Chum
Earl Sweatshirt Lyrics
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Pendulum swinging slow, a degenerate moving
Through the city with criminals, stealth, welcome to enemy turf
Harder than immigrants work, "Golf" is stitched into my shirt
Get up off the pavement, brush the dirt up off my psyche
Psyche, psyche
"Can I get that louder?
Let me get that beat in my headphones louder"
It's probably been twelve years since my father left, left me fatherless
And I just used to say I hate him in dishonest jest
When honestly, I miss this nigga like when I was six
And every time I got the chance to say it, I would swallow it
Sixteen, I'm hollow, intolerant, skip shots
I storm that whole bottle, I'll show you a role model
I'm drunk, pissy, pissing on somebody front lawn
Trying to figure out how and when the fuck I missed moderate
Momma often was offering peace offerings
Think, wheeze, cough, scoffing and he's off again
Searching for a big brother, Tyler was that
And plus he liked how I rap, the blunted mice in the trap
Too black for the white kids, and too white for the blacks
From honor roll to cracking locks up off them bicycle racks
I'm indecisive, I'm scatterbrained, and I'm frightened, it's evident
And them eyes, where he hiding all them icicles at?
Something sinister to it
Pendulum swinging slow, a degenerate moving
Through the city with criminals, stealth, welcome to enemy turf
Harder than immigrants work, "Golf" is stitched into my shirt
Get up off the pavement brush the dirt up off my psyche
Psyche, psyche
"Can I get that louder?
Let me get that beat in my headphones louder"
Uh, time lapse, bars rot in heart's bottomless pit
Was mobbin' deep as '96 Havoc and Prodigy did
We were the pottymouth posse, crash the party and dip
With all belongings then toss 'em out to the audience
Nothing was fucking awesome, trying to make it from the bottom
His sins feeling as hard as Vince Carter's knee cartilage is
Supreme garment and weed gardeners garnishing spliffs
With Keef particles and entering apartments with 'zine article
Tolerance for boundaries, I know you happy now
Craven and these Complex fuck niggas that tracked me down
Just to be the guys that did it, like, "I like attention"
Not the type where niggas trying to get a raise at my expense
Supposed to be grateful, right?
Like, "Thanks so much, you made my life
Harder, and the ties between my mom and I are strained and tightened
Even more than they were before all of this shit"
Been back a week and I already feel like calling it quits
Something sinister to it
Pendulum swinging slow, a degenerate moving
Through the city with criminals, stealth, welcome to enemy turf
Harder than immigrants work, "Golf" is stitched into my shirt
Get up off the pavement brush the dirt up off my psyche
Psyche, psyche
"Can I get that louder?
Let me get that beat in my headphones louder"
The song "Chum" by Earl Sweatshirt is a deeply introspective and personal track. The opening lines set a dark and foreboding tone while also establishing Earl's outsider status: "Something sinister to it / Pendulum swinging slow, a degenerate moving / Through the city with criminals." The line "Harder than immigrants work, 'Golf' is stitched into my shirt," references Earl's association with the Odd Future collective, which includes the clothing brand "Golf Wang."
The second verse delves into Earl's troubled relationship with his absent father. He reveals his complicated feelings towards him, admitting that despite his anger and resentment, he still misses him. Earl also touches on his struggle with substance abuse, exemplified by the line "I storm that whole bottle." He searches for a role model and a sense of belonging, finding solace in his friendship with Tyler, the Creator.
The final verse discusses Earl's feelings of disillusionment with the music industry and fame, expressed through vivid imagery such as "bars rot in heart's bottomless pit" and "entering apartments with 'zine article." The line "Harder, and the ties between my mom and I are strained and tightened / Even more than they were before all of this shit," shows the emotional toll that fame has taken on Earl's relationships.
Overall, "Chum" is a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of Earl Sweatshirt's personal struggles and uncertainties.
Line by Line Meaning
Something sinister to it
There is something ominous associated with the situation
Pendulum swinging slow, a degenerate moving
Time passes by, and the singer moves forward living his degenerate lifestyle
Through the city with criminals, stealth, welcome to enemy turf
The singer is living in a dangerous neighborhood inhabited by criminals
Harder than immigrants work, "Golf" is stitched into my shirt
The artist is proud of his association with Golf, but his life is harder than the struggles of immigrants
Get up off the pavement brush the dirt up off my psyche
The artist wants to cleanse his mind of the negativity surrounding him
Psyche, psyche
The singer repeats the last line to emphasize the message
It's probably been twelve years since my father left, left me fatherless
The singer's father left him when he was young, and it's been twelve years since then
And I just used to say I hate him in dishonest jest
The artist used to say that he hates his father, but he didn't mean it
When honestly I miss this nigga, like when I was six
The artist misses his father and wishes that things were different
And every time I got the chance to say it I would swallow it
The artist wants to tell his father that he misses him, but he cannot bring himself to say it
Sixteen, I'm hollow, intolerant, skip shots
At sixteen, the singer is empty, intolerant, and makes poor decisions
I storm that whole bottle, I'll show you a role model
The artist drinks excessively and attempts to be a role model for others
I'm drunk, pissy, pissing on somebody front lawn
The singer is drunk and urinating on someone's front lawn
Trying to figure out how and when the fuck I missed moderate
The singer cannot understand when and how he lost his way in life
Momma often was offering peace offerings
The singer's mother frequently tries to smooth things over between her son and her ex-husband
Think, wheeze cough, scoffing and he's off again
The artist has a disparaging attitude towards his father and the people he associates with
Searching for a big brother, Tyler was that
The artist searches for a role model and finds a mentor in Tyler
And plus he liked how I rap, the blunted mice in the trap
Tyler likes the singer's rapping style, and they become friends
Too black for the white kids, and too white for the blacks
The singer doesn't fit in with either the white or black kids and is alienated
From honor roll to cracking locks up off them bicycle racks
The artist went from being a model student to breaking into bicycle locks
I'm indecisive, I'm scatterbrained, and I'm frightened, it's evident
The artist is confused, disorganized, and scared
And them eyes, where he hiding all them icicles at?
The artist questions the motives of people around him
Uh time lapse, bars rot in heart's bottomless pit
Time passes by, and the singer's emotional turmoil deepens
Was mobbin' deep as '96 Havoc and Prodigy did
The artist was living life dangerously, similar to the rappers Havoc and Prodigy in 1996
We were the pottymouth posse crash the party and dip
The singer and his group of friends were vulgar and crude, and they would leave parties after causing a commotion
With all belongings then toss em out to the audience
The singer and his friends would take all the things they could find at parties and throw them out to the crowd
Nothing was fucking awesome, trying to make it from the bottom
The singer's life is difficult, and he is trying to succeed despite the odds
His sins feeling as hard as Vince Carter's knee cartilage is
The artist's guilt weighs heavily on him, like the pain felt by Vince Carter, a basketball player with knee problems
Supreme garment and weed gardeners garnishing spliffs
The artist wears expensive clothing and smokes weed with his friends
With Keef particles and entering apartments with 'zine article
The singer and his friends smoke weed and enter apartments while reading a hip-hop magazine
Tolerance for boundaries, I know you happy now
The singer doesn't respect boundaries, and the people around him are fed up
Craven and these Complex-fuck niggas done track me down
The artist is being pursued by people from the website Complex who want to interview him
Just to be the guys that did it, like, "I like attention"
The people at Complex just want attention for being the ones to interview the artist
Not the type where niggas trying to get a raise at my expense
The artist is wary of people who only want to gain something by associating with him
Supposed to be grateful, right?
People expect the singer to be grateful for their attention, but he is not
Like, "Thanks so much, you made my life
The artist is being sarcastic
Harder, and the ties between my mom and I are strained and tightened
The singer's association with fame has made his relationship with his mother more difficult
Even more than they were before all of this shit"
The singer's relationship with his mother was difficult before, but it has become even more strained now
Been back a week and I already feel like calling it quits
The singer has returned home, but he wants to give up already
"Ha ha ha!"
The artist ends the song with a laugh, but it is unclear whether he is happy or sad
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Thebe Kgositsile, Kehinde Hassan, Taiwo Hassan, Charles Edward Hugo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Luis-kf4ly
Something sinister to it
Pendulum swinging slow, a degenerate moving
Through the city with criminals, stealth, welcome to enemy turf
Harder than immigrants work, "Golf" is stitched into my shirt
Get up off the pavement brush the dirt up off my psyche
Psyche, psyche
It's probably been twelve years since my father left, left me fatherless
And I just used to say I hate him in dishonest jest
When honestly I miss this nigga, like when I was six
And every time I got the chance to say it I would swallow it
Sixteen, I'm hollow, intolerant, skip shots
I storm that whole bottle, I'll show you a role model
I'm drunk, pissy, pissing on somebody front lawn
Trying to figure out how and when the fuck I missed moderate
Momma often was offering peace offerings
Think, wheeze cough, scoffing and he's off again
Searching for a big brother, Tyler was that
And plus he liked how I rap, the blunted mice in the trap
Too black for the white kids, and too white for the blacks
From honor roll to cracking locks up off them bicycle racks
I'm indecisive, I'm scatterbrained, and I'm frightened, it's evident
And them eyes, where he hiding all them icicles at?
Something sinister to it
Pendulum swinging slow, a degenerate moving
Through the city with criminals, stealth, welcome to enemy turf
Harder than immigrants work, "Golf" is stitched into my shirt
Get up off the pavement brush the dirt up off my psyche
Psyche, psyche
"Can I get that, oh let me get that beat in my headphones"
Uh time lapse, bars rot in heart's bottomless pit
Was mobbin' deep as '96 Havoc and Prodigy did
We were the pottymouth posse crash the party and dip
With all belongings then toss em out to the audience
Nothing was fucking awesome, trying to make it from the bottom
His sins feeling as hard as Vince Carter's knee cartilage is
Supreme garment and weed gardeners garnishing spliffs
With Keef particles and entering apartments with 'zine article
Tolerance for boundaries, I know you happy now
Craven and these Complex-fuck niggas done track me down
Just to be the guys that did it, like, "I like attention"
Not the type where niggas trying to get a raise at my expense
Supposed to be grateful, right?
Like, "Thanks so much, you made my life
Harder, and the ties between my mom and I are strained and tightened
Even more than they were before all of this shit"
Been back a week and I already feel like calling it quits
Something sinister to it
Pendulum swinging slow, a degenerate moving
Through the city with criminals, stealth, welcome to enemy turf
Harder than immigrants work, "Golf" is stitched into my shirt
Get up off the pavement brush the dirt up off my psyche
Psyche, psyche
"Ha ha ha!"
@BlackySpeakz
A hidden Gem 💎
@karandutt6490
Hey blackyyyy
@sadmeme668
Not exactly hidden (his most popular song) but still amazing and a top 5 Earl song
@BlackySpeakz
Sad Meme That’s true bro, but just in the grand scheme of things I feel like it’s definitely hidden. Deserves way more than 20 mill views! 💯
@BlackySpeakz
KD 12 Yoo what’s good my G
@karandutt6490
@@BlackySpeakz just sticking around and listening to music. You know how that shit is.
@TC-rc1zf
Earl, this song hits hard for those who struggle fitting in or have a broken family.
Thank you.
@kid4881
Probably best comment rn
@nevillekipruto9504
This song hits me so hard since my father left 16 years ago
@Transparentce
Could not have said it bettteerrr