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.
Us living as we do upside down
And the new word to have is revolution
People don't even want to hear the preacher
Spill or spiel because God's whole card has been thoroughly piqued
And America is now blood and tears instead of milk and honey
The youngsters who were programmed to continue
Fucking up woke up one night digging
Paul Revere and Nat Turner as the good guys
America stripped for bed and we had not all yet closed our eyes
The signs of truth were tattooed across her often entered vagina
We learned to our amazement untold tale of scandal
Two long centuries buried in the musty vault
Hosed down daily with a gagging perfume
America was a bastard, the illegitimate daughter of the mother country
Whose legs were then spread around the world
And a rapist known as freedom, free-doom
Democracy, liberty, and justice were revolutionary code names that preceded
The bubbling, bubbling, bubbling, bubbling, bubbling
In the mother country's crotch
What does Webster say about soul?
All I want is a good home and a wife
And a children and some food to feed them every night
After all is said and done, build a new route to China if they'll have you
Who will survive in America?
Who will survive in America?
Who will survive in America?
Who will survive in America?
And the new word to have is revolution
People don't even want to hear the preacher
Spill or spiel because God's whole card has been thoroughly piqued
And America is now blood and tears instead of milk and honey
The youngsters who were programmed to continue
Fucking up woke up one night digging
Paul Revere and Nat Turner as the good guys
America stripped for bed and we had not all yet closed our eyes
The signs of truth were tattooed across her often entered vagina
We learned to our amazement untold tale of scandal
Two long centuries buried in the musty vault
Hosed down daily with a gagging perfume
America was a bastard, the illegitimate daughter of the mother country
Whose legs were then spread around the world
And a rapist known as freedom, free-doom
Democracy, liberty, and justice were revolutionary code names that preceded
The bubbling, bubbling, bubbling, bubbling, bubbling
In the mother country's crotch
What does Webster say about soul?
All I want is a good home and a wife
And a children and some food to feed them every night
After all is said and done, build a new route to China if they'll have you
Who will survive in America?
Who will survive in America?
Who will survive in America?
Who will survive in America?
Lyrics submitted by CrashandBurrn
Who Will Survive In America Lyrics as written by Kanye West Jeff Bhasker
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This poem is a commentary on how America was built on a violent, inhumane legacy, and I think what it's getting at is that all that one needs in life is a good home and a family etc, and how everything else is basically bullshit. It also seems to be somewhat to do with black people, as the most mistreated people to ever live in America - however, they survive, and will continue to do so.
I had a really hard time trying to understand the prose in this song. There is so much symbolism and strange, morose metaphors. Thanks for the good explanations. America means a lot of different things to many people from the countless vantage points and in order to be more united as a people we need to try to understand and get past many point of views. I can say that this is an excellently written piece.
"It also seems to be somewhat to do with black people"<br /> <br /> It has roughly everything to do with black people. The poem is about how America was built on the backs of black slaves. How they will be the ones to survive in America.
the top column kinda refers to the dark fantasy intro "You might think you've peeped the scene You haven't, The real one is far to mean The wattered down, the one you know Was made up centuries ago". this is saying that people don't want to hear the truth how america was started or african history. because people of african decent was only told that they were slaves and the got free cause of abraham lincoln and martin luther king with no education of the history prior of those events such as the history of egypt and etc because of what america teaches students what to believe and to never question.(youngsters who were programmed) "We learned to our amazement untold tale of scandal. Two long centuries buried in the musty vault" this means that some know what actually happen in history which this goes back into the intro of dark fantasy.
"Hosed down daily with a gagging perfume. America was a bastard the illegitimate daughter of the mother country Whose legs were then spread around the world And a rapist known as freedom, free doom." meaning america was sending false messages around the world that its amazing place that has a lot of freedom compared to third world countries. Gagging perfume probably mean chemtrails by planes.
rapgenius.com/Gil-scott-heron-comment-1-lyrics (great breakdown of the lyrics)
GSH was brilliant. Note that this was written in 1970. He truly saw where the world was heading. His words become more relevant every day.
I think the image of America/Britain as mother/daughter prostitutes suggests that we've all been trained to whore ourselves out for money. There's an overwhelming sense of consumerist guilt in Kanye's more recent stuff. The video below makes a good argument for how this liberal-democratic ideology ended up getting adopted by and assimilated into capitalism, which is I think one thing that GSH seemed to be afraid of in the original 'comment #1' youtube.com/watch
Also, did anyone actually look up the word "soul" in the dictionary after hearing this? (merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soul)
I think Kanye wants us all to take a step back and really think about our lives. Are we anything more than the sum of our achievements? Why does no one talk about "the soul" anymore?
I don't necessarily think we should jump on the Illuminati/New World Order bandwagon, or become born-again Christians. But we DO need to worship something. And right now we're worshipping things like money, success, sex, drugs, etc. Is this kind of worshipping really making us happier?
This is definitely a warning from Kanye. I've done a lot of studies on conspiracies and the Illuminati and this is a reference to the New World Order/One world Religion that is going to be implemented in 2013 (Track #13?). Notice that in other songs Kanye says "the magic hour" which symbolizes the tribulation period. I urge everyone do research on the the new world order. The bible prophesied it and its near. You need Jesus in your life people.
Also research "Project Blue Beam" please!!! if you do not want to be deceived.
Except none of these words are Kanye's. The only thing he made in this song is the beat. So is Gill Scott Heron part of this new world order? LMAO
Dude we are thinking alike, and to poster above me, we know that speech is not by Kanye West, the point is not the speech but the title and the way it's repeated in the end. It most definitely a warning BUT I disagree with the Bible stuff cuz after watching Zeitgeist and understanding the corruption of Vatican throughout the years it's hard to believe that the Bible is not a fictitious work copied from even older religions. But who the fuck knows, I need to research the Bible more. BTW the Vatican covered up a string of church pedophiles which is documented in a movie "deliver us from evil"
i think i speak for all sensible people when i say; shut the fuck up about the illuminati.
^^^^ The NWO is coming, we must decide whether it's a good thing or not. It's not just the bible which says it, there's a lot of things about the end of the year 2012 that are crazy.