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.
Yo, 'member back on the bully when cats used to harmonize like
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)? Yo, yo
(Check out expression) yo
My men and my women
Don't forget about the deen, Sirat al-Mustaqim
Yo, it's about a thing, uh, yo
If you feel real good wave your hands in the air (yo, yo, what? What? What?)
And lick two shots in the atmosphere (uh)
(Yeah, yeah) put 'em up, put 'em up
(Uh, uh, uh, put 'em up, put 'em up) yeah, a-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, a-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (yeah, yeah)
Yeah, a-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (yeah, yeah)
It's been three weeks since you were looking for your friend
The one you let hit it and never called you again (uh)
'Member when he told you he was 'bout the Benjamins? (Uh-huh, yeah)
You act like you ain't hear him, then give him a little trim
To begin, how you think you're really gon' pretend (pretend)
Like you wasn't down and you called him again? (Again)
Plus, when (when) you give it up so easy you ain't even foolin' him (him)
If you did it then, then you'd probably- again (again)
Talking out your neck, sayin' you're a Christian
A Muslim, sleeping with the gin
Now that was the sin that did Jezebel in
Who you gon' tell when the repercussions spin?
Showing off your ass 'cause you're thinkin' it's a trend
Girlfriend, let me break it down for you again
You know I only say it 'cause I'm truly genuine
Don't be a hard rock when you really are a gem
Baby girl (girl), respect is just a minimum (minimum)
N- and you still defending 'em (defending 'em)
Now, Lauryn is only human (human)
Don't think I haven't been through the same predicament (I been in)
Let it sit inside your head like a million women in Philly, Penn
It's silly when girls sell their souls because it's in
Look at where you be in, hair weaves like Europeans
Fake nails done by Koreans come again
Yo, a-win, win, come again (yeah, yeah)
Uh, bredrin come again (yeah, yeah)
My friend come again (yeah, yeah)
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, uh, yo)
Yeah, yeah
Guys you know you'd better watch out (yeah, uh)
'Cause girls, some girls are only about (some guys, some guys are only)
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing (one thing, one thing)
(Yo, yo)
The second verse is dedicated to the men (men)
More concerned with his rims and his Timbs than his women
Him and his men come in the club like hooligans
Don't care who they offend, poppin' yang (like you got yen)
Let's stop pretend, the ones that pack pistols by they waist men
Cristal by the case men, still in they mother's basement
The pretty face men claiming that they did a bid men
Need to take care of they three or four kids (man)
And they facin' court case when the child support late
Money taking and heart breaking, now you wonder why women hate men
And the sneaky, silent men
The punk, domestic violence men
And quick to shoot the semen, stop acting like boys and be men (be men)
How you gon' win, when you ain't right within? (How you gonna win?)
How you gon' win, when you ain't right within? (Bredrin)
How you gon' win, when you ain't right within? (Be men)
Uh, uh, come again, uh (uh, uh)
(Come again)
Yo, yo, come again (yeah, yeah)
Yo, bredrin come again (yeah, yeah)
And sistren come again (yeah, yeah)
(Yeah) yeah, yeah
Watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Wa-watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Wa-watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Girls you know you'd better watch out (uh, huh)
Some guys, some guys are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing
Guys you know you'd better watch out
'Cause girls, some girls are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing
Girls you know you'd better watch out (some guys, some guys are really not ready)
Some guys, some guys are only about (yeah, some girls, some girls are only, uh)
That thing, that thing, that thing (we taking it back, yo, way back, yo)
That thing, that thing, that thing
Ayy, we got some very intelligent women in here, man
Do you think you're too young to really love somebody?
(No, no, no, no, I don't think that)
I say it for me, uh, I'm an adult I say, wait
"You're too young to be in love, this is silly
You infatuated, whatever, he got nice jeans
He wear fancy Adidas"
I mean, it might be something I don't know (chill)
Bet
It's the difference from loving somebody and being in love with somebody
Well, you tell me, miss, what's the difference?
(Okay) what's the difference?
Okay, so, you-you can love anybody
But when you're in love with somebody
You're looking at it like this
You taking that person for what he or she is
No matter what he or she look like or no matter what he or she do
(God, she preaching right?) Aight
Well, if you fall in love, you can fall out of love (true that)
(But it's worth it to just love somebody)
Sure you might stop being in love with them
But you is not gon' stop loving that person
Maybe sometimes they never been loved before (yeah, true)
Or they've been in love before
Or they never-, they don't know what the feeling is to be loved
Uh, she poetic (I know that's right)
She killed it, we could end that conversation with that, right?
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh)? Yo, yo
(Check out expression) yo
My men and my women
Don't forget about the deen, Sirat al-Mustaqim
Yo, it's about a thing, uh, yo
If you feel real good wave your hands in the air (yo, yo, what? What? What?)
And lick two shots in the atmosphere (uh)
(Yeah, yeah) put 'em up, put 'em up
(Uh, uh, uh, put 'em up, put 'em up) yeah, a-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah, a-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (yeah, yeah)
Yeah, a-yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (yeah, yeah)
It's been three weeks since you were looking for your friend
The one you let hit it and never called you again (uh)
'Member when he told you he was 'bout the Benjamins? (Uh-huh, yeah)
You act like you ain't hear him, then give him a little trim
To begin, how you think you're really gon' pretend (pretend)
Like you wasn't down and you called him again? (Again)
Plus, when (when) you give it up so easy you ain't even foolin' him (him)
If you did it then, then you'd probably- again (again)
Talking out your neck, sayin' you're a Christian
A Muslim, sleeping with the gin
Now that was the sin that did Jezebel in
Who you gon' tell when the repercussions spin?
Showing off your ass 'cause you're thinkin' it's a trend
Girlfriend, let me break it down for you again
You know I only say it 'cause I'm truly genuine
Don't be a hard rock when you really are a gem
Baby girl (girl), respect is just a minimum (minimum)
N- and you still defending 'em (defending 'em)
Now, Lauryn is only human (human)
Don't think I haven't been through the same predicament (I been in)
Let it sit inside your head like a million women in Philly, Penn
It's silly when girls sell their souls because it's in
Look at where you be in, hair weaves like Europeans
Fake nails done by Koreans come again
Yo, a-win, win, come again (yeah, yeah)
Uh, bredrin come again (yeah, yeah)
My friend come again (yeah, yeah)
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, uh, yo)
Yeah, yeah
Guys you know you'd better watch out (yeah, uh)
'Cause girls, some girls are only about (some guys, some guys are only)
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing (one thing, one thing)
(Yo, yo)
The second verse is dedicated to the men (men)
More concerned with his rims and his Timbs than his women
Him and his men come in the club like hooligans
Don't care who they offend, poppin' yang (like you got yen)
Let's stop pretend, the ones that pack pistols by they waist men
Cristal by the case men, still in they mother's basement
The pretty face men claiming that they did a bid men
Need to take care of they three or four kids (man)
And they facin' court case when the child support late
Money taking and heart breaking, now you wonder why women hate men
And the sneaky, silent men
The punk, domestic violence men
And quick to shoot the semen, stop acting like boys and be men (be men)
How you gon' win, when you ain't right within? (How you gonna win?)
How you gon' win, when you ain't right within? (Bredrin)
How you gon' win, when you ain't right within? (Be men)
Uh, uh, come again, uh (uh, uh)
(Come again)
Yo, yo, come again (yeah, yeah)
Yo, bredrin come again (yeah, yeah)
And sistren come again (yeah, yeah)
(Yeah) yeah, yeah
Watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Wa-watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Wa-watch out, watch out
Look out, look out
Girls you know you'd better watch out (uh, huh)
Some guys, some guys are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing
Guys you know you'd better watch out
'Cause girls, some girls are only about
That thing, that thing, that thing
That thing, that thing, that thing
Girls you know you'd better watch out (some guys, some guys are really not ready)
Some guys, some guys are only about (yeah, some girls, some girls are only, uh)
That thing, that thing, that thing (we taking it back, yo, way back, yo)
That thing, that thing, that thing
Ayy, we got some very intelligent women in here, man
Do you think you're too young to really love somebody?
(No, no, no, no, I don't think that)
I say it for me, uh, I'm an adult I say, wait
"You're too young to be in love, this is silly
You infatuated, whatever, he got nice jeans
He wear fancy Adidas"
I mean, it might be something I don't know (chill)
Bet
It's the difference from loving somebody and being in love with somebody
Well, you tell me, miss, what's the difference?
(Okay) what's the difference?
Okay, so, you-you can love anybody
But when you're in love with somebody
You're looking at it like this
You taking that person for what he or she is
No matter what he or she look like or no matter what he or she do
(God, she preaching right?) Aight
Well, if you fall in love, you can fall out of love (true that)
(But it's worth it to just love somebody)
Sure you might stop being in love with them
But you is not gon' stop loving that person
Maybe sometimes they never been loved before (yeah, true)
Or they've been in love before
Or they never-, they don't know what the feeling is to be loved
Uh, she poetic (I know that's right)
She killed it, we could end that conversation with that, right?
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Great version of a great song,
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lyric correction: "A Muslim sleeping with the jinn"
jinns are evil spirits in Muslim/Arab folklore. the lyric is akin to sayig somebody's sleeping with the devil.
i love this song. the imagery is is so vivid and convictng.
I'll take your word for it. Cool.<br /> <br /> Agreed on the song though. :)
@raburns it refers to how Gin isnt Halal