The Yes and the Y'all
Aesop Rock Lyrics

Skeptical of the handshakes
I don't trust people who try to befriend me just for personal gain or advantage.

Bound by an idea, skeptical of the handshakes
I am committed to a certain idea or belief and I'm wary of those who try to manipulate or exploit it for their own benefit.

Dwarfed by the lights, bewildered by the fanbase
I feel small and overwhelmed by the fame and attention that comes with my success, especially when it comes to my fans.

You drop science like Don Herbert with liquor in him
You share knowledge and information with confidence and style, much like how Don Herbert (a host of a science show) would do it even if he's drunk.

Soundin' off like senior citizens sitting at bingo parlor bickering
You're arguing or complaining loudly and persistently like a group of grumpy old people who have nothing better to do than play bingo and argue with each other.

Yeah it's kinda funny, isn't it How I can build while you just sit there and bitch about your syllabus
It's amusing how I am able to create something of value while you're just complaining about trivial matters like your syllabus.

You got heart I hate to tell you but it skips more than it palpitates
You have courage and determination, but unfortunately it's not enough because you lack consistency and commitment.

Like these here drunken little archers missed one of they calculate
Just like how drunken archers can miss their target, you've made a mistake in your calculation or judgement.

The falcon hates the mockingbird The farmer hates the drought I hate em all, I kick the bottom brick out shouting "Yes y'all" And blow the village out perspective (Aesop!)
People and things have their own adversaries, but I dislike them all equally and express my anger and frustration by causing chaos and disruption, as if kicking the bottom brick out of a building and causing it to collapse.

Do you take this makeshift-Candy Land-cold classic-bastard style To be your lawfully wedded head trip Doing base throughout sickness, health, electrical storm Fire, pain, rain, hail, wind, ice, sleet, snow? (Hell no!)
Are you willing to accept my unconventional and cold style as a core part of your life, including through difficult times and challenges? Hell no, because it's not a pleasant or ideal way of living.

I'm balanced, personified phantom to the bone Walkin like a Jabberwocky Scalpin' a pair of one-way tickets to shadowboxing Christmas with a shallow stocking Like this (I'm just trying to milk the mileage)
I have a composed and detached personality, but I also feel like a phantom or a ghost. I'm walking aimlessly like the mythical creature Jabberwocky, scalping unnecessary or useless items like a pair of one-way tickets, and feeling unsatisfied or unfulfilled during the festive season. It's all just a way for me to gain more benefit or profit.

Like these kittens buy it
People are easily influenced or convinced, like how kittens are easily sold or adopted.

And I keep spittin' as long as these kittens buy it
I will continue to create and share my art as long as people continue to be influenced by it, just like how I will continue to sell something as long as there are people willing to buy it.

Going gone (To infinity and beyond!)
I'm leaving or disappearing like a rocket launching into space, referencing the catchphrase of the Pixar character Buzz Lightyear.

Struck twice in the same place by a moody Zues fishliner Smackin the third clear out the park
I have been hit or targeted twice in the same area or way by a random or unpredictable event, using the metaphor of a Zeus fisherman. But on the third strike or attempt, I am able to overcome and succeed in a remarkable way.

Now where you gonna be when the sun falls, brother Probably gathering your sheep with all these other mothafuckers
Where will you be or what will you be doing when something bad or unexpected happens? You will probably be following the crowd or the norm, like other people who act like conformists or followers.

Aes Rock might've smoked one too many dimes in his time
Aes Rock (the rapper) may have smoked too much marijuana in the past, using the slang term for a unit of marijuana (dime).

Pete Piper picked peppers, and Run rocked rhymes
A reference to the nursery rhyme 'Peter Piper', as well as to the hip-hop duo Run-DMC, who were known for their powerful rap performances.

Bliss mimic, baptise, chastise, laugh die Kiss the finish, piss the villagers the fuck off
A series of contradictory or nonsensical words or phrases, meant to highlight the absurdity or randomness of life or actions. The second line suggests a desire to finish something or succeed at something, despite angering or upsetting other people in the process.

I've seen friends bow to needles I've seen needles bow to records I've seen boughs break I've seen God bow and make the clouds shake I've seen the proud break I've seen a lot for a blind soldier Who tattooed the city scape up skin to blend in Rats travel by night invite the waterbugs I'm here to pull the three-prong When it's prime directive wormhole of self-sacrifice Had a hatchet slice for camps For that God-awful Frankenstein
The artist has witnessed many examples of power, influence, and destruction, from people who bow to addiction or music to nature and religion that can cause widespread devastation. The artist also describes his own experiences as a blind soldier (meaning he's ignorant or unsure of his actions), and his desire to seek out self-sacrifice or meaningful actions. He also has a violent or aggressive tendency, as shown by the hatchet line, and a disdain for things that are artificially created or produced (like Frankenstein's monster).

I'm a jigsaw slab, but all the pig saw was dirt bag
The artist is a unique or complex individual, but to others (represented by the pig), he may only appear as a lowly or dirty person.

Beached on a red tide infested shore corroding eastern seaboard beauty
A metaphor for being stuck or stranded in a dangerous or unpleasant situation, where the natural or cultural beauty of the area is being degraded or destroyed.

Delinquent sinkin' like a paper tugboat Well beneath your holiday
The singer is struggling or sinking like a flimsy paper tugboat, while others are enjoying their holidays or leisure time, indicating a sense of isolation or neglect.

Call barren moon childs and proud gimps to clinch this chemical war pig
A nonsensical and evocative series of words, possibly referring to an appeal for assistance from unlikely or unusual allies, in order to defeat some kind of enemy or obstacle.

Icicle-bound barren township
A place that is cold, desolate, and lacks resources, with icicles as a symbol of its harsh conditions.

I wrote the book that shook America to splinters In a winter wasteland
The singer has written a powerful and influential book that caused great disruption and challenge to American society, using a metaphor of a winter wasteland to suggest difficult and challenging conditions.

When Bible page verse tidal waves has begun (Water one)
A time of great upheaval or disturbance, likened to tidal waves, that may be related to religious texts or spirituality.

Jiggy-jabberjaw vitamin idol and primal rages
A series of random or meaningless words or phrases, possibly meant to create a sense of excitement or confusion.

Carbon based pardons ain't enough
Pardons or forgiveness that are based on our physical or biological existence (as carbon-based life forms) are not sufficient or satisfactory, implying a need for something deeper or more meaningful.

My stilts truly personify the serbonite flea circus
A surreal and imaginative phrase describing how the singer's stilts (perhaps metaphorical or figurative) represent a unique and surreal circus made up of tiny fleas.

We urchins merkin' on daily
We (possibly referring to a group of people the singer identifies with) are struggling or hustling every day to survive or succeed, using the phrase 'merkin' as a slang term for working hard or making money.

Tear my own face off in the finale, stick around it's ill Diabolic Prodigal Son spill grimmace
A series of bizarre and unsettling images or metaphors, possibly describing a violent or self-destructive act (tearing one's face off) and a story of a wayward child who returns with a twisted and unpleasant expression.