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.
I do not, I do not, I am just, I am just a rapper
Sick boy make moves like a chess piece
And that move real quick like Nestle
Let me make it clear for a second like Pepsi
i was never worried bout my wallet bein empty
Cause when it was empty, I was still happy
Walkin with my Walkman, freestyle rappin
High school bullies like what the fuck happened
Nigga off the hook like i fuckin shot the captain
And this supposed to be relaxin, rappin is my hobby
I did this in my bedroom where I separate my laundry
Watchin old episodes of Shining Time Station
You are now listening to my mouth on vacation (ation)
Why you doing this, what's your motivation?
I am just a rapper, I don't need the paper
No Will Smith went off without a hitch man
C-H-I-L-D it's the ISH man
Do sixteen bars no wristband
I'll always be childish, call me Maggie Simpson
Run the track like my tongue's an Olympian
I've always been this good, you just weren't listening
Imma try to make my street cred stack up
I mean I'm rapping over Grizzy Bear, what the fuck
Gather swagger up, before I take it all
You started rapping when you wasn't good at basketball
I started rapping cause I fucking need some Adderall
I can't do one thing, I'm just too good
I can't do one thing, I am Tiger Woods
I make you iPod hotter than a lighter would
Picture me in sixth grade, overweight, overbite
Got my fake Adidas on, whiting out the fourth stripe
Kid named Vincent got it out for me, I hate that guy
Frodo from Chicago, really small and shy
You better recognize, cause I'm no better now
Cause I was always sick, my life's a hospital
And that's some funny shit, that turd is Apatow
That female dog is blind, well bitch look at me now!
I'm wearing tight jeans, and nobody's laughing
More pussy than recycled sanitary napkins
Bitch sitting shotgun in my Tracy Chapman
I did exactly what you niggas said would never happen.
I'm doing me so big I can hardly walk
These rappers need ER like they're Charlie Park
Stay hard like my suit made by Tony Stark
This kinda music make your balls drop, Dick Clark
Yes I'm grown and sexy, and I'm worth the wait
Girls act like I'm the only dude on earth to date
Put these words on your head and let them percolate
We need to separate church and state.
I used to have to pay for gas in my momma's Saturn
And now I'm paying for a mortgage as a working actor
If living my life is what you say you're chasing after
Nigga stop talking shit and just be a rapper (be a rapper).
Sick boy make moves like a chess piece
And that move real quick like Nestle
Let me make it clear for a second like Pepsi
i was never worried bout my wallet bein empty
Cause when it was empty, I was still happy
Walkin with my Walkman, freestyle rappin
High school bullies like what the fuck happened
Nigga off the hook like i fuckin shot the captain
And this supposed to be relaxin, rappin is my hobby
I did this in my bedroom where I separate my laundry
Watchin old episodes of Shining Time Station
You are now listening to my mouth on vacation (ation)
Why you doing this, what's your motivation?
I am just a rapper, I don't need the paper
No Will Smith went off without a hitch man
C-H-I-L-D it's the ISH man
Do sixteen bars no wristband
I'll always be childish, call me Maggie Simpson
Run the track like my tongue's an Olympian
I've always been this good, you just weren't listening
Imma try to make my street cred stack up
I mean I'm rapping over Grizzy Bear, what the fuck
Gather swagger up, before I take it all
You started rapping when you wasn't good at basketball
I started rapping cause I fucking need some Adderall
I can't do one thing, I'm just too good
I can't do one thing, I am Tiger Woods
I make you iPod hotter than a lighter would
Picture me in sixth grade, overweight, overbite
Got my fake Adidas on, whiting out the fourth stripe
Kid named Vincent got it out for me, I hate that guy
Frodo from Chicago, really small and shy
You better recognize, cause I'm no better now
Cause I was always sick, my life's a hospital
And that's some funny shit, that turd is Apatow
That female dog is blind, well bitch look at me now!
I'm wearing tight jeans, and nobody's laughing
More pussy than recycled sanitary napkins
Bitch sitting shotgun in my Tracy Chapman
I did exactly what you niggas said would never happen.
I'm doing me so big I can hardly walk
These rappers need ER like they're Charlie Park
Stay hard like my suit made by Tony Stark
This kinda music make your balls drop, Dick Clark
Yes I'm grown and sexy, and I'm worth the wait
Girls act like I'm the only dude on earth to date
Put these words on your head and let them percolate
We need to separate church and state.
I used to have to pay for gas in my momma's Saturn
And now I'm paying for a mortgage as a working actor
If living my life is what you say you're chasing after
Nigga stop talking shit and just be a rapper (be a rapper).
Lyrics submitted by jaggaboo, edited by TheTimeHawk
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
These are fairly off in places. From what I can tell this is a bit closer:
I do not talk, I am just a rapper.
Sick boy make moves like a chess piece, And I move real quick like Nestle. Let me make it clear for a second like Pepsi, I was never worried bout my wallet bein' empty. 'Cause when it was empty, I was still happy, Walkin with my Walkman, freestyle rappin', High school bullies like "What the fuck happened?" Nigga' off the hook like I fuckin' shot the captain.
And this is me relaxin', rapping is my hobby. I did this in my bedroom where I separate my laundry, Watching old episodes of Shining Time Station. You are now listening to my mouth on vacation (ation) Why you doin' this, what's your motivation? I am just a rapper, I don't need the paper. No Will Smith went off without a Hitch, man, C-H-I-L-D it's the ISH man Do sixteen bars no wristband, I'll always be childish, call me Maggie Simpson. Run the track like my tongue's an Olympian, I've always been this good, you just weren't listening.
Imma try to make my street cred stack up, I mean I'm rapping over Grizzy Bear, what the fuck? Gather swagger up, before I take it all: You started rapping when you wasn't good at basketball, I started rapping cause I fuckin' need some Adderall. I can't do one thing, I'm just too good. I can't do one thing, I am Tiger Woods. I make you iPod hotter than a lighter would.
Picture me in sixth grade, overweight, overbite, Got my fake Adidas on, whiting out the fourth stripe. Kid named Vincent got it out for me, I hate that guy. Frodo from Chicago, really small and shy. You better recognize, cause I'm no better now, Cause I was always sick, my life's a hospital, And that's some funny shit, that turd is Apatow, That female dog is blind, well bitch look at me now!
I'm wearing tight jeans, and nobody's laughing, More pussy than recycled sanitary napkins, Bitch sitting shotgun in my Tracy Chapman, I did exactly what you niggas said would never happen.
I'm doing me so big I can hardly walk. These rappers need ER like they're Charlie Park. Stay hard like my suit made by Tony Stark, This kinda music make your balls drop, Dick Clark. Yes I'm grown and sexy, and I'm worth the wait. Girls act like I'm the only dude on earth to date. Put these words on your head and let them percolate, We need to separate [???] church and state.
I used to have to pay for gas in my momma's Saturn, And now I'm paying for a mortgage as a working actor. If living my life is what you say you're chasing after Nigga' stop talking shit and just be a rapper (be a rapper).
It's <br /> <br /> "We need to separate, nigga, church and state."