One of their signature songs, it describes an exhaustive tour and all the events that make it tiresome, but also emphasizes their determination not to rest until they reach their home base of Brooklyn. "No Sleep till Brooklyn" was a popular concert favorite for the Beastie Boys and traditionally used as their closing song.
Among other references to then-popular metal, the title is a play on the Motรถrhead album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith.
Video synopsis:
The Beastie Boys arrive at a club to perform. A member from the band hands the club owner an LP record but he smashes the phonograph record on them, saying "What the..? We only play rock music here." The Beastie Boys knock again, seconds later, except they are disguised as rockers with big hair and guitars. They take the stage playing the song, but the crowd of women quickly mobs them and tears off their clothes. They rap another verse in their underwear before changing into their regular outfits. The performance is a series of jabs at and parody of glam metal performance videos, with headbanging fans, a backup dancer, and much destruction. Eventually the club owner and his crew try to get them off the stage, but the Beastie Boys are fighting with them. Kerry King makes an appearance during the guitar solo, body-checking the gorilla who was originally performing the guitar solo. The band is later seen trying to steal money from the club's safe, which they succeed in doing by MCA bashing it with his head. They dance around with bags of money from the safe, while the hot backup dancer is seen walking away with the gorilla.
No Sleep Till Brooklyn
Beastie Boys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
MCA 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 'til
No sleep 'til Brooklyn
No sleep 'til Brooklyn
No sleep 'til Brooklyn
No sleep 'til Brooklyn (yeah)
No sleep 'til Brooklyn
No sleep 'til Brooklyn
No sleep 'til Brooklyn
No sleep 'til Brooklyn
No sleep 'til Brooklyn
No sleep 'til Brooklyn
In "No Sleep Till Brooklyn," the Beastie Boys rap about their experiences while they were touring the country to promote their album License to Ill. The song highlights their travels, nonstop musical energy, and party lifestyle. They never sleep, but they still manage to maintain their high energy levels and keep the crowds moving. The lyrics mention different aspects of the tour experience, including the foot-to-the-pedal pace of life while on the road, the never-ending flow of liquor and women, the unique brand of rock star debauchery that comes with the territory, and the trials of being stuck on a bus with each other.
The song's chorus, "No sleep 'til Brooklyn," serves as a rallying cry for anyone who wants to party hard and live it up. This phrase is a metaphorical way of saying there is no limit to what they will do and no time to rest until they reach their destination - Brooklyn. This phrase also represents the band's commitment to their music and the hard work they need to put in to make their dreams come true.
Overall, "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" is a song about the Beastie Boys' love for partying, their passion for music and their commitment to never let anything hold them back.
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 to get to where we want to go
Never ever false metal
We're always true to ourselves and our music
Engine running hotter than a boiling kettle
We're pushing ourselves and our music to the limit
My job ain't a job
We're not just working; we're doing what we love
It's a damn good time
We're having fun while pursuing our passion
City to city, I've been running my rhymes
We're traveling all over and performing our music
On location
We're always where the action is
Touring 'round the nation
We're on tour and making stops all over the country
Beastie Boys always on vacation
We're always having fun and enjoying ourselves
Itchy trigger finger
We're always ready to perform
But a stable turntable
We're confident in our skills and style
I do what I do best
We focus on our strengths and what we're good at
Because I'm willing and able
We're capable of achieving our goals
Ain't no faking
We're real 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 seeing the sights and enjoying the company of women
While you're at the job working nine to five
We're living life to the fullest while others work dull jobs
The Beastie Boys at the Garden
We're performing at the famous Madison Square Garden
Cold kickin' it live
We're performing at our very best and giving a great show
Another plane
We're always on the move
Another train
We travel by train to get around
Another bottle in the brain
We sometimes drink during our travels
Another girl
We meet new women everywhere we go
Another fight
Sometimes things get heated on the road
Another drive all night
We spend long hours on the road traveling
Our manager's crazy
Our manager has an unpredictable personality
He always smokes dust
Our manager has a bad habit of smoking drugs
He's got his own room at the back of the bus
Our manager is given special treatment on our bus
Tour around the world
We're traveling all over the world
You rock around the clock
We're always performing
Plane to hotel
We travel by plane and stay in hotels
Girls on the jock
Girls are attracted to us because of our fame
We're trashing hotels like it's going out of style
We're leaving a trail of destruction in the hotels we stay in
Getting paid along the way
We're making money while we travel
'Cause it's worth your while
We do it for the enjoyment and the money
Four on the floor Ad-Rock's out the door
One of our members, Ad-Rock, has left or is leaving
MCA's in the back 'cause he's skeezin' with a whore
Another member, MCA, is sleeping with a woman in the back of the bus
We got a safe in the trunk with money in a stack
We're carrying a lot of money with us
With dice in the front and Brooklyn's in the back
We're gambling with dice up front and Brooklyn is our ultimate destination
(White boys got more rhymes)
We're confident in our musical abilities and can hold our own compared to anyone
Ain't seen the light since we started this band
We've been working hard at music and haven't had time for much else
M.C.A. get on the mic, my man
One of our members, MCA, needs to start singing
Born and bred Brooklyn
We're proud of our Brooklyn roots
The U.S.A.
We're representing the United States of America
They call me Adam Yauch
One of our members, Adam Yauch, is going by his full name
But I'm MCA
Another member goes by the initials MCA
Like a lemon to a lime
We're like two complementary things that go well together
A lime to a lemon
We're similar to the line just mentioned
I sip the def ale with all the fly women
We drink good beer with attractive women
Limos, arenas and TV-shows
We're enjoying the perks of success
Autograph pictures and classy hoes
We're signing autographs and being approached by attractive women
Step off Holmes
We're telling someone to get out of our way
Get out of my way
We're telling someone to move aside
Taxing little girlies from here to L.A.
We're flirting with and taking advantage of women along our travels
Waking up
We're always on the move and need to stay alert
Before I get to sleep
We're so busy that there's no time to waste
'Cause I'll be rockin' this party eight days a week
We're so busy performing and enjoying ourselves that it feels like there are more than 7 days in a week
No sleep 'till
We're staying up and working hard until we make it to Brooklyn
No sleep 'till Brooklyn
We're determined to make it to our hometown
Lyrics ยฉ 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 werenโt millennials we didnโt all get trophies ๐ and we didnโt care! We still enjoyed our lives! Rock on generation X! ๐
@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