Level With Yourself

Here are some quotes from a recent interview David did that sum up the meaning of this song nicely:

"sometimes something will get expressed within culture that is just super asinine but because enough people agree about it then you have to take it seriously so then you’re kind of negotiating with these people about this thing that you shouldn’t have to negotiate at all. So I started thinking of those aspects as like, this is a strange negotiation we are involved in.

The example that I had in mind was that Obama wasn’t born here… “Where’s the birth certificate?” Because enough people believe that, then you have to take it seriously. That’s strange. It seems inappropriate. You should just be able to dismiss stupidity as such, but nonetheless, here we are."

"...more common is the political dissonance that happens between generations. The political dissonance, in general, that you have to co-exist with people who are vehemently opposed on a political level and how you go about that. It’s a record where I, in a vague sense, voice philosophies and ideas that pertain [to politics] and make accusations.

But then, it’s also a record about how you interact with people who think so differently from you in a fundamental way. Do you dismiss them? Do you pretend like you don’t disagree? Do you try not to talk about it? Do you engage respectfully? Do you let your own ideas become watered-down in the process? "

Corrections from the official lyrics:

"and be at peace with me" should be: "and be at peace with thee"

"You're building a wall between" should be: "We're building a wall between"

"level with my kid" should be: "level with my kin" "We've fucked the gatekeeper as I'm flying outside the gate" should be: "means fuck the gatekeeper cause I'm fine outside the gate"

fix'd