Shark Fin Soup
Armand Hammer Lyrics

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Got fireworks going on outside
Roaming candle to the face
Home is a place inside myself, not a physical domicile
Love, hate, indifference, in this space we all float around
China doll crystalline, financiers and cappuccino raw cinnamon
Lines drawn I fill em in
Illin since Rubin and Simmons splitting Sicilians
Unlikely affiliates lemme tell you how it really is

Living off experience
Closet reptilian bitches be my Achilles
Earth girls easy though mostly inferior
Turning brilliant corners, pitching quarters
Put ya money on it
I break em down in installments
Periodicals and volumes hoarded
My footsteps haunted
Dead mans ballys I'm sporting
Flawless

Georgia red clay complected/Crossroads
Gatekeeper posted at the intersection
Coined flows to keep it interesting
My pen arresting
Apex predator sole profession
They vexed
Stunted developments
20 year cycles
Raw deal no embellishment
Im a young old nigga tryna remain relevant
Core elements
Chalk it up to my heritage
They stare incredulous
Tryna Get the scoop like pelicans
You j.v. niggas better off Pouring beverages
Kick my feet up ‘fore im settled in

Pump tapes out the trunk
Too short
The product sell itself like Newport
Or Al Sharp/Thats New York
The soup shark
Dumplings pork
Mott street noodles out the mouth when I talk

Last call, she poured mine on the house
December 25th, he's the Grinch, I'm Oscar the Grouch
Magic 8-ball, "all signs point to no"
Chasing waterfalls, his grand summation
"the bitch is a hoe"
What does one say to that?
I sipped the yip with thoughts black
A bad trip like you gotta take the bus back
Wishing he never fucked with it like crack
But if wishes were horses, beggars would ride
And I wouldn't be here nursing this sucker
Thinking bout getting high, motherfucker
If you nice like that then you better do it live
Dusty loop/heavy bag drums
I'm not from Brownsville
So never had a problem when it came time to run

Rabbi and the Golem
Base clay left to harden in the sun
Mobutu Sese Seko
Kill em all without touching a gun
House made of legos
Throw all the stones you want
Play the wall like they playin techno
Regs in a Phillie blunt
Slaughter Rule/chop the heads off fools who refuse to punt
Duel with the beat
Words measured then cut with teeth
Unspooled into the city's last payphone

A young Larry Merchant, perched
On the ball of my feet

Overall Meaning

The song "Shark Fin Soup" by Armand Hammer is a musing on the various experiences of the singer, who discusses the ephemeral nature of home and the emotions that people carry within themselves. The song uses vivid imagery to evoke a sense of feeling that's both universal and personal to the singer. He talks about fireworks outside, roaming candle to the face, and china doll crystalline. He underscores the idea that love, hate, and indifference are feelings that we all experience at different times in life, and they exist inside every person. The singer also alludes to the fact that he has been living off of experience, and he mentions different moments when he's illin since Rubin and Simmons splitting Sicilians.

The song is littered with clever wordplay, such as the lines "Earth girls easy though mostly inferior, turning brilliant corners, pitching quarters." The singer seems to suggest that he has seen and done it all, and now, he's focused on making a living and attracting an audience. He mentions "pump tapes out the trunk," alluding to the fact that he's an artist looking to get his music heard by as many people as possible. The song continues with the singer reflecting on some of the events that have happened in his life, such as the woman who poured his drink on the house or the experience of wishing you never got involved with something, like crack. The song's final lines are an allusion to boxing and finding your place in the world, as Larry Merchant would have seen so many times ringside.

Contributed by Mia I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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