The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
I gave hip hop to white boys when nobody was looking. They found it locked in a basement when they gentrified Brooklyn. I left a list of instructions, an MPC and a mic, my sci-fi library, and utensils to write. Right or wrong, I think hip hop is where it belongs. Where it comes from is one, but, son, we wrote them songs. It was a ploy. Got fools tied up with mechanized toys. We are beings of breath, beyond the beings of boys. Now, you can break all you wanna. Scratch all you wanna. Graff all you wanna. Laugh all you wanna. But I want to show you what the stars are made of. I want to show you the stars. So substitute the anger and oppression with guilt and depression and it's yours.
White boys listen to white boys. Black boys listen to black boys. No one listens to no one. No one listens to no one. Alone on a mountain top, uprooted from the earth. Drifting beyond normalcy. A gold piece in God's purse is worthless here. We're Earthless here. God versus fear. Man versus fear. Fear not. I purse my lips and kiss like a glock. Violence is a metaphor for victory's plot. Change is inevitable, but our death is not. Now, you can break all you wanna. Scratch all you wanna. Graff all you wanna. Laugh all wanna. But I want to show you what the stars are made of. I want to show you the stars. So substitute the anger and oppression with guilt and depression and it's yours.
White boys listen to white boys. Black boys listen to black boys. No one listens to no one. No one listens to no one. Alone on a mountain top, uprooted from the earth. Drifting beyond normalcy. A gold piece in God's purse is worthless here. We're Earthless here. God versus fear. Man versus fear. Fear not. I purse my lips and kiss like a glock. Violence is a metaphor for victory's plot. Change is inevitable, but our death is not. Now, you can break all you wanna. Scratch all you wanna. Graff all you wanna. Laugh all wanna. But I want to show you what the stars are made of. I want to show you the stars. So substitute the anger and oppression with guilt and depression and it's yours.
Lyrics submitted by pintsofguinness
Grippo Lyrics as written by Musa Bailey Mickey P
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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I think Saul's basically critiquing current hip-hop/rap music. I think the "substitute the anger and oppression....." part is saying that IF instead of glorifying anger and complaining about being oppressed so much in hip-hop/rap music they expressed guilt over having committed violence and talked about being depressed due to being oppressed they would get better results. Change may start to happen. They would be closer to heart, so to speak, about real issues and possible solutions, instead of just making it seem cool to tote a gun and just bitching about how hard it is growing up in the projects. I think the "violence is a metaphor...." part is referencing the metaphor in the previous sentence. "I purse my lips and kiss like a glock" is a metaphor that compares using words to fight to actual violence. I think the "Earthless" part is saying that the material world is worthless. It doesn't matter if you're god or man, you still have to deal with fear. I also always heard "change is inevitable, but object is not." Which would mean that, yes we do have to change, but what we change into or become is still determined by us. It also translates to whatever the world changes into is determined by us as well.