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.
I was told cause I didn't witness the whole act
In and out was the movement of the bozack
It was hot and sweaty and lots of pushin
Then the nut came gushin
And it was hell tryin to bail to the ovary
With nothin' but the Lord lookin' over me
I was white with a tail
But when I reached the finish line young black male!
One cell made two and two cells made fo'
And so on so now I'm a embryo
Then I got a hunch
That I'ma be on lock down, for nine months
Chillin', with my mother to guide me
And nothin' but a stomach to hide me
From all that worry and bullshit
Nine months later, I elbow pull and kick
Cause my time is up and I don't care
With one big push, I'm outta there
June 15th, it's just my luck
In 1969, a nigga is the product
"Ghetto ass nigga, you ain't shit,
And you ain't gon' never be shit!"
I learned how to walk and talk and all that
They put me in school, but it don't matter
Cause I'm sittin' in history
Learnin' bout a sucker, who didn't give a fuck about me
They try to shape us
But I know Uncle Sam is a motherfuckin' rapist
So I stopped payin' attention
Ice Cube, headed, straight to detention
Fuck that shit, I roam the hallways
I'm sent home and I don't got all A's
A high school dropout
My father had beef so I tried to knock pops out
But I got tossed, he's the boss
I'm out of there and mad cause I lost
Now bein' on my own is a factor
So I become, the neighborhood jacker
Gimme your car, run your jewels
Makin' a livin' robbin' fools
And if I let my nine rang out
You know, it'll make your brains hang out
So what's your fate?
Am I the nigga you love, or the one you love to hate?
The wrong answer is said, the nigga fled
I pump lead, now he's in a puddle of red
And if you got a buck, you're shit out of luck
Stuck up by the motherfuckin' product
"Uh-uh motherfucker you gots to get a job
If you want to stay in my motherfuckin' house"
"Many young men reject the traditional values
That are important to their parents.
Church, school and family
Have been replaced by street, turf, and gang."
Twenty-one now, and paid in full
Feelin' bad, from all the shit I pulled
On people back in the day
Plus, I got a little baby on the way
So I'm tryin' to go straight
I'm with my baby's momma, out on a date
Til the punk ass cops ran my plate
Now I'm on a bus upstate
"Oh, the young nigga done caught a case!"
"Sittin' in the mess hall, sayin' my grace"
Sent to a concrete hoe-house
Where all the products go, no doubt
Yo momma, I gotta do eleven
Livin' in a five by seven
Dear baby, your man's gettin' worn out
Of seein' young boys gettin' they assholes torn out
And then he got shanked with a spoon
And he was 'sposed to get out soon
Is it my fault, he was caught in production
Where a young black life means nothin'
Just because, I didn't want to learn your grammar
You say I'm better off in the slammer
And it's drivin' me batty
Cause my little boy, is missin' daddy
I'm ashamed, but the fact is
I wish pops let me off on the mattress
Or should I just hang from the top bunk
But that's goin out like a punk
My life is fucked!
But it ain't my fault, cause I'm the motherfuckin' product
"He ain't shit"
In and out was the movement of the bozack
It was hot and sweaty and lots of pushin
Then the nut came gushin
And it was hell tryin to bail to the ovary
With nothin' but the Lord lookin' over me
I was white with a tail
But when I reached the finish line young black male!
One cell made two and two cells made fo'
And so on so now I'm a embryo
Then I got a hunch
That I'ma be on lock down, for nine months
Chillin', with my mother to guide me
And nothin' but a stomach to hide me
From all that worry and bullshit
Nine months later, I elbow pull and kick
Cause my time is up and I don't care
With one big push, I'm outta there
June 15th, it's just my luck
In 1969, a nigga is the product
"Ghetto ass nigga, you ain't shit,
And you ain't gon' never be shit!"
I learned how to walk and talk and all that
They put me in school, but it don't matter
Cause I'm sittin' in history
Learnin' bout a sucker, who didn't give a fuck about me
They try to shape us
But I know Uncle Sam is a motherfuckin' rapist
So I stopped payin' attention
Ice Cube, headed, straight to detention
Fuck that shit, I roam the hallways
I'm sent home and I don't got all A's
A high school dropout
My father had beef so I tried to knock pops out
But I got tossed, he's the boss
I'm out of there and mad cause I lost
Now bein' on my own is a factor
So I become, the neighborhood jacker
Gimme your car, run your jewels
Makin' a livin' robbin' fools
And if I let my nine rang out
You know, it'll make your brains hang out
So what's your fate?
Am I the nigga you love, or the one you love to hate?
The wrong answer is said, the nigga fled
I pump lead, now he's in a puddle of red
And if you got a buck, you're shit out of luck
Stuck up by the motherfuckin' product
"Uh-uh motherfucker you gots to get a job
If you want to stay in my motherfuckin' house"
"Many young men reject the traditional values
That are important to their parents.
Church, school and family
Have been replaced by street, turf, and gang."
Twenty-one now, and paid in full
Feelin' bad, from all the shit I pulled
On people back in the day
Plus, I got a little baby on the way
So I'm tryin' to go straight
I'm with my baby's momma, out on a date
Til the punk ass cops ran my plate
Now I'm on a bus upstate
"Oh, the young nigga done caught a case!"
"Sittin' in the mess hall, sayin' my grace"
Sent to a concrete hoe-house
Where all the products go, no doubt
Yo momma, I gotta do eleven
Livin' in a five by seven
Dear baby, your man's gettin' worn out
Of seein' young boys gettin' they assholes torn out
And then he got shanked with a spoon
And he was 'sposed to get out soon
Is it my fault, he was caught in production
Where a young black life means nothin'
Just because, I didn't want to learn your grammar
You say I'm better off in the slammer
And it's drivin' me batty
Cause my little boy, is missin' daddy
I'm ashamed, but the fact is
I wish pops let me off on the mattress
Or should I just hang from the top bunk
But that's goin out like a punk
My life is fucked!
But it ain't my fault, cause I'm the motherfuckin' product
"He ain't shit"
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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.