Devil’s Advocate

This song is essentially about the duality of the opportunity and responsibility of maturing. I think this song was written about either the members of this band specifically or someone in a similar position as them. Bottom line is that fame and fortune certainly changes things.

Firstly, a “devil’s advocate” is someone who raises opposition against a resolve for the sake of debating about the soundness of said resolve. In this song the devil’s advocate argues for a conservative life and warns of the fast paced one that the narrator currently has.

Let’s look at the first stanza:

I trade the whip out for a bike, uh Designer for some Nikes Switch the stripper for a wife Black tie for a white tee, uh I've been moving lightspeed, lightspeed, lightspeed, lightspeed Lightspeed, lightspeed, lightspeed, lightspeed

Here we can clearly see the contrast between the possible opportunities that the narrator’s successful career has given to them. He can afford to transport himself by ‘whipping’ the horses that pull his car (which represents his ability to successfully hurt others for his pleasure), he can afford designer shoes, and he can afford regular sexual services. The ‘black tie’ represents the pleasure-indulging lifestyle that he currently has as opposed to the simple life that the devil’s advocate wants him to have: the ‘bike’, ‘Nikes’, ‘wife’, and ‘white tee’. When he says that he has been moving at ‘light speed’, he means that all of these new opportunities to live a high end life were recently made available to him. This can also mean that this lavish lifestyle has given the narrator a fast-paced, interesting life.

The next stanza:

Look, I don't want to try Keep it cool like iced tea So if I seem shy It's 'cause you seem so shiesty Sellin' what you buy, buy, buy Just a product of the '90s If you close your eyes, uh That's where you'll find me

Now the devil’s advocate continues with a personal attack on the narrator. He says that the narrator shouldn’t take the risks that a fast-paced life has, but he should instead have a ‘chill’ one (represented by iced tea which is a common beverage among mild people). He calls the narrator ’shiesty’, which means to be immoral or doing things selfishly at the cost of others. The devil’s advocate proceeds to give examples of instances that make the narrator a hypocrite or a fraud, like saying that the music (or other media) he produces is basically a copy of the music he listens to. When he says that the narrator is just a ‘product of the 90s’, he means that he (someone I assume grew up in the 90s) is really nothing special to be living the lifestyle that he has, and that if he continues, then he’s just doing what any irresponsible 90s kid would do with too much money.

Then the devil’s advocate says that underneath, the narrator probably secretly desires a simple life away from all of the lights. He could also be saying that the narrator cannot escape the argument the devil’s advocate is making. It’s always there in the back of his mind.

Chorus:

I'm the devil's advocate You don't know the half of it Good luck tryna manage it If a god is a dog, and a man is a fraud, then I'm a lost cause

In the chorus the devil’s advocate obviously introduces himself, as well as connects himself with the narrator. The devil’s advocate is essentially just the other voice inside the narrator’s head. He also says that the narrator’s life of fame and indulgence is hard to manage as will see in the next stanza. However the last two lines of the chorus are purely the thoughts of the narrator. It can be interpreted to further mean that if he decides to continue and become a “god” he will become cheap in nature in that lifestyle (as the devil’s advocate warns), but if he decides to follow the devil’s advocate’s advice and become a “man” he will eventually become a fraud or untrue to himself. If he lives a simple life, he knows that he is only doing it for namesake and not because he truly wants to.

3rd Stanza:

22's on the ride (ride) Bring me back a five piece (five) Same ticket for the rent, yeah But I split it with a dime piece, uh Married to my friends They don't always like me I stay together for the kids, uh I gotta do the right thing

“22s” is a type of pistol that the narrator brings with him as he travels. It is understood that his high-risk lifestyle requires him to have one. A “five piece” is slang for a five piece drug that he asks or possibly demands someone to give him through intimidation. “Same ticket for the rent” probably means that he can choose to live where he wants because he has money and power. The song then considers the duality of his fast-paced life and the life the devil’s advocate wants him to have, thus the “dime piece”. In this low-risk aspect of his life he would have friends that he suspects doesn’t like him because he doesn’t fit in with them because of the high-risk aspect of his life as opposed to the relaxed one he shares with them. The narrator then considers the other struggles of having a normal life, such as issues with a wife and having to be a family man against his wishes.

Last stanza:

It ain't right for me Is it right for you? If you're missing me There is one thing to do

Here the narrator finally says that he has decided that he isn’t going to live a ‘responsible’ life because it’s not right for him. He then turns to his devil’s advocate to say something like: “did you really think that life was best for me?” The last two lines leave us at a sort of cliff hanger. It could be interpreted many different ways but I personally think it that the narrator is telling the devil’s advocate that if he gets utterly lost in all of the fame and risk, then “there is one thing to do”: start this argument all over again.

That’s my interpretation (:

Just a note: I have not heard The Neighborhood’s explanation of this song. This is just my personal opinion.