submissions
| Aesop Rock – No Regrets Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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The song “No Regrets” by Aesop Rock is a parable written to teach its listeners that true happiness comes from being genuinely oneself rather than doing what society expects or appreciates.By using a parable to express his message, Aesop Rock makes it more concrete. Rather than just instructing his listeners not to give in to society, he forces readers to come to that conclusion on their own by evaluating Lucy’s life and how she resisted society. This amplifies his message in a powerful and emotionally engaging way, similarly to how narratives are effective in creating pathos and support for an argument. Furthermore, the parable makes it more interesting to listen to. |
submissions
| Passafire – Submersible Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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The line “get up today with red on your face” is metonymy for the paint that warriors wear on their faces, which is often the color red because red symbolizes strength, anger, and rebellion. The line itself has two possible meanings. The first meaning is to remain strong in the face of corruption. This interpretation is strengthened by the line right after which says to “fight down” —as a warrior would– those that make their money in politics by “keeping the pace,” or by protecting the current corrupt practices of politicians that make their living at the expense of others (“bet on the race”). The second interpretation is that the lyricist wants people to remain determinedly strong in the face of adversity. The chorus of the song repeats the line “when the volcano erupts, don’t look up, because all you can see is ashes.” This is a metaphor for optimism; when bad things happen, don’t dwell on the dark side. Therefore, the message implied by the metonymy may also be to mentally fight against misfortunes in order to sustain happiness. |
submissions
| Aesop Rock – None Shall Pass Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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In his song “None Shall Pass” (2007), lyricist Aesop Rock criticizes the Bush administration for having waged the Iraq war out of a selfish desire to acquire natural resources in the Middle East, rather than to accomplish its stated objective of protecting the Israelites. Aesop Rock uses the above allusion in order to say that only a miracle–such as the one depicted in the Bible–will truly save the Israelites because so far the war has actually done nothing towards improving their quality of life. Furthermore, if this miracle comes at all it will appear unexpectedly (“snake up”), since at this point the big picture (“centerfold”) shows no sign of progress being made towards the Israelite cause.
When Aesop Rock says “blood turns wine when I leak for police,” he delivers two implied messages: 1) that people have suffered due to the actions of government officials, and 2) that the American national government is power-hungry and blood-thirsty, using its ability to wage harsh war as a reminder to other countries of its authoritative role in the world as a super-power. Thus, it can be inferred that Aesop Rock believes that American officials consider themselves to be all-powerful and all-knowing (especially concerning what is “best” and “right” for others) |
submissions
| Aesop Rock – Zero Dark Thirty (feat. Rob Sonic) Lyrics
| 13 years ago
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In his song “Zero Dark Thirty,” Aesop Rock describes the effect that going from unsigned to famous in the music industry has on artists. Oftentimes, caught up in the fame, celebrities come to feel that they are invincible and this, usually combined with the aftermath of a tumultuous childhood, ultimately leads them to become addicted to drugs. The allusion to the Greek monster known as a Minotaur is used to describe the artist’s life before getting signed. The artist is considered ugly and repulsive–having no friends–like a Minotaur. Part of the lure of a producer is that they will transform an artist’s image to be more desirable to the public. Also, the Minotaur dwelled in a labyrinth, or a maze. This is also a reference to what it is like to be a single unsigned, underground artist in a sea of millions of other artists. Only a small percentage of musicians, especially of rap artists (like Aesop Rock), are ever found and signed successfully by well-known producers.
The function of the allusion to Rumplestiltskin in this song is to portray another negative side effect of drug abuse. Rumplestiltskin is able to relatively quickly turn plain, worthless straw into valuable gold. The line “spin hearts on sleeves into heads on poles” shows how one seemingly innocuous side effect of drugs (decreased inhibitions) can suddenly be replaced by a serious side effect (overdose or death). The allusion also creates irony; gold is a desirable object, whereas what is compared to it–death–is not. |
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