Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Mike:
This is a story of them against us, win or lose
Forcing your feet into someone else's shoes
Everybody's got something to say, that we ought to
Live their way, what we're doing's not okay
In this world everybody's got a chip on
Both sides of the neck, got no respect
Wait up a sec
You ever feel like the pressure is
Too much to take, too much weight?
Ladies and gentlemen
If anybody can hear me right now please shout back
We're not the only ones feeling so trapped
In the dream of somebody else, in fact
They got their heads full of some overblown scheme
Opportunity they missed back when they were sixteen
And all they want to do is push you to be that
And all you want to do is scream back
Holly / Tak / Mike:
Gonna be sombody
(For anybody telling me I can't)
Gonna be someone
(For anyone who told me I had no chance)
Gonna be somebody
(I'm telling you the time has come)
Gonna be someone
(And maybe you'll get it when I'm finally done)
We don't sleep to dream, we sleep to build stamina
Energy to do our thing, get your camera
Cause this ride is about to begin
Sit down and buckle it in, lemme say it again
In this world everybody's got a chip on
Both sides of the neck, got no respect
Wait up a sec
When I was young they said the
Odds of making it were slim to none
Ladies and, fuck it
I'm tired of them saying the dream you have
Doesn't exist, telling you you're worthless saying you should quit
Basically telling you that you'll never be shit
Really they're pissed cause they'll never achieve some
Opportunity they missed back when they were sixteen
And all they want to do is push you to be that
And all you want to do is scream back
Lupe Fiasco:
They're gonna think you're crazy
Mumbling to yourself in the basement all day
Uh-uh-uh-ing and to yourself
My pops didn't dig it with shoveling it to myself
My boys used to get it they dug it because they felt
My undertaking took me I was making in my stealth
A wealth of rhymes of crazy I would chuckle to myself
Then they went into the mental rolodex
See I knew 'em by heart like a brain in my chest
Then I took 'em to school where subjects were getting felt
Books under my seat notebook laying on my desk
My teacher's like, "Mr. Jaco?"
"Yes?"
"With all that knowledge, you ain't trying to college
Be a lawyer or a doctor, get a whole lot of dollars
Rather degrade woman and glorify violence?"
Well the work that works for me might not work for you
No homework, I got work to do
This is a story of them against us, win or lose
Forcing your feet into someone else's shoes
Everybody's got something to say, that we ought to
Live their way, what we're doing's not okay
In this world everybody's got a chip on
Both sides of the neck, got no respect
Wait up a sec
You ever feel like the pressure is
Too much to take, too much weight?
Ladies and gentlemen
If anybody can hear me right now please shout back
We're not the only ones feeling so trapped
In the dream of somebody else, in fact
They got their heads full of some overblown scheme
Opportunity they missed back when they were sixteen
And all they want to do is push you to be that
And all you want to do is scream back
Holly / Tak / Mike:
Gonna be sombody
(For anybody telling me I can't)
Gonna be someone
(For anyone who told me I had no chance)
Gonna be somebody
(I'm telling you the time has come)
Gonna be someone
(And maybe you'll get it when I'm finally done)
We don't sleep to dream, we sleep to build stamina
Energy to do our thing, get your camera
Cause this ride is about to begin
Sit down and buckle it in, lemme say it again
In this world everybody's got a chip on
Both sides of the neck, got no respect
Wait up a sec
When I was young they said the
Odds of making it were slim to none
Ladies and, fuck it
I'm tired of them saying the dream you have
Doesn't exist, telling you you're worthless saying you should quit
Basically telling you that you'll never be shit
Really they're pissed cause they'll never achieve some
Opportunity they missed back when they were sixteen
And all they want to do is push you to be that
And all you want to do is scream back
Lupe Fiasco:
They're gonna think you're crazy
Mumbling to yourself in the basement all day
Uh-uh-uh-ing and to yourself
My pops didn't dig it with shoveling it to myself
My boys used to get it they dug it because they felt
My undertaking took me I was making in my stealth
A wealth of rhymes of crazy I would chuckle to myself
Then they went into the mental rolodex
See I knew 'em by heart like a brain in my chest
Then I took 'em to school where subjects were getting felt
Books under my seat notebook laying on my desk
My teacher's like, "Mr. Jaco?"
"Yes?"
"With all that knowledge, you ain't trying to college
Be a lawyer or a doctor, get a whole lot of dollars
Rather degrade woman and glorify violence?"
Well the work that works for me might not work for you
No homework, I got work to do
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This song is about following your dreams regardless of what naysayers say.
This song gets me pumped.
This song is about believing in yourself despite setbacks and criticism, and having a goal and going for it. It's also about people being judgemental ('we oughta live their way, what we're doing's not OK'). Sometimes you feel like they're right but everyone feels that way and you have to 'scream back' and make something of yourself anyway.
Song is soooo about getting the confidence takin out of you from people who dont think u'll make it and they want u to be sumthing they wanted to be/ want to be
This song is also about going your own way and not letting someone push you down a road that they wish they had taken.
song is fucking awsome
Like others already said, its about following dreams and believing in yourself. Don't let other people tell you YOUR dream isn't possible. Just pursuit it. its your life, your strenght. Show all the people who said you couldn't do it that you did.
Great song, I really like this sentence:
"We don't sleep to dream, we sleep to build stamina Energy to do our thing"
It puts a whole other perspective on life. Sleep to build energy, and use that energy to get what you want. To follow your dream.