Tomorrow Morning
Aesop Rock Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

In the district called the Barbary Coast
Nickelodeon showed scandalous moving pictures
The coast was described by one indignant critic
As "that sink of moral pollution, whose reefs
Are strewn with human wrecks
Here, blear-eyed men drink vile liquor
Smoke offensive tobacco and engage
In vulgar conduct. Here are:
Debauchery, disease, insanity, blasphemy, death
And hell, yawning to receive its putrid mass."
These are the unregulated rabbit holes
Barrack homes and taverns built for devil's acre
Opium enthusiasts and baritones, marigold
The garish allure of the burning Barbary
Underbelly born of 40 thieves in whorish harmony
Hammering for the dark and heartless
Harpy, shark and harlot argue breathing room
Do not let the arson jeeper-creeper you
If we elect the scenic route see it as greener grasses
Like morphine after snatch help you forget diseases matter
Not to mention 15 cents for either weakens cheaper gamblers
Down for hell inside a melting pot
No one's ever melting they just yell a lot
Stab each other, drink and eat and belly-flop
Murder Point, your thoroughfare at 12 o'clock
Is hell and back, EMB to Chinatown
Kearny clashing cutters out the netherworld
Sydney ducks to pistol fuck the centerfold
Every cellar iniquity, pretty killers and pistol petes
Might wake up with horses tearing at your limbs symmetrically
Tomorrow morning when the wharf is finished warping
You will wash up on the shore and wonder what was so alluring
Tomorrow evening when the leeches finish feeding
You'll regret the ownership of an aorta that is bleeding
The volunteer firefighters
Competed with each other
Before a later bay was calm, disreputable hangers on
Would rumble for the hungry like Montgomery's little Genghis Khans
Who plain as day would operate in holes where no patrollers go
Groggeries that host the most ignoble dog and pony show
Francis of Assisi in his grave alone to roller-coast
His opus now a cove where all the lowest lows can grow and grow
With no sign of a holy ghost
More the polar: horns and rosy cloven toes
Bunny-hop claims, fold and overthrow
Gangland anchors hit the harbor down for hangman
Shuffle fifty two and slip the chew behind the fang-span
Greenhorn, he just wanna help his hammers harmonize
Stowed in hell's cargo by the spark in those Wells Fargo eyes
And famine wasn't featured in the pamphlet, neither were the cancers
Camp was smoking chimney, mantle, taxidermy antlers
Now the sourdough is lifted out the honeycombs of kitchens
Satan out on broadway and pacific blowing kisses
40 winks, pissy at the grizzly, no lullaby
Clark's point trollops off the docks to flood and multiply
Until a brilliant golden mother-load in the bank
She said between her legs that other gold's pink
Sold it for cheap along the waterfront, wretched little clusters
Push a fuss of smutty huffing plus some itching and discomfort
Little wonder you, in public for the buck, it's rugged
Rusty cutter gut any cutty drunkard who want it
Hellcat Maggie, aggie, move to the music
She had learned to spoon pollution in a climate pruned for losing
Thousand more like her in the cow-yards moo-ing, ooh-ee
Beneath the brutal harvest moon and UV
Note it's the very same foundation on which you and yours sleep
Layers of players over debaucherous troubadour speak




They puff the pathogens and never let the humidors breath
That's why you grew up on stale tobacco and juniper trees

Overall Meaning

The song "Tomorrow Morning" by Aesop Rock is a commentary on the dark and seedy history of the Barbary Coast district in San Francisco during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Barbary Coast was notorious for its lawlessness, fueled by the massive influx of people seeking fortune during the Gold Rush. Aesop Rock paints a vivid picture of the district and all its vices and depravity, from the scandalous moving pictures shown in Nickelodeons to the opium enthusiasts and pretty killers lurking in every cellar. He describes the area as a sink of moral pollution, where men engage in vulgar conduct and hell is yawning to receive its putrid mass.


Throughout the song, Aesop Rock highlights the violence and lawlessness that characterized the Barbary Coast. He references volunteer firefighters competing with each other and the disreputable hangers-on who would rumble for the hungry like little Genghis Khans. He describes the gangland anchors that hit the harbor, and the trollops off the docks who flood and multiply. Ultimately, he warns that those who dabble in the Barbary Coast's vices will regret it come morning, as they wash up on the shore wondering what was so alluring and regretting the ownership of an aorta that is bleeding.


Overall, "Tomorrow Morning" is a powerful commentary on the dark and violent history of the Barbary Coast district, painting a vivid picture of a place that was a far cry from the idyllic California that many people imagine.


Line by Line Meaning

In the district called the Barbary Coast
The area called the Barbary Coast


Nickelodeon showed scandalous moving pictures
Nickelodeon displayed risque and scandalous films


The coast was described by one indignant critic
An irate critic once described the coast


As "that sink of moral pollution, whose reefs
He labeled it as the moral sink, whose reefs


Are strewn with human wrecks
Where human wrecks are abundantly scattered


Here, blear-eyed men drink vile liquor
Men with tired and bloodshot eyes drink disgusting liquor here


Smoke offensive tobacco and engage
They smoke pungent tobacco while indulging


In vulgar conduct. Here are:
They engage in rude and obscene behavior. Here one can find:


Debauchery, disease, insanity, blasphemy, death
Depraved actions, diseases, madness, sacrilege, fatalities


And hell, yawning to receive its putrid mass."
And a hell, open wide to take in all its vile inhabitants.


These are the unregulated rabbit holes
These are the uncontrolled and unrestricted dens


Barrack homes and taverns built for devil's acre
Houses and bars constructed for the devil's land


Opium enthusiasts and baritones, marigold
Here you can find opium lovers, baritones, and marigolds


The garish allure of the burning Barbary
The bright and flashy appeal of the fiery Barbary


Underbelly born of 40 thieves in whorish harmony
The root of it all stemming from the 40 thieves in a whore-like accord


Hammering for the dark and heartless
Striving for the gloomy and cruel


Harpy, shark and harlot argue breathing room
Harpy, shark, and harlot battle for space


Do not let the arson jeeper-creeper you
Do not let the fire-raising creep confound you


If we elect the scenic route see it as greener grasses
Should we take the picturesque road, we should view it as greener pastures


Like morphine after snatch help you forget diseases matter
Like morphine disorienting from the pain, helping us forget the gravity of illnesses


Not to mention 15 cents for either weakens cheaper gamblers
Moreover, 15 cents each weakens those who gamble for cheaper stacks


Down for hell inside a melting pot
Hastening towards hell inside a melting pot


No one's ever melting they just yell a lot
No one ever melts, only shouting and screaming ensues


Stab each other, drink and eat and belly-flop
They stab, drink, eat, and belly-flop onto each other


Murder Point, your thoroughfare at 12 o'clock
Murder Point, your pathway at high noon


Is hell and back, EMB to Chinatown
A total inferno, from EMB to Chinatown


Kearny clashing cutters out the netherworld
Kearny's clashing blades from the underworld


Sydney ducks to pistol fuck the centerfold
Sydney ducks pistol-whipping the centerfold


Every cellar iniquity, pretty killers and pistol petes
All basements filled with sin, beautiful killers, and pistol-carrying petes


Might wake up with horses tearing at your limbs symmetrically
One might wake to find horses chewing symmetrically on their limbs


Tomorrow morning when the wharf is finished warping
When the dock finishes warping tomorrow morning


You will wash up on the shore and wonder what was so alluring
You'll wake up on the beach, wondering what attracted you here


Tomorrow evening when the leeches finish feeding
When the leeches are done feeding tomorrow evening


You'll regret the ownership of an aorta that is bleeding
You'll regret this moment of owning a bleeding aorta


The volunteer firefighters
The firefighters that offer their services voluntarily


Competed with each other
Rivaling for superiority


Before a later bay was calm, disreputable hangers on
Before the bay became calmer, unsavory hangers-on


Would rumble for the hungry like Montgomery's little Genghis Khans
Would fight for the hungry like Montgomery's little conquerors


Who plain as day would operate in holes where no patrollers go
Who would run plainly visible in areas where patrollers wouldn't


Groggeries that host the most ignoble dog and pony show
Low-class bars that host disgraceful performances


Francis of Assisi in his grave alone to roller-coast
Francis of Assisi buried and alone to ride the roller-coaster


His opus now a cove where all the lowest lows can grow and grow
His masterpiece, now a harbor where all the seediest behavior persists and thrives


With no sign of a holy ghost
Without any indication of a divine presence


More the polar: horns and rosy cloven toes
More like the opposite, horns, and a rose-colored cloven hoof


Bunny-hop claims, fold and overthrow
Claims of bunny-hopping, folding, and overthrowing


Gangland anchors hit the harbor down for hangman
Gang-affiliated anchors settle down in the harbor waiting for the hangman


Shuffle fifty two and slip the chew behind the fang-span
Deal the fifty-two deck and slip the tobacco behind their teeth


Greenhorn, he just wanna help his hammers harmonize
An inexperienced person just wants to assist in syncing the hammers


Stowed in hell's cargo by the spark in those Wells Fargo eyes
Placed in the inferno's cargo by the spark in Wells Fargo's eyes


And famine wasn't featured in the pamphlet, neither were the cancers
Famine wasn't included in the pamphlet, and neither were the cancers


Camp was smoking chimney, mantle, taxidermy antlers
The camp had smoking chimneys, mantles, and taxidermy antlers


Now the sourdough is lifted out the honeycombs of kitchens
Now the sourdough is removed from the kitchen's honeycombs


Satan out on broadway and pacific blowing kisses
Satan on Broadway and Pacific giving kisses


40 winks, pissy at the grizzly, no lullaby
Forty winks, angry at the grizzly, and no lullaby


Clark's point trollops off the docks to flood and multiply
At Clark's Point, trollops exit the docks and begin to proliferate


Until a brilliant golden mother-load in the bank
Until there's a shiny golden motherlode in the bank


She said between her legs that other gold's pink
Between her legs, she said the other gold was pink


Sold it for cheap along the waterfront, wretched little clusters
They sold it cheaply along the shore, in awful little clusters


Push a fuss of smutty huffing plus some itching and discomfort
Making a commotion of vulgar huffing, along with itching and discomfort


Little wonder you, in public for the buck, it's rugged
No surprise that you publicize such a rugged image for profit


Rusty cutter gut any cutty drunkard who want it
A rusty cutter guts any inebriated person who desires it


Hellcat Maggie, aggie, move to the music
Hellcat Maggie and Aggie, dance to the music


She had learned to spoon pollution in a climate pruned for losing
She had learned to tolerate pollution in a place shaped for defeat


Thousand more like her in the cow-yards moo-ing, ooh-ee
Thousands more in cow-yards, moo-ing, ooh-ee,


Beneath the brutal harvest moon and UV
Under the unforgiving harvest moon and UV rays


Note it's the very same foundation on which you and yours sleep
It's the same foundation upon which you and your loved ones sleep


Layers of players over debaucherous troubadour speak
Numerous layers of decadent musicians speaking


They puff the pathogens and never let the humidors breath
They smoke disease-causing substances and don't allow the humidors to breathe


That's why you grew up on stale tobacco and juniper trees
That's why you were raised on stale tobacco and juniper trees




Contributed by Grace C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

maccamellia

These are the unregulated rabbit holes

b h

@Jeffery Sherwood pp

Jeffery Sherwood

🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸

Robert Kennedy

This is so sick, after years of listening and so long this song still kicks like it’s some new heat. Classic for sure.

Joey McPartlin

How this never made it to any of your albums is something I'll always wonder. This song is so dope, Aes.

Joey McPartlin

@Weston Holmes I know, that's where I found it. I'm saying it's a good enough song to have been on a more official release IMO. I guess it doesn't matter much.

Weston Holmes

its track 6 on b-sides and rarities vol 3 2007-2009

Mordecai froehlich

Might’ve worked well on skelethon

erikm12

aesop spits wicked lyrics like always, but this beat is extra awesome. Thick, heavy, and bewildering like a lead brick to the skull.

DarkMattervideos

Aes is just too good with lyrics, hes several layers deeper than anything i can write.

More Comments

More Versions