riot'

They wanna corrupt me. They tried to corrupt me.
This ain't no Swan Song. This is for the ugly ducklings of my country.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE HERE!
'psst psst; conspiracy to riot.'

Oh yeah; I've got a weapon of mass destruction';
Parked in the back it's a vessel of gas consumption.
Rebels of rap production never adapted to nothing.
Imagine my laugh whenever you ask me for something.
Like I ain't gave my all.
You came fashionably late to the headbanger's ball.
After the mob scene lost steam,
And after we spilled pig's blood on the prom queen.
I've been told with old age comes wisdom,
But I've found with old age comes old age.
We're stuck in our old ways like everything was done much better
in some forgotten era. Thumb sucking America.
I can't begin to name the ways I'd pin the blame
on an administration acting inhumane.
If it's killing season start within.
When the hunter becomes the hunted they outlaw hunting (ain't that something.)
Confiscate the ammunition!
Cuz there's a wolf in sheep's skin. A pit bull with lipstick.
A pig in a blanket. Some lame duck President
privatizing profit and socializing debt.
Collapsed credit. Journalists get arrested.
Watch the Blackwater operatives go domestic.
Oh, that's a problem? Well don't agonize.
Smoke 'em if you got 'em. A whole pack of lies.
Summer spring and autumn. Now bring the wintertime.
I don't protest the snow. I shovel it with picket signs.

'psst psst; conspiracy to riot'

They wanna corrupt me. They tried to corrupt me.
This ain't no Swan Song. This is for the ugly ducklings of my country.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE HERE!
'psst psst; conspiracy to riot.'

We have the right to assembly and it's the duty of the patriot
to protect his country from the government.
But when we try it; but when we try it;
But when we try it;
it's CONSPIRACY TO RIOT!

Peace rally with my friends. Conspiracy to riot.
When we have no defense. Conspiracy to riot.
Rubber bullets to our heads. Conspiracy to riot.
Conspiracy to riot. Conspiracy to riot.

When we find voter fraud. Conspiracy to riot.
When we defy overlords. Conspiracy to riot.
When we finally pull the cord. Conspiracy to riot.
Conspiracy to riot. Conspiracy to riot.

'Til the truth is revealed. Conspiracy to riot.
We ain't choosing to kneel. Conspiracy to riot.
Let me be the human shield. Conspiracy to riot.
Conspiracy to riot. Conspiracy to riot.

[kenz]

i didnt listen to the beat, but i had a quick check of the lyrics, they look on point
some anti government ishl......some nice metaphors too........il comment properly tomorow tho when i got time to listen to it properly

[mrnicksta]

sorry people, been a busy week, so not had a chance to get back on this one.

so first let me get back to kenshi's original comment. I do think shad is better than sage. i love sage, own all his CDs (and i mean CDs i don't download sage's stuff out of respect), even his "sick of.." series! but sage, whist being one of my faves is often hit or miss. sometimes he's just abstract for the sake of being abstract, and often you have to wonder whether some of his songs actually make any sense at all under the cryptic lyrics. and as for sage being more versatile?! i won't agree with that, he's stuck in the aforementioned abstract anticon stylings, whereas shad is equally at home on any topic, poetic to battle rhymes, punchlines to concepts. anyways, my point was that shad is up there with him and stereoblind might be amiss to dismiss him. and of course this is about the lyrics not who's better :)

anyways.. i was gonna suggest we look at some sage or atmosphere as the next track since they'd been mentioned a few times already.

i gotta say i'm not feeling this track very much, had a listen through and a good read of the lyrics, and although they're certainly above the quality of your average MC it kinda felt like some generic political rant, no real point to it so to speak. i do like how he's commented on obama's election though, quite a brave thing to do given that most people praising it. and of course it being sage, if you analysed the track tirelessly you could probably pick up some deeper meanings here and there, and he's always got his good wordplay and flow :) what album is this off by the way? so whilst i must commend the song on technical skill, i think it lacked that je ne said quoi.

before someone jumps in with the next track to look at, can i suggest the next sage track to look at? something more explemparary of his real skills IMO? of course i'll let everyone else say their piece first on this one first before revealing my pick.

also mega, queue up a track for after that if you'd like to contribute

[Kenshi]

yeah nicksta i wasnt trying to get into a "who is better" argument, that can all be opinion since we all have different things we like to hear in a hip hop song. so i tried to make it sound like i wasnt trying to get into one of those arguments, but i probably did not do a good job. my bad on that

i dont understand how you can feel that this did not showcase his skill tho, i think this is a great showcase of his skill and that is why i picked this track. i am anxious to know what sage song you choose because i know it will be ill considering you are already well versed with the fact some of his shit sounds like it makes no sense.

i do owe shad more of a listen tho TBH, just something about his style never stuck out to me as much as other MC's i know he has great lyrics but he just was not an ear grabber on every track.

well we definitely need some more comments on this track before we move onto the next, mega get back here! and also i know me, mega and nicksta are not the only people who listen to hip hop here so lets get some more opinions on this track!

[kenz]

i will definitly respond to this when i can sit down and analyse it properly....i need to be in the mood for it too........
i cant think of any rhymes to put up.......ive kinda drifted away from the deep poetic shit in the past year or so......il have to thinnk about it later

[mrnicksta]

kenshi, no biggie, i was more pointing out that i wasn't trying to get into that argument, than pointing out that you were! man, you defo need to give shad a GOOD listen, he is the shit. sick flow, sick rhyme schemes sick lyrics, sick beats - and he plays the guitar :) his first album (which that track was off) was funded by him winning a random radio talent contest while he was still in university. he put all his winnings into making that album - a nice background story i think!

and yeah we defo need more opinions, where's all the other hip hoppers?! stereoblind hasn't come back to check out sage either. and what about non-hip hop fans, i think this would be good as an entry point for those who have never given it a good go - you can see a different side, not the usual battle rhymes and cliched mainstream topics!

kenshi would you agree we're not getting any more responses, and move on? apart from mega's eternally delayed response that is haha

[kenz]

before i say what i think, youtube isnt working for me atm, so i cant rate the beat, rapping, delivery etc, jus teh lyrics

on the good side.......
this track is FILLED with qoutables
"privatizing profit and socializing debt."
"When the hunter becomes the hunted they outlaw hunting
Confiscate the ammunition!
Cuz there's a wolf in sheep's skin"

lol practically the whole first verse is qoutable come to think of it
this track is like a "how to" if you want to know how to construct a track, flow is good from what i cant tell from readin....
every time it gets a bit stale, a punch comes in so thats good pacing,
good chorus too, cool outro


so on to the BAD side......
im jus really not feeling the "lets attack our governents" idea at this point in time. so in that respect, its not my cup of tea...

this is the way i see it..........
my government conspired to put me through education, with one of the best health services in the world, most disposable income and the best standard of living
if they had to lie to do that, who am i to complain?

its fashionable to moan about governments after september 11th......also there have been studies that indicate the fall of religion is in direct corellation to the popularity of conspiracy theories, therefore people attacking the government


so all in all, the track was really nice, i cant fault it, its on point, a lot of deep metaphors and shit and i can see why someone would like it....but its not my style atm....so really it jus comes down to personal preference in this case

[mrnicksta]

mega, you're 100% right - it's full of quotables - but it's like sage in autopilot, not exceeding his usual standard. but as i said (at least i think i did!) even this is a million times better than many MCs

right i was going to suggest a new sage song, one which i think is more exemplarary of his skill. i'm torn between three tracks, don't know where to start.. ah fuck it, i'll just choose one :)

sage francis - broken wings
listen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdlPtBX0FDw


She's a fairy with broken wings
I used to watch her perform
And if she hears me I hope she sings songs
That had me going right back
Couldn't find anyone in town to talk
'Bout how no one like that
Should be confined to the ground we walk

She glides but just seems like she floats
And these folks decide to crush her wings until there permanently broke
She rides gusts of wind just by the way she spoke
She crys but loves to sing songs of freedom and hope
On the East side hustling discussing things that we quote
In shallow conversation as if we have deep throats
We chokin' on confusion
Now show up as a heat stroke of we need coats
Trading in our cheap jokes for her C notes
I see notes being passed
I ask to see what these creeps wrote
Define silly kids and flying privelages revoke
Ski slopes have been blocked off they can't transit
Had weights tied to her ankles she most definitely can't skip
Down, shes held down by the transripts my hands grip
Tried to tie her wings back on before the ones again clip
Panic stricken, shell remain stuck
On a Titanic sinken, she's tryin' to stay up
Change her plan thinken its ok
See this is strange but
Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves in a way that kept them chained up
I'd like to see
Her take flight into the stars
Instead of letting her fly free they keep her in jars
Instead of letting fly free they keep 'em in jars
I put my hand to the glass so hard
It might break the prison bars
It isn't hard to see why they keep her captive
She's naturally attractive
Speaks with adlibs, she's uncommonly talented
Ain't enough adjectives to do her dispotion justice
Kids are wishin' for just a kiss and it's a mission to touch her lipstick
Can't trust her with
Freedom of movement that's a chance to loose her quick
If she ups and splits
We might as well call that discussion quits
If we's to keep her down the government's underlinks
Enslave people in this town especially if there cultures rich
Exploiting talents making it do a bunch of tricks
With the rest of the wingless imports
Repeatedly told you ain't a fairy, just a bitch
Just a bitch, with a butt that's thick
So rub your tits, and thrust your hips
And suck my dick, and run your shit, and run your shit, and run your shit

She's a fairy with broken wings
I used to go watch her perform
And if she hears me I hope she sings songs
That had me going right back
Couldn't find anyone in town to talk
Bout how no one like that
Should be confined to the ground

When I was down in New York she'd send me letters
And I read her passages about how I left it to the savages
No matter how sad it is I didn't cry
'Cause it was only a matter of time
Before they figured me out and tried to strip my pride
I knew the scoop
Wish you could of seen the blueprints in my eye
When I flew the coop
Utilizing overground railroads in the sky
It was live or die let me let you in on the secret of mine
Me and you are different girl
We don't even need wings to fly

We dont need wings to fly
Me and you, we don't need wings to fly
Keep on singing give it a try, give it a try
Just keep on singing give it a try, give it a try


it was hard to pick this one, but i thought it would be good as it has many possible interpretations and some nice imagery throughout. see what you all think then i'll write my thoughts :) oh and ignore the stupid emo comments people make about this song on youtube (including the lame fairy pic on the vid), most of them haven't got a fucking clue about hip hop lol

[mrnicksta]

ah well... nobody can say i didn't try!

[ervis]

Binary Star- Reality Check

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnD_CXnXEB8

Lyrics:
[Intro]

(I have a request tonite...when you here this..that is the introduction)

scratching....(do you love pianos?)



[Tekniq]

This is how I represent I rock the mic 110 percent

It's intimate, I keeps the party moving like a imigrant

Binary Star, superstar its no coincidence

Every verse is intricate, this ain't a circus in a tent

We don't get down like them clowns and the kids

I'm use to being indegent, who said its all about the Benjamin's?

I wanna fortune, I wanna make music and hit the lottery

Fortunately my music is never watery

That's how its gotta be, as far as I can see

Maybe you should grab a telescope to see my veiw its like astronomy

It aint all about economy

so the fact that these wack emcees is making G's don't bother me

Honestly, my number one policy is quality

never sell my soul is my philosophy

High velocity, lyrics like Nastradamus make a prophecy

I told you cats a long time a go it ain't no stoppin' me

I bomb your set that's not a threat its a promise

Got everybody ridin' on my wagon like the Amish

But still I never claim to be a big rap star

So no matter who you are its still Allah who act God

Better believe this, most rappers can't achieve this

I'm bad to the bone but x-rays can't even see this

See I'm strategic I letcha money talk bullshit walk

While I keep it rollin' like parapalegics

Whoever's on the microphone let it be known

You in danger, I got next(necks) like the Boston Strangler

You ain't never heard an emcee speak like this

And Rodney King ain't never felt a beat like this



Voice: (That is the Main theme)... scratching.. ( I wanna know something else)



[Senim Silla]

Get a grip on yourself cuz you ain't grippin mines

Life and times, outta lies rap guys outta line careers I finalize

collide with this seranade cyanide you apply for Silla's high

The thing that makes killa's high

Hang 'em high by the gold link necktie

And drain 'em dry into tempest eye now you ain't God

so you ain't that high wanna be aeronautic

And get swatted for actin' fly

Masterminds crafty rhymes, I'll rip from drafty lines

that chill spines like the Alpines, runnin up on some natural binds

A close encounter of the worst kind

Go ask the cats that heard I'm lyrical turpentine

Who wanna taste mine I gotta carry hill on the wasteline

God give the bassline so let the phlegm fly

I survive seven-five through the M-ine, when I forcefully Jedi

On the wooze I red-eye, heads fly bet I, sharpshoot dead-eye

Snooze crews bed bye, Mary lou flippin' I pistol pump grippin

I stompin, I semper-fi represent, temper high, signify

Walkin round ain't nothin similar

Like a Gemini, in this perimeter sublimin-ie

Cats be cut dry more why I wet guys

I be rainin precipitation 'til it's one inch your neck high

Less fly kids misguide, without an alibi

Who said you rap tight? You come unraveled by

Slice of this rap scalpel, guys quick as apple pie

I'm learned in old schools of thought and shit you baffled by

Conceptual intellectual fireslide

Silla oxide rhymes flow like a rockslide

you musta forgot I, have your ass knockneed and cockeyed

Bruised, battered, broken up, walkin, cut dipped in peroxide

Death to the Pop Fly



( I usualy don't do request numbers)... scratching..

( unless of course I have been asked to do so)...