We are a people who have historically been on the verge on extinction
We have been at many times, under much stress
Since being brought into this country
On many, many slave ships

Preparations, reparations from segregation
Genius at Genesis, master system SEGAs
Punjabi mommy, dissecting Vedas on Sepulveda
Anointed players who coin phrases, that's metal paper
Level layers, several shades of grey, submission for it
Milf lover under silk covers who kiss her horses
Pilates central to preservin' the body temple
Jazz classics combatin' the fattest ass, status
Quotient, my potions soakin' like boats in oceans
Motion sickness, I overdid all my finesse pack
Multidecker, new refreshment, lesson from jet snacks
My momma wisdom, my competition is setbacks
Jetlaggin', very swaggered and my Jordans dirty
Amg performance, my foreign don't show no mercy
Mere products, objects, meaningless to the over-standards
Contemplatin' with industralists and social planners
Manillas!

Don't ruin us
God said

Life's work, overseeing the Five Classics
You can accomplish anything if you survive blackness
Sober living, Kosher kitchen, and co-defendants
Soda sippin', the soakin' rhythms, and global vision
Fear no verdict, but I feel allergic to local prisons
My new resurgence, a due return into socialism
Youth moves pay dividends as an old man
Snake-headed Mayan goddess body with gold hands
Father sins, send his twins into the underworld
The legendary, I weapon carry for same goals
My Februarys is necessary to save souls
Epilepsy diamonds flicker foolish on the cuff wrist
Do my duty to be useless to the fuck shit
Manufacture finished goods to service local needs
Dashboards lack the means to show my total speeds
Fast forward floors forge orchids to golden me
Construct the future with thirty bars
Long tenures, I'm returning home to thirty cars
Jasmine necklace from a poor woman on Hindu streets
I gave her Rupees, she gave me beauty, I temple creep

Don't ruin us
God said

Roman logic, Greek prophets, and add tutors
Be more youngins, they 12-o-clock, and then jump the scooters
Through entertainment, I end the training to run the future
In time check off my checkouts, too much for your computers
Chakra waves, singin' boats, stirring up Dalai Lama
Creation, step in my mental selection Bobby Konders
Nightmare women, dream girls, and body monsters
Don't confuse my tempation battles for batty mantras
Sole pilot til' my reputation is bodhisattva
Worked the body chalice saw Venus and this topless opera
Lost the combination need security to come and pop-a-lock'a
Still no drinkin', just bought this champagne here to wash this vodka
Punk band merchandise patches on leather coats
Tell you tales of illegal sales by fedded boats
Swallowed by waves, the hollow graves, they'll never float
Sunken ships carried slaves, so does the western coast, manilla

Don't ruin us
God said

Copper alloy bracelet forms were recognized
And used as currency for transactions
From the end of the 15th century to the mid 20th century
Their metal content varied from copper to brass
Most manilla were manufactured in England or France
And like trade beads, were used for trades with Africa
The local chiefs on the slave coast of West Africa traded
Their human cargo for many different commodities and manilla was one of them
This manilla was manufactured in Birmingham between 1830 and 1850
Being shipped to Africa to be bardered for one slave, each manilla
These slaves were then packed into hulls of ships and
Taken to the West Indies and the Americas to be sold
For vast profits if they did not die from the journey
The Duoro was one of the slave ships
Would trade goods on their way to Africa to pick up their human cargo
When she hit a rock and sank in 1843


Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher

Manilla Lyrics as written by Wasalu Muhammad Jaco

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Manilla song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

0 Comments

sort form View by:
  • No Comments

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

Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
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.
Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
Blue
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Amazing
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.