No Sleep Till Brooklyn
Beastie Boys Lyrics
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Brooklyn
Foot on the pedal
Never ever false metal
Engine running hotter than a boiling kettle
My job ain't a job
It's a damn good time
On location
Touring 'round the nation
Beastie Boys always on vacation
Itchy trigger finger
But a stable turntable
I do what I do best
Because I'm willing and able
Ain't no faking
Your money I'm taking
Going coast to coast to watch all the girlies shaking
While you're at the job working nine to five
The Beastie Boys at the Garden
Cold kickin' it live
No sleep 'til
Another plane
Another train
Another bottle in the brain
Another girl
Another fight
Another drive all night
Our manager's crazy
He always smokes dust
He's got his own room at the back of the bus
Tour around the world
You rock around the clock
Plane to hotel
Girls on the jock
We're trashing hotels like it's going out of style
Getting paid along the way
'Cause it's worth your while
Four on the floor Ad-Rock's out the door
MCA's in the back 'cause he's skeezin' with a whore
We got a safe in the trunk with money in a stack
With dice in the front and Brooklyn's in the back
(White boys got more rhymes)
No sleep 'til
No sleep 'til Brooklyn, no sleep 'til Brooklyn
Ain't seen the light since we started this band
M.C.A. get on the mic, my man
Born and bred Brooklyn
The U.S.A.
They call me Adam Yauch
But I'm MCA
Like a lemon to a lime
A lime to a lemon
I sip the def ale with all the fly women
Limos, arenas and TV-shows
Autograph pictures and classy hoes
Step off Holmes
Get out of my way
Taxing little girlies from here to L.A.
Waking up
Before I get to sleep
'Cause I'll be rockin' this party eight days a week
No sleep 'till
No sleep 'till Brooklyn
No sleep 'till Brooklyn
No sleep 'till Brooklyn
No sleep 'till Brooklyn (yeah)
No sleep 'till Brooklyn
No sleep 'till Brooklyn
No sleep 'till Brooklyn
No sleep 'till Brooklyn
No sleep 'till Brooklyn
No sleep 'till Brooklyn
"No Sleep Till Brooklyn," by Beastie Boys, is a song about the band's touring experiences, and it's one of their most well-known hits, released in 1986 on their album License to Ill. The lyrics authentically portray the mundane toll of being on the road, such as taking numerous flights, trains, and engaging in a significant amount of drinking. The phrase ‘No Sleep till Brooklyn’ originates from their supposed tough guy and always being on the move mentality. The Beastie Boys were composed of three members, Ad-Rock, MCA, and Mike D, who rapped about their Brooklyn pride and their chaotic touring lifestyle, becoming a signature group for Gen X.
The song's verses describe their rigorous touring process over a hyper-kinetic beat, which makes explicit that they're not taking any rests until they return to their hometown of Brooklyn. The song depicts the band's exhaustion and a reluctance to quit playing shows in pursuit of their career. They also reflect on living out their dreams, doing what they enjoy, and touring non-stop on a demanding schedule. Although the band's attitude and lyrics are playful, their work backstage, sound-checking, and performing night after night was intense and laborious; these challenges are not always visible in the media that attempt to romanticize rock and roll tours.
Line by Line Meaning
No sleep 'til
We won't rest until we make it to Brooklyn
Foot on the pedal
We're driving fast and hard
Never ever false metal
We never pretend to be something we're not
Engine running hotter than a boiling kettle
Our energy and passion are at a boiling point
My job ain't a job
What we do feels so fun, it doesn't even feel like work
It's a damn good time
We're having a blast
City to city, I've been running my rhymes
We're traveling around and performing our music
On location
We're always on the move
Touring 'round the nation
We're touring all over the United States
Beastie Boys always on vacation
We're living life to the fullest and having a great time
Itchy trigger finger
We're always ready to go
But a stable turntable
Our music is always consistent and solid
I do what I do best
We're doing what we're good at
Because I'm willing and able
We have the drive to succeed
Ain't no faking
We're genuine and authentic
Your money I'm taking
We're making a living doing what we love
Going coast to coast to watch all the girlies shaking
We're traveling around the country and enjoying the sights
While you're at the job working nine to five
We're not stuck in a boring routine job
The Beastie Boys at the Garden
We're performing at Madison Square Garden
Cold kickin' it live
We're performing with passion and energy
Another plane
We're always traveling by plane
Another train
We're always traveling by train
Another bottle in the brain
We're always partying hard
Another girl
We're constantly meeting new women
Another fight
We're constantly getting into altercations
Another drive all night
We're always on the road
Our manager's crazy
Our manager is wild and unpredictable
He always smokes dust
He's always doing drugs
He's got his own room at the back of the bus
Our manager gets special treatment
Tour around the world
We're traveling all around the globe
You rock around the clock
We're always busy and working hard
Plane to hotel
We're always on the move, flying from place to place
Girls on the jock
Women are attracted to us
We're trashing hotels like it's going out of style
We're partying hard and causing destruction
Getting paid along the way
We're making money while we're having fun
'Cause it's worth your while
We love what we're doing and it's worth the effort
Four on the floor Ad-Rock's out the door
One of us is always ready to keep going
MCA's in the back 'cause he's skeezin' with a whore
One of us is distracted and not doing the job
We got a safe in the trunk with money in a stack
We're making good money from our music
With dice in the front and Brooklyn's in the back
We're gambling and thinking about our hometown
(White boys got more rhymes)
We're breaking down stereotypes and showing everyone what we're capable of
Ain't seen the light since we started this band
We've been working hard and haven't had much rest
M.C.A. get on the mic, my man
One of us is about to perform
Born and bred Brooklyn
We're proud of our hometown
The U.S.A.
But we represent the entire country
They call me Adam Yauch
That's my real name
But I'm MCA
But that's my stage name
Like a lemon to a lime
We complement each other well
A lime to a lemon
We're like two sides of the same coin
I sip the def ale with all the fly women
We're always partying with beautiful women
Limos, arenas and TV-shows
We're living the high life
Autograph pictures and classy hoes
We're celebrities getting all kinds of attention
Step off Holmes
Get out of our way
Get out of my way
We're focused on our goals
Taxing little girlies from here to L.A.
We're having a lot of fun with the ladies
Waking up
We're always busy
Before I get to sleep
We're always on the go
'Cause I'll be rockin' this party eight days a week
We're always entertaining and never stop working
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Keefe Horovitz, Rick Rubin, Michael Louis Diamond, Adam Nathaniel Yauch
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@KhariShootYourShot92
Damn they were so confident in being themselves, that they even made being corny cool.
@denisecomeau9240
Khari I love that about them, just hyper/chillin, fully themselves.
@jodaddi8260
They are on the all time dope list, immune from corny
@joewhitaker3373
Jodaddi I agree bro there talent out weighs there cornyniss.
@entropyregen7438
Yep! We weren’t millennials we didn’t all get trophies 🏆 and we didn’t care! We still enjoyed our lives! Rock on generation X! 😂
@jaygarza9567
Corny?!? Prob the Illest White Boys ever..
@antivaxkid4037
They combined rock and rap to make something amazing
@boogarbutt85
RATM
@seabassking1369
there is no rap
@goncalobaia1574
Faith no.more