submissions

Citizen Cope – Every Waking Moment Lyrics

9 years ago

@[evilbaby:12622] I think you can view this as a simple love song but to me, he is taking stock of his life too and he could be reaching out and up to God (Jah). He counts his blessings and his sins in this song almost like a confession and then says whether he knows it or realizes, every waking moment he is reaching for _________, Could be a woman, could be Jah. TO me, when I listen to this, it is a cry to Jah to forgive the sins and faults he mentions and just hear that the singer is reaching for something greater than himself; I.E. Jah/God. Also, it's structured like a Hymn. It really works nicely both ways.

submissions

Citizen Cope – Friendly Fire Lyrics

9 years ago

I think it's interesting that he related the current epidemic of Law Enforcement shootings of unarmed boys of color to the way the covering up during the Viet Nam Era of deaths by "Friendly Fire". Friendly Fire is when you get shot by your own side in an armed conflict. it is usually a tactical mistake and therefore "not on purpose." Even so, up until the Gulf Wars and Afghanistan, it was unusual for the Military to admit to Friendly Fire incidents. In the Viet Nam Era, they flat out LIED about such things since some Friendly Fire incidents happened in areas where our Government wasn't supposed to be in such as Laos or Cambodia. I think this why he calls the intentional shooting of a kid on the street who had done nothing "Friendly Fire." It goes back that cover your keester attitude in past wars. Clever but sad.

submissions

Citizen Cope – D'Artagnan's Theme Lyrics

9 years ago

@[clhatch13:10543] South of babylon would be anywhere south of NYC. Someone else here earlier mentioned that Cities have specific names within RAP music and while in Reggae, Babylon means ANY city here on earth that is too wordly or simply the evil world of men in general, in RAp, it specifically means NYC. Cope was living in DC AND New Orleans after having spent time in a relationship with a woman in NYC. "The battle goin' on somewhere south of babylon" seems to be a reference to his own personal struggles at the time and his move back south. Just my guess.

submissions

Laura Branigan – Spanish Eddie Lyrics

9 years ago

Vicks with Lemon Gin Vicks with Lemon Gin is a reference to the practice of buying Benzohex Inhalers, removing the cotton and using either alcoholic beverages or coffee as a solvent to dissolve the speed soaked in the cotton of the inhaler. It's considered a crap high by street duggies but it was invented by the Mods in England for use when they couldn't get Amphetamine pills. Benzohex is soaked with a minor methamphetamine. Vicks also used sell such an inhaler but you can't buy the real deal any more. Vicks seems to have ceased making it in favor of a new product called ZZZZquill which is far more dangerous. So these day, the only Vicks inhalers around are licensed from Vicks and made in other countries. They do NOT contain an active stimulant - only smelly stuff. The amphetamine compound in Benzohex and former Vicks inhalers worked by shrinking the swollen nasal membrane during congestion but just like Afrin, people got hooked on that. Kroger's and Walmart still make the real deal. Why do I know this? I wrote an article about the Gin and Benzohex beverage. If they were using a lemon flavored Gin product , trust me, it was to get rid of the camphor flavor also in the Benzohex. This is a cheap, crap high for street kids.

submissions

Laura Branigan – Spanish Eddie Lyrics

9 years ago

@[vanthony:9897] Check out this link here: http://oldschoolerscrew.blogspot.com/2010/01/peace-by-all-means-necessary-hoe.html ...then go to Wikipedia and look up the article on the Hoe Avenue Peace Meeting. Many people believe there is a direct connection between this song and the attempted assassination of Spanish Eddie Vicinti, who was shot in the face and believed dead for a while by corrupt city officials who wished to prevent a city-wide Gang Truce. The belief was the gangs would first have a Truce but as they got older, they would become one strong force in organized crime. I'm from NYC and while I'm barely old enough to remember all those facts, when the song first hit the airwaves, I was in College and even then I was asking cops about Spanish Eddie Vicenti. He was a Youth Authority worker who had once been a gang member. He had grown very influential and was considered to be "too close" to the youth gangs so he got "Serpico'd".

submissions

Citizen Cope – D'Artagnan's Theme Lyrics

9 years ago

@[VisualArte:9896] I agree, but I think the woman did him serious wrong. I have an Ex-BF who to this day tells people that "when you're done with a woman, she should just die, just be GONE! I hate it when Ex-GF's show up in MY city after I've finished with them." Kinda harsh, I know, and this guy sys this about everyone who leaves him. Cope, I think is just wanting the whole sad story finished. D'Artagnan may be mentioned because of his own broken marriage. His wife was a real piece of work, too. The whole diamond thing is such a clever image to bring up. I assumed he was laying in a deserted baseball diamond in DC just ruminating about this recently ended relationship and comparing himself and his values to D'Artagnan's and the commonality that they both got burned badly by a woman. I don't know much about his life though so, this could all be my own life bleeding thru. BTW, about "Babylon" - that is not just the name for NYC but ANY and ALL Cities of man. it's a Rasta thing taken from the Bible. Babylon is the entire world that is ruled by satan - the material world. I agree that it means NYC in this song, but it doesn't always mean that.

submissions

Citizen Cope – D'Artagnan's Theme Lyrics

9 years ago

@[clhatch13:9895] Good job. I think he simply admires D'Artagnan, who died fighting in a fairly stupid war, considering his position. Death by musket shot to throat is a rather grim end for such an admired man. D'Artagnan is a metaphor for all the good men who we value who fall in the battle "South of Babylon" and there will be so many more lying in unmarked graves as we continue to toss our sons and duaghters into the great gaping maw that are the Forver Wars in the Middle East. That's my take. the Helicopter taking off at the end may be lifting a dying modern soldier off the field of battle. The wishing a certain person would just fade away suggest there are enemies of righteousness who are on the side of evil and are stoking the battle "South of Babylon." He doesn't seem to want D'Artagnan to "just fade away" since he just spent an entire song reminding us that he was a real person whose struggles he consideres similar to those in his own time.

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