Became

Hello everyone:

I wish someone gives me a better interpretation of this song. I really enjoyed listening to it. I am loving the new sound of atmosphere. It seems they are progressing every album they make. Great guitars and keyboards. Slug and the rest of the band deliver with quality music once again. Thank you.

Here is my interpretation of each verse with a concluding statement:

It's no surprise I overslept. Put my boots on and climbed out my tent I didn't see you Assumed you were sleeping immediately start a fire 'cause it's freezing

(Slug already knows that a long-developed problem has gotten worse, still he continues this period of time by doing what is logical. He still thinks the situation is normal, although why is he starting a fire immediately? Maybe to keep his mind of what is yet to come.)

I cant believe we went camping in the cold I'm in the wilderness standing in some snow a late start but we can still catch up you need to wake up we should eat and then pack up

(Slug is in disbelief that he is in this situation with this person. Slug tried to get this person or problem in the right perspective. A late start in this predicament, he wants to get them out to another place to get help.)

that's when I noticed your footprints the snow's fresh and those have been put since what you already up making the rounds? so where you at now? you laid back down

(Slug assumes that this person/thing is either doing something of the norm, even though he observes it's not physically there at the moment. But he's pretending because he sees it was there not long ago.)

the breeze came and it stalled out the flame while I went to your tent and called out your name you didn't answer so i opened up the flap it's just an empty sleeping bag and your backpack

I'm looking at your tracks and you took a couple laps round the campground and hoofed down the path I figure you'll return no concern I'ma hold put and try to make this cold wood burn

The wind is blowing strong minutes rolling on It's going on at least a half an hour you've been gone it ain't right, start the paranoia I left the campsite to go and search for ya

(At this point, Slug is still searching. He is still doing things to keep his mind off the problem at hand. Now he's starting to realize that his worries are getting the best of him. Now he is searching for an answer in what the problem is becoming.He is in an environment where he is not comfortable.)

About a 1/4 mile into the course and another set of tracks appeared next to yours from the North it came outta the thick woods and those footprints belonged to a big wolf.

Trying to find service on my cellphone I felt aight with my knife on my belt though I hope the wolf is intimidated by you I wondered if you even knew it was behind you

Stalking ya, maybe watching ya waiting for the opportunity to hop on top of ya salivating wanna take you to the stomach in the cartoons you woulda turned into a drumstick

And it gets about as bad as it goes 'cause I noticed there's a new set of tracks in the snow I understood it doesn't look good your fan club doubled now you've got another wolf

And the odds are in favour of the home team why'd you walk off all alone? where you going? it ain't the right time to complain but it feels like I'm trying to find your remains

(Slug gets comedic in these lines. It seems that this person/problem is getting bigger each time he follows the path of footprints. I believe the footprints are where he's been before. The wolf symbolizes evil obviously. Slug is not afraid for himself but for whoever/whatever the wolf is after. Slug can't anyone for help in this situation. The odds are against him. He still is trying to find out what happened to his career or his ex I believe.)

Your footprints grew further apart I knew what that meant and it was hurting my heart It means you started to run so i did the same now my breath's looking like a steam engine train

(I interpret this as Slug being hurt. He did so much for this person or something to benefit his career or someone else's, that it went wrong. He is exhausted at this point.)

and suddenly your tracks dip off of the path and so did theirs so my knife I grabbed In to the forest expect the worst adrenaline burst disturbed the nerves

(Slug could not get there in time to make things right. He is now in more dangerous territory, but he is still brave and willing to challenge what is about to happen.)

50 yards into the woods and brush It got so thick that it looked like dusk The air stood serene, sober seemed like a good 15 degrees colder

(Slug is building the climax to the story at this point. The tale is getting darker.)

and I'll admit hell yeah I felt fear the sound of my heartbeat was all I could hear looking at the snow it was plain and clear there was a third set of wolf prints where yours disappeared

(If this is about a person, they joined evil to get something they were in search for. This problem or person became what Slug feared the most. A problem/person that Slug could not save or change back into when things were good.)

I cant process I don't follow It'd be easier to believe that you were swallowed but no sign of death, no sign of struggle no signs of blood no signs of trouble

(Slug can no longer do what is logical, he has no solution to overcome or what to make of the current situation.)

and the wolves never stopped the tracks kept going and I took off so I don't know how your story ends but I know I'll never go into those woods again

(The problem/person is far away now. Slug no longer worries or cares to be in that situation again to do what was right. I interpret this as not making the same mistakes again. Either for a person or for the wrong cause.)

It's not that tragic its not a shame You're not the hunted you're not the aim You're just another dog with hunger pains I was so afraid that you'd become the game

I forgot to worry about what you became You're not hunted you're not the aim You're just another dog with hunger pains I was so afraid that you'd become the game

It's not that tragic it's not a shame You're not the hunted you're not the aim You're just another dog with hunger pains I was so afraid that you'd become the game

I forgot to worry about what you became

(These lines justify what he said earlier about," Not going into those woods again." This is something that is out of his life and will not come back. He already knows not to look out for someone, especially when they are into drugs with other users. Or maybe he knows not to go back to his old rap career when things were tough and he did things that over burdened him by looking out for certain hungry musicians or a fan.)

In conclusion, Slug definitely went through a lot of problems with the women in his life. He has been known to abuse alcohol as well. I believe he also may have had a falling out with "Eyedea" or another rapper in which now he can never make amends or get/give an apology or give/receive respect because they are gone now. They have become something that Slug can no longer approach again other than thinking about them/it.

Oh well, that's all I got. Hope you enjoyed. Keep the meanings coming. I also would like to thank Nickle for posting the lyrics.

Z-Factor

I think it might be about an ex girlfriend too. Sean wakes up and this girls gone so he leaves his house to look for her (he refers to his house as a tent in the song). finds her footprints and follows the path "each step was deliberately placed, it looks like you know where it leads," which means she knows where she's going, she has a destination in mind. then he sees wolf prints following and stalking her ( i'm pretty sure the wolf is a metaphor for a drugy or something in that ball park). then another set of wolf prints appear and the wolf tracks and the girls footprints go off the path. then her tracks disappear and become wolf tracks. which i take means this girl and these guys following her use whatever drug and she just becomes a wolf like them. "i can't process, i don't follow, it would be easier to believe you been swallowed." i think that means it would be easier for Sean to believe they killed her then for her to go back and do drugs with these scum bags. "your just another dog with hunger pains" your just another drugy that needs their fix. i feel like the songs about his ex girlfriend that used to do drugs and slug tries to keep her clean . thats why when she's not back in a half hour he gets paranoid because he's scared she went to a crack house to get what she needed. thats just my guess.

I too thought this song was about a lover who strayed and the narrator expresses first worry for the well being of the lover, then realizes the lover is but another wolf. The lover became just another cheater, becoming bored or not helping themselves to stray with others. It fits experiences I've had as well as friends I know. But on closer examination I noticed that they were in separate tents. And he doesn't really refer to the could be lover in terms that show his affection in a lover sort of way. That was my main question. In today's society it would be too odd for a couple to sleep in different tents. He would have noticed the other person gone before first leaving the tent he was in.

Once reading the other comments, and knowing the allusion Slugg makes by them being separated in tents, I accepted Slugg was referring to a close friend who had strayed down a dark path. If Slugg followed, he would become a wolf also. This song uses great symbolism. I like the nebulous nature and the mood he sets for the listener. If the listener listens carefully enough, they could figure it was not about a lover. Although this is hard when the bias of past experience influences the ear to hear what it wants. I can relate to it either way and it could be interpreted how ever the listener wants. Meaning is subjective especially to this song.

There's a lot of strong connection within the lyrics. For example, eyedea took off on his own path after he stopped touring with slug, and the wolves following him were the drugs he started taking, until he realized he had problems and couldn't run away, then there was nothing left of him. "I was so afraid that you'd become the game, I forgot to worry about what you've became" and also like in any case of OD "It's no that tragic" but getting eaten by wolves sure would be.

I also think it's about Eyedea.

This has to be a metaphor about his rapping career. Right?

I think it's either about his rapping career or about his exwife again. He worried about her getting hurt out there alone, but she wound up becoming the thing he was worried about. This might just me digging into my own personal experiences, though. Fuckin' love Atmosphere...

I feel like this is about Eyedea too. I find myself being more and more baffled by Slug's lyrics as the years pass. This song has really been eating at me since the album dropped. I have to know more about it.

According to Atmosphere's Twitter, ""Became" isn’t about a woman or a dog. It's about a homie on a negative path. Fear for him. Eventually, fear him."

i agree that the song is about eyedea because of the simple goin down the wrong path (drugs) the wolves finally catching up to him and making them their own (what the drugs do to you) and slug started seeing eyedea more as competition in the rap game instead of what he was becoming ("I forgot to worry about what you became You're not hunted you're not the aim You're just another dog with hunger pains I was so afraid that you'd become the game"). Also Eyedea left a lot of potential when he died("all there was was an empty sleeping bag and a backpack"). he also explains how "the wolves never stopped the tracks kept going" which means the drugs are looking for more victims then he says how he "took off" and he'll "never go into those woods again" explaining how hes learned from eyedea and wont ever let drugs affect him again. the only contradicting point is when he says "It's not that tragic its not a shame"