This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Now I rock a house party at the drop of a hat (yeah)
I beat a biter down with an aluminum bat
(A lot of people they be jonesin' just to hear me rock the mic)
They'll be staring at the radio
(Staying up all night)
So like a pimp (I'm pimpin')
I got a boat to (eat shrimp in)
Nothing wrong with my leg just B-boy limpin'
(Got arrested at the Mardi Gras for jumping on a float)
(My man MCA's got a beard like a billy goat)
Oowah oowah is my disco call
(MCA) hu-huh, I'm gettin' rope y'all
Routines, (I bust) and the rhymes (that I write)
And I'll be busting routines and rhymes all night
Like eating burgers or chicken or you'll be picking your nose, man
I'm on time, homie, that's how it goes
You heard my style, I think you missed the point
It's the joint
Mike D (yeah?) With your bad self running things
(What's up?) with your bad breath onion rings
(Well I'm Mike D and I'm back from the dead)
(Chillin' at the beaches down at Club Med)
Make another record 'cause the people they want more of this
Suckers they be saying they can take out Adam Horovitz
Hurricane (you got clout)
(Other DJ's he'll take your head out)
A puppet on a string I'm paid to sing (or rhyme)
Or do my thing I'm
In a lava lamp inside my brain hotel
I might be peakin' or freakin' but I rock well
The Patty Duke Show, the Wrench (and then I bust the tango)
Got more rhymes than Jamaica got Mango
I got the peg leg at the end of my stump-a
Shake your rump
A full clout y'all
A full clout y'all
And when the mic is in my mouth I turn it out y'all
A full clout
Never been dumped ('cause I'm the most mackinest)
Never been jumped ('cause I'm known the most packinest)
Yeah, we've got beef, chief
We're knocking out teeth, chief
And if you don't believe us you should question your belief, Keith
I'm like Sam the butcher bringing Alice the meat
(Like Fred Flintstone driving around with bald feet)
Should I have another sip? (Nah, skip it)
In the back of the ride (and bust with the whippet)
Rope-a-dope dookies all around the neck
Woo-ha got them all in check
(Running from the law the press and the parents)
Is your name Michael Diamond?
(No mine's Clarence)
From downtown (Manhattan) the village
My style is wild and you know that it still is
Disco bag schlepping and you're doing the bump
Shake your rump-a
I beat a biter down with an aluminum bat
(A lot of people they be jonesin' just to hear me rock the mic)
They'll be staring at the radio
(Staying up all night)
So like a pimp (I'm pimpin')
I got a boat to (eat shrimp in)
Nothing wrong with my leg just B-boy limpin'
(Got arrested at the Mardi Gras for jumping on a float)
(My man MCA's got a beard like a billy goat)
Oowah oowah is my disco call
(MCA) hu-huh, I'm gettin' rope y'all
Routines, (I bust) and the rhymes (that I write)
And I'll be busting routines and rhymes all night
Like eating burgers or chicken or you'll be picking your nose, man
I'm on time, homie, that's how it goes
You heard my style, I think you missed the point
It's the joint
Mike D (yeah?) With your bad self running things
(What's up?) with your bad breath onion rings
(Well I'm Mike D and I'm back from the dead)
(Chillin' at the beaches down at Club Med)
Make another record 'cause the people they want more of this
Suckers they be saying they can take out Adam Horovitz
Hurricane (you got clout)
(Other DJ's he'll take your head out)
A puppet on a string I'm paid to sing (or rhyme)
Or do my thing I'm
In a lava lamp inside my brain hotel
I might be peakin' or freakin' but I rock well
The Patty Duke Show, the Wrench (and then I bust the tango)
Got more rhymes than Jamaica got Mango
I got the peg leg at the end of my stump-a
Shake your rump
A full clout y'all
A full clout y'all
And when the mic is in my mouth I turn it out y'all
A full clout
Never been dumped ('cause I'm the most mackinest)
Never been jumped ('cause I'm known the most packinest)
Yeah, we've got beef, chief
We're knocking out teeth, chief
And if you don't believe us you should question your belief, Keith
I'm like Sam the butcher bringing Alice the meat
(Like Fred Flintstone driving around with bald feet)
Should I have another sip? (Nah, skip it)
In the back of the ride (and bust with the whippet)
Rope-a-dope dookies all around the neck
Woo-ha got them all in check
(Running from the law the press and the parents)
Is your name Michael Diamond?
(No mine's Clarence)
From downtown (Manhattan) the village
My style is wild and you know that it still is
Disco bag schlepping and you're doing the bump
Shake your rump-a
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Hayalperest
Hayalperest
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,
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.
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.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Paul's Boutique is my favorite album. Shake Your Rump is one of the best songs on it. It was a failed single because in 1989 the Beasties went one way & the pop music industry went another. At that time, it was just too advanced for the novice Hip Hop fan. I'd say "ahead of it's time" but it's time never really came. I was 14 & didn't care for the album much. I liked Shake Your Rump & a couple other tracks but I felt that the Beasties were through. Something about it just kept me coming back. Back then, I listened to it via Sony Walkman. Little by little Paul's Boutique grew on me- track by track, line by line. By the time Grunge had gotten popular, I was in love with Paul's Boutique & every track on it. I owned it on cassette. I bought it on CD three times because it kept getting stolen. After losing it a third time on CD, I bought it from iTunes. Then, in 2009 it was re-released on the Beasties' website in Apple Lossless... so I bought that, too. Over the years, I got into a lot of different types of music, but I never stopped listening to the Beasties. 23 years later, I occasionally still hear things I never noticed before when I listen to songs like Shake Your Rump. Great album to hear in headphones. You can really hear the layering of the samples. Sampling is practically illegal today. It is believed by many that sampling is not an art form. I think those people just haven't heard it done right. It's cheaper, faster, & easier to play it yourself. It was a painstaking process to sample in 1989, so it should've been taken as the highest of compliments. But instead it was met with lawsuit after lawsuit. This album should be thought of as a collage of familiar artwork by various artists put together in brilliant, psychedelic, Hip Hop form. This is sampling the way it should be done. If you can't appreciate Paul's Boutique- you must be from the hypocritical Baby Boomer Generation. Their parents didn't like Elvis or The Beatles because it was "black" music. Then they grew up to say the same things to us about the Beasties. Shame on them!