In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
London calling
Speak the slang now
Boys say wha'
Come on girls say what, say wha'
London calling
Speak the slang now
Boys say wha
Come on girls say what, say wha'
Slam, galang galang galang
Shotgun, get down
Get down, get down, get down
Too late, you down
D-d-d-down
Ta na ta na ta na
Blaze a blaze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Purple haze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Blaze a blaze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Purple haze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Who the hell is hounding you in the B-M-W
How the hell he find you, 147'd you
The feds gon get you
Pull the strings on the hood
1 paranoid youth blazin' through the hood
Who the hell is hounding you in the B-M-W
How the hell he find you, 147'd you
The feds gon get you
Pull the strings on the hood
1 paranoid youth blazin' through the hood
Blaze a blaze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Purple haze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Blaze a blaze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Purple haze (galang a lang a lang lang)
London calling
Speak the slang now
Boys say wha
Come on girls say what, say wha'
London calling
Speak the slang now
Boys say wha
Come on girls say what, say wha'
They say
Rivers gonna run though
Work is gonna save you
Pray and you will pull through
Suck a dick'll help you
Don't let em get to you
If he's got 1 you get 2
Backstab your crew
Sell it I could sell you
They say
Rivers gonna run though
Work is gonna save you
Pray and you will pull through
Suck a dick'll help you
Don't let em get to you
If he's got 1 you get 2
Backstab your crew
Sell it I could sell you
Blaze a blaze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Purple haze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Blaze a blaze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Purple haze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Blaze a blaze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Purple haze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Blaze a blaze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Purple haze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Speak the slang now
Boys say wha'
Come on girls say what, say wha'
London calling
Speak the slang now
Boys say wha
Come on girls say what, say wha'
Slam, galang galang galang
Shotgun, get down
Get down, get down, get down
Too late, you down
D-d-d-down
Ta na ta na ta na
Blaze a blaze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Purple haze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Blaze a blaze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Purple haze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Who the hell is hounding you in the B-M-W
How the hell he find you, 147'd you
The feds gon get you
Pull the strings on the hood
1 paranoid youth blazin' through the hood
Who the hell is hounding you in the B-M-W
How the hell he find you, 147'd you
The feds gon get you
Pull the strings on the hood
1 paranoid youth blazin' through the hood
Blaze a blaze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Purple haze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Blaze a blaze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Purple haze (galang a lang a lang lang)
London calling
Speak the slang now
Boys say wha
Come on girls say what, say wha'
London calling
Speak the slang now
Boys say wha
Come on girls say what, say wha'
They say
Rivers gonna run though
Work is gonna save you
Pray and you will pull through
Suck a dick'll help you
Don't let em get to you
If he's got 1 you get 2
Backstab your crew
Sell it I could sell you
They say
Rivers gonna run though
Work is gonna save you
Pray and you will pull through
Suck a dick'll help you
Don't let em get to you
If he's got 1 you get 2
Backstab your crew
Sell it I could sell you
Blaze a blaze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Purple haze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Blaze a blaze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Purple haze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Blaze a blaze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Purple haze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Blaze a blaze (galang a lang a lang lang)
Purple haze (galang a lang a lang lang)
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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This song is about pot trafficking. purple haze is a type of weed, and London slang is mostly spoken by minorities and young people in England. Basically, the character in the song is a youngster trafficking pot in Sri Lanka, is getting chased by the person he or she is dealing with , and might get caught by the police one day. Trafficking drugs and sucking a few dicks is what gets some ppl enough money to flee to London, but M.I.A. is saying that working and praying is what they should be doing instead, and she does not agree with all the shit ppl have to do for a living in her country. It is really tough. Remember, M.I.A. is all about politics. And p.s., most of british slang derive from Jamaican patois because when England had dominion over Jamaica years ago, many Jamaicans took advantage of it and fled to England. This also exploains why English is spoken in Jamaica, along with Trinidad, Tobago and Grenada.