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.
Uh, you know I still run with that, that blood of a slave
Boiling in my veins
It's just hot until a nigga can't take it no more
Blood of a slave, heart of a king
Turn my voice up
Ayo, the brother's Stillmatic
I crawled up out of that grave, wiping the dirt, cleaning my shirt
They thought I'll make another Illmatic"
But it's always forward, I'm moving
Never backwards stupid here's another classic
C-notes is falling from the sky
By now the credits rollin'
Starring Nas, executive poet, produced, directed by
The Kid slash Escobar
Narration describes the lives of lost tribes
In the ghetto, trying to survive
The feature opens with this young black child
Fingers scratched, cigarette burns on the sofa, turning the TV down
While Mary Jane girls, 45s playing soft in the background
Food from C-Town's, mornings was hash browns
Stepped over dope fiends, walking out the door, all of us poor
I learned the difference between the snitches, the real ones, and who's soft
And the murderous, hungriest crews
People jumping from roofs, shotguns pumping, made it through my youth
Walking very thin lines, ages seven to nine
That's the age I was on my album cover, this is the rebirth
I know the streets thirst water like Moses
Walking through the hot desert, searching to be free
This is my ending and my new beginning, nostalgia
Alpha and Omega places, it's like a glitch in The Matrix
I seen it at all, did it all, most of y'all will pop for a minute
Spit a sentence, then the game'll get rid of y'all
Y'all got there but y'all ain't get it all, I want my style back
Hate to cease y'all plan, it's the rap repo man
To them double up hustlers, bidders, niggas who real
Professional stick-up kids dreaming for mils
Let my words guide you, get inside you
From Crips to Pirus, this is survival
Blood of a slave, heart of a king
Blood of a slave, heart of a king
Uh, uh, blood of a slave, heart of a king
Uh, yeah
Ha, Braveheart, uh
Boiling in my veins
It's just hot until a nigga can't take it no more
Blood of a slave, heart of a king
Turn my voice up
Ayo, the brother's Stillmatic
I crawled up out of that grave, wiping the dirt, cleaning my shirt
They thought I'll make another Illmatic"
But it's always forward, I'm moving
Never backwards stupid here's another classic
C-notes is falling from the sky
By now the credits rollin'
Starring Nas, executive poet, produced, directed by
The Kid slash Escobar
Narration describes the lives of lost tribes
In the ghetto, trying to survive
The feature opens with this young black child
Fingers scratched, cigarette burns on the sofa, turning the TV down
While Mary Jane girls, 45s playing soft in the background
Food from C-Town's, mornings was hash browns
Stepped over dope fiends, walking out the door, all of us poor
I learned the difference between the snitches, the real ones, and who's soft
And the murderous, hungriest crews
People jumping from roofs, shotguns pumping, made it through my youth
Walking very thin lines, ages seven to nine
That's the age I was on my album cover, this is the rebirth
I know the streets thirst water like Moses
Walking through the hot desert, searching to be free
This is my ending and my new beginning, nostalgia
Alpha and Omega places, it's like a glitch in The Matrix
I seen it at all, did it all, most of y'all will pop for a minute
Spit a sentence, then the game'll get rid of y'all
Y'all got there but y'all ain't get it all, I want my style back
Hate to cease y'all plan, it's the rap repo man
To them double up hustlers, bidders, niggas who real
Professional stick-up kids dreaming for mils
Let my words guide you, get inside you
From Crips to Pirus, this is survival
Blood of a slave, heart of a king
Blood of a slave, heart of a king
Uh, uh, blood of a slave, heart of a king
Uh, yeah
Ha, Braveheart, uh
Lyrics submitted by spliphstar
Stillmatic (The Intro) Lyrics as written by Bunny Hull Narada Michael Walden
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, 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
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
I think not having to always be the same person sounds very fun indeed. Perhaps Ill be Reginald Appleby: An English gentleman in town for a polo match.