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.
We know, yes we know
I set my ego on fantastic.
Still, you're fuckin' with my plastic
Take a second and medicate it
Dedicated, medicated,
They bend and break me
Overrate me
I take a small piece and make it breathe
It takes a second to wreck
Takes a second for a hit sucka niggas won't believe
They stress me, test me, vex me
So what, you got a gun?
That shit don't impress me
You, you, you always walks with a crew
You're a motherfucker 'cause' you're not alone
(you back da fuck up cause you're not alone)
(and) you don't think I'm a brother, then check my chromosome
Brand new, you're retro
I already passed you on a 1-2
I've been cued to this already
Bullet to the head.
Bullet to the head, do you think I's joking?
What the fuck are you doin'?
You want to represent my attention?
You need more than a mike and a mention.
Through the scars you see bars
Through the bars you see scars results of my rage.
Brand new, you're retro.
Brand new, you're retro.
Brand new, you're retro.
Scared to skip and step in case you trip and fall
Thunder picks you up, slaps you on the wall
That's maniacal, I cuff (the mimetical) through my manicle
Mechanical and super-natty
Love is not talk, I walk on by
Exotic spices
If your mouth can't tame the meaning
Careful of the faces you're seeing
A dread of the past [In threat of the past] and fear of the future
That's manacle, I cuff through my monocle
Mechanical and super-natty
Brand new, you're retro.
I set my ego on fantastic.
Still, you're fuckin' with my plastic
Take a second and medicate it
Dedicated, medicated,
They bend and break me
Overrate me
I take a small piece and make it breathe
It takes a second to wreck
Takes a second for a hit sucka niggas won't believe
They stress me, test me, vex me
So what, you got a gun?
That shit don't impress me
You, you, you always walks with a crew
You're a motherfucker 'cause' you're not alone
(you back da fuck up cause you're not alone)
(and) you don't think I'm a brother, then check my chromosome
Brand new, you're retro
I already passed you on a 1-2
I've been cued to this already
Bullet to the head.
Bullet to the head, do you think I's joking?
What the fuck are you doin'?
You want to represent my attention?
You need more than a mike and a mention.
Through the scars you see bars
Through the bars you see scars results of my rage.
Brand new, you're retro.
Brand new, you're retro.
Brand new, you're retro.
Scared to skip and step in case you trip and fall
Thunder picks you up, slaps you on the wall
That's maniacal, I cuff (the mimetical) through my manicle
Mechanical and super-natty
Love is not talk, I walk on by
Exotic spices
If your mouth can't tame the meaning
Careful of the faces you're seeing
A dread of the past [In threat of the past] and fear of the future
That's manacle, I cuff through my monocle
Mechanical and super-natty
Brand new, you're retro.
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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I think this song is about how rappers are typically portrayed in the media, and how Tricky is beyond the stereotype. Examples are in the lyrics
"Yes yes you always walks with the crew You'd better back the fuck up 'cause you're not alone"
and "So what, you got a gun? That shit don't impress me"
and "
yeah youre right he wrote this one for that faggot singer of Rage against the machine...
The image of a black people being associated with guns is "retro". His brand new.