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.
Straight up, nigga
Motherfuckin' Southside, nigga (word up)
Brooklyn, what
We gonna do it just like this man
Straight to your whole area (yo, yo)
Yeah, yeah (word up, word up, word up)
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (You know what we finna to do)
Yeah, yo, word up, yo
We takin' over the world
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (yeah)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (word up)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (Official Nast, it's hot in here)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (yo, yo)
Yo, shut 'em down start the violence, we wildin' wildin'
Slain rapper's body found, washed up on Coney Island
When I rolled up this niggas heart slowed up, that killa froze up
When I pulled up jumped out with the pump-pump
Thirty-two shots and ducked out, then I broke out
Left that cat for dead, his body smoked out
'Cause when I fall out, y'all killas gotta kill me, kid, I'm goin' all out
Life's a bitch, fuck it, got a gun, bust it
The gameplay, gotta play by the rules of your own cannot be trusted
Don't try to test, abide your chest, put five inside your vest
Have you layin' with a dead rest
Shoulda known when you was lookin' in the eyes a death
Ask the Lord for forgiveness when I did this
There was not no witness but he should understand (uh)
'Cause even God got a shit list (uh, uh)
Yo, it's beatdowns anonymous
I spit like a shiny silver nine I'll bust
Niggas fond of us, we the kind that rush
Those that hold back, takin' your whole stack
Grimy street cats, niggas baldhead like Kojak
Go gat for gat, quote that
In fact you could smoke that
Uncut black dust, makin' your whole fuckin' skull crack
Betta know me, one-three one and only
Could be never phoney in any ceremony, I'll tear you homey
Shut 'em down
Sonsee's takin' your time, makin' your mind
Baddest nigga on the low, defecatin' with rhymes
Breakin' your spine
Got you movin' from the flurry, time to worry
I'm a bury the bullshit
Feel my full clip
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (uh)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (what?)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (uh)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (uh, uh)
Ay yo I bet you this motherfuckin' double barrel'll blast his face
Be on the look out for a basket case (what?)
Niggas pumped you up to watch you get beat
Had you thinkin' shit's sweet, now you up shit's creek
'Cause your shit's weak (c'mon)
How much is your life worth to someone important? (Uh)
'Cause I be extortin'
Kidnappin' for ransom is some shit that you don't want to get caught in (what?)
From back in the days of Gorton, niggas was gettin' robbed
The guy from Yonkers High stayed on his job, with his own little mob
Was it worth goin' back to the Earth so soon?
Worth makin' my shit go boom?
Until your own doom, fill them graveyards 'til there's no room (c'mon)
Fuck you know about a pine box?
Money goin' out with nine Glocks
Autopsy on that same nigga when they pull out twenty-nine shots
'Til I hit up your whole crew, I ain't gon' rest (uh)
It don't take a whole lot to fill up your vest
Then watch your lungs as they spill out your chest (uh)
You best get on some act your age shit, you a little kid
That run for faces
More niggas get killed like that than a little bit (c'mon)
Ay man, Sticky F-I-N-G-A-Z the crazy cajun
Blazin' bullets for days and days
And grazin' amazin' I'm the guy that's lacin'
Purple Hazin, hard to be pahsin', Lord, all this hell that I'm raisin'
God of the Underground, I'm gunnin' 'em down with a thunder pound
We gonna shut 'em down
We turn shit dumb quick when the gun click
Lyin' in ya rhymes worse than lyin' on your dick
In the morgue admit it dawgs, I'm the Rottweiler, my Glock holler
Fuck cocaine killer I sniff gun powder
So all you real willies throw your Rollies in the sky
And all my crooks rob them playas outside
I'm so hype, I'll take your life, betta have my dough right
And fuck five mics, I don't need no mic
What? Bring it
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (yeah)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (what? What?)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (what? What?)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (what? Bring it)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (what? What? What?)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (Official Nast' shut 'em down)
Word up boy
'Bout to shut down the whole industry
Official Nast', DMX
We wreckin' everything
So shut up
Or you get shut down
Like the rest of them, pussy
Motherfuckin' Southside, nigga (word up)
Brooklyn, what
We gonna do it just like this man
Straight to your whole area (yo, yo)
Yeah, yeah (word up, word up, word up)
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (You know what we finna to do)
Yeah, yo, word up, yo
We takin' over the world
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (yeah)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (word up)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (Official Nast, it's hot in here)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (yo, yo)
Yo, shut 'em down start the violence, we wildin' wildin'
Slain rapper's body found, washed up on Coney Island
When I rolled up this niggas heart slowed up, that killa froze up
When I pulled up jumped out with the pump-pump
Thirty-two shots and ducked out, then I broke out
Left that cat for dead, his body smoked out
'Cause when I fall out, y'all killas gotta kill me, kid, I'm goin' all out
Life's a bitch, fuck it, got a gun, bust it
The gameplay, gotta play by the rules of your own cannot be trusted
Don't try to test, abide your chest, put five inside your vest
Have you layin' with a dead rest
Shoulda known when you was lookin' in the eyes a death
Ask the Lord for forgiveness when I did this
There was not no witness but he should understand (uh)
'Cause even God got a shit list (uh, uh)
Yo, it's beatdowns anonymous
I spit like a shiny silver nine I'll bust
Niggas fond of us, we the kind that rush
Those that hold back, takin' your whole stack
Grimy street cats, niggas baldhead like Kojak
Go gat for gat, quote that
In fact you could smoke that
Uncut black dust, makin' your whole fuckin' skull crack
Betta know me, one-three one and only
Could be never phoney in any ceremony, I'll tear you homey
Shut 'em down
Sonsee's takin' your time, makin' your mind
Baddest nigga on the low, defecatin' with rhymes
Breakin' your spine
Got you movin' from the flurry, time to worry
I'm a bury the bullshit
Feel my full clip
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (uh)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (what?)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (uh)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (uh, uh)
Ay yo I bet you this motherfuckin' double barrel'll blast his face
Be on the look out for a basket case (what?)
Niggas pumped you up to watch you get beat
Had you thinkin' shit's sweet, now you up shit's creek
'Cause your shit's weak (c'mon)
How much is your life worth to someone important? (Uh)
'Cause I be extortin'
Kidnappin' for ransom is some shit that you don't want to get caught in (what?)
From back in the days of Gorton, niggas was gettin' robbed
The guy from Yonkers High stayed on his job, with his own little mob
Was it worth goin' back to the Earth so soon?
Worth makin' my shit go boom?
Until your own doom, fill them graveyards 'til there's no room (c'mon)
Fuck you know about a pine box?
Money goin' out with nine Glocks
Autopsy on that same nigga when they pull out twenty-nine shots
'Til I hit up your whole crew, I ain't gon' rest (uh)
It don't take a whole lot to fill up your vest
Then watch your lungs as they spill out your chest (uh)
You best get on some act your age shit, you a little kid
That run for faces
More niggas get killed like that than a little bit (c'mon)
Ay man, Sticky F-I-N-G-A-Z the crazy cajun
Blazin' bullets for days and days
And grazin' amazin' I'm the guy that's lacin'
Purple Hazin, hard to be pahsin', Lord, all this hell that I'm raisin'
God of the Underground, I'm gunnin' 'em down with a thunder pound
We gonna shut 'em down
We turn shit dumb quick when the gun click
Lyin' in ya rhymes worse than lyin' on your dick
In the morgue admit it dawgs, I'm the Rottweiler, my Glock holler
Fuck cocaine killer I sniff gun powder
So all you real willies throw your Rollies in the sky
And all my crooks rob them playas outside
I'm so hype, I'll take your life, betta have my dough right
And fuck five mics, I don't need no mic
What? Bring it
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (yeah)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (what? What?)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (what? What?)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (what? Bring it)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (what? What? What?)
Shut 'em down
Shut 'em down, shut 'em down (Official Nast' shut 'em down)
Word up boy
'Bout to shut down the whole industry
Official Nast', DMX
We wreckin' everything
So shut up
Or you get shut down
Like the rest of them, pussy
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Shut 'Em Down Lyrics as written by Edward Jr. Hinson Earl Simmons
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
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.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.