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,
I am black ambition
I am always whisperin'
They keep tellin' me I will not
But my will won't listen
Gravity on a black man
With everything on his back and
His family and passion
If the doors ain't crackin'
You gotta let go (let go)
If you wanna fly, take the leap
You gotta risk it all (risk it all)
Or there'll be lots of things you'll never see
You gotta let, let go
'Cause you never know
What's in store
Mr. Entrepreneur
In this position with no choice
A system imprison young black boys
Distract with white noise
The brainwashed become hype boys
Third eye dilate
You ain't supposed to make it off Section 8
Robbin' Peter just to pay Paul
Prepare to risk everything
You need to let go (let go)
If you wanna fly, take the leap
You gotta risk it all (risk it all)
Or there'll be lots of things you'll never see
Remember, black is space
And it's the color of your face
There will be no sunny days
If Black went away
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Don't go chasin' waterfalls
Please stick to the drip that you're used to
They don't make 'em like they used to
Uh, lies told to you
Through YouTubes and Hulus
Shows with no hues that look like you do
Black Twitter, what's that?
When Jack gets paid, do you?
For every one Gucci, support two FUBU's
Sippin' Crip-a-Cola
Consumer and a owner
'Til we all vertically integrated from the floor up
D'Ussé pour up
Sip Ace 'til I throw up
Like gang signs, 'cept I bang mines for both ya
Serial entrepreneur, we on our own
Stop sittin' around waitin' for folks to throw you a bone
If you can't buy the building, at least stock the shelf (word)
Then keep on stacking 'til you stocking for yourself, uh
See everything you place after black
Is too small a term to completely describe the act
Black nation, Black builder, Black entrepreneur
You in the presence of Black excellence and I'm on the board, Lord
Black man, Black man, Black man (ayy, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord)
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man (God, God, God, ayy, God, ayy, God)
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man (Lord, yuh, God)
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
I am always whisperin'
They keep tellin' me I will not
But my will won't listen
Gravity on a black man
With everything on his back and
His family and passion
If the doors ain't crackin'
You gotta let go (let go)
If you wanna fly, take the leap
You gotta risk it all (risk it all)
Or there'll be lots of things you'll never see
You gotta let, let go
'Cause you never know
What's in store
Mr. Entrepreneur
In this position with no choice
A system imprison young black boys
Distract with white noise
The brainwashed become hype boys
Third eye dilate
You ain't supposed to make it off Section 8
Robbin' Peter just to pay Paul
Prepare to risk everything
You need to let go (let go)
If you wanna fly, take the leap
You gotta risk it all (risk it all)
Or there'll be lots of things you'll never see
Remember, black is space
And it's the color of your face
There will be no sunny days
If Black went away
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Don't go chasin' waterfalls
Please stick to the drip that you're used to
They don't make 'em like they used to
Uh, lies told to you
Through YouTubes and Hulus
Shows with no hues that look like you do
Black Twitter, what's that?
When Jack gets paid, do you?
For every one Gucci, support two FUBU's
Sippin' Crip-a-Cola
Consumer and a owner
'Til we all vertically integrated from the floor up
D'Ussé pour up
Sip Ace 'til I throw up
Like gang signs, 'cept I bang mines for both ya
Serial entrepreneur, we on our own
Stop sittin' around waitin' for folks to throw you a bone
If you can't buy the building, at least stock the shelf (word)
Then keep on stacking 'til you stocking for yourself, uh
See everything you place after black
Is too small a term to completely describe the act
Black nation, Black builder, Black entrepreneur
You in the presence of Black excellence and I'm on the board, Lord
Black man, Black man, Black man (ayy, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord)
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man (God, God, God, ayy, God, ayy, God)
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man (Lord, yuh, God)
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Black man, Black man, Black man
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
Entrepreneur Lyrics as written by Pharrell L. Williams Chad Hugo
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
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.
Pharrell just came out with a new song called “Entrepreneur” featuring Jay-Z. I will listen to anything that has Jay on it. Pharrell is a hit or miss for me. I get he is a genius. I understand why he is so amazing. I will not deny his talent and drive. It’s just that about half of his songs I can only listen to once or twice. That being said, I was excited to hear how this song would work with these two, seeing as how it’s been awhile since their last collaboration.
I gave the lyrics a read through before I listened to the song. I didn’t look up anything about it before I listened so I wouldn’t have any notions in my head. The lyrics themselves are so great. The verses are filled with emotion about being Black in this country. You can just feel Pharrell’s feelings ooze through when you read them.
I really thought the song would be more rough, the beat and melody a bit harder. The song starts with Pharrell whispering the first verse, and then his whispers his other verse. At first I didn’t like that, but after the second listen I thought Pharrell was trying to show that Black voices are really hard to hear in this country right now. We have to strain to listen to them. They aren’t being heard as loudly as they should be. I didn’t care for the whispering though.
Jay-Z’s verse was everything that I thought it would be. I absolutely loved it. I know it’s about Black Lives Matter, but the bit “sittin' around waitin' for folks to throw you a bone. If you can't buy the building at least stock the shelf (Word). Then keep on stackin' 'til you stockin' for yourself, uh” I think can hit the heart of a lot of people right now. Also “shows with no hues that look like you do” is such a part of our culture right now. Trying to make sure every single person is represented. Making sure all voices are heard, that there is an equal opportunity is very much where we are at.
Now, the song itself, not so much. I just didn’t like most of it. The beat was fine. I can almost get over the whispering of Pharrell’s verses. The parts where he just says “Black man” over and over again was fine. The rest though, it was almost too busy. I know he likes to put funk in his work and his songs all have their original thing. I just found this one to be a bit too much with the layering. There was so much over the actual song it was hard to hear it. Then I thought maybe that was intentional, that Pharrell was trying to show how hard it’s been for Black voices to be heard. I don’t know if I’m reading into it something that’s not there, and he just thought it sounded good. It just didn’t work for me. The lyrics yes, so much yes. The sounds itself of the song, no, not really.