Over 15 years, Richard has carved out a corner of hip-hop history by unraveling ornate and dust-caked yarns, often over beat-addled soundscapes, as on his seminal “Language Arts” album series (Anticon released part three, Man Overboard, in ’01), and unadorned as well (he recently became host of CBC’s “Radio 2 Drive” show). For his last record, 2007’s Situation (released on Sage Francis’ Strange Famous label), the man crafted an entire song-cycle around the narrative minutiae of 1957—Rich’s love for a good story is famous. Considering, he couldn’t have found a better partner for his latest work.
Joëlle was raised in Brussels by her Vietnamese mother, a painter and a chef, and remembers fondly the piquant scents she’d chase around mom’s restaurant. She was infatuated with the piano at her primary school, and took lessons when she wasn’t painting or tinkering with music boxes. She learned cello too, pursued photography (she’s now a successful digital video artist), and studied music theory in college, where she discovered that art-making brought back her childhood memories in vivid detail. She has magic secrets—and perhaps a touch of clairvoyance—that she put to work in creating 2006’s striking Greetings From Tuskan LP debut, Lullabies For The Warriors. To this day, there are details that even Rich doesn’t understand about Joëlle’s immaculate productions. Naturally, that’s another detail that he loves.
Bike For Three!’s constituent parts have never met in person, and they might not ever. She found him, and their story unfurls in real time along with their songs. Joëlle sends Rich music; Rich writes to the moods and movements that she’s designed; Joëlle nurtures each piece into an animate whole. Bf3! actually finds Buck 65 eschewing traditional narrative forms in favor of an intimate stream of consciousness (offset by tight rhyme cadence) that mines the craggier depths of romance both requited and out-of-reach, real and imagined (which perfectly befits Bf3!’s working relationship). The things Rich wouldn’t speak of in conversation thus become part of the conversation happening on record.
More Heart Than Brains, Bf3!’s album debut, is Buck 65’s first record to feature all electronic production. Of course, Joëlle has a few acoustic tricks up her sleeve—those music boxes from her youth, for instance—and an approach that seats her comfortably amongst such mercurial beat auteurs as Boom Bip, Modeselektor, Michna, and labelmate Alias. That Rich returns to Anticon a nearly decade later to release his most personal album yet is both an honor and the logical continuation of the label’s own story (Sage Francis did the same with Personal Journals in ’02). As for Bike For Three!, consider this Chapter One.
Nightdriving
Bike For Three! Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Both of my legs replaced by steel.
Lights in my eyes. Rear-view rosary.
Woke up this morning with your blood all over me.
My finger drew a deep red line.
Shout. Living without dead time.
Scared, yes. That would be a fair guess.
A New York City that couldn't care less.
Behind doors that locked only on the only outside.
Wandering hope attacked by worries.
Bended. Attended to by furies.
Communion swallowed, my head hung.
Taste of paper on my tongue.
'I see nothing', the driver said,
'I can't tell if I'm alive or dead'.
I'm a runaway...
Hold Still. Keep Koing.
Ten to two and the highway's divided.
Don't look back - my way's decided.
Milk's been spilt, the wall's been built.
Bones like glass and painted-over guilt.
Unanswered questions I fed on in prison.
Opposite fears in head-on collision.
I am the passenger - passionate, ill-at-ease.
Silver teeth and psychic abilities.
Roots and wires. Evens and odds.
Degrees of perfection. Demons and gods.
The loneliest hunter, fists in his pockets.
Waits and distances, pistons and rockets.
No going back. Black afternoons and red nights.
Lost in thought and caught in the headlights.
Into the unknown, I better arrive.
I can't tell if I'm dead or alive.
I'm a runaway...
Hold Still. Keep Koing.
The lyrics of Bike For Three!'s song Nightdriving tell a story of a person who is driving at night, feeling scared and lost. The opening lines reveal that the person's legs have been replaced by steel, indicating some sort of accident or injury leading to this unusual state. The driver is haunted by memories of the past, evident from the line 'Woke up this morning with your blood all over me', implying that the driver has done something regretful that they cannot escape.
Throughout the song, the driver's thoughts and emotions are described in vivid imagery. The line 'Lights in my eyes. Rear-view rosary' suggests that the driver is seeking solace in religion, possibly Catholicism with the mention of a rosary. The fear and anxiety felt by the driver is conveyed through the line 'Scared, yes. That would be a fair guess', indicating that the driver is facing some sort of danger.
As the song progresses, the driver describes his experiences in different cities, such as New York City and Paris. The mentioning of how "Behind doors that locked only on the only outside" highlights the driver's isolation and confinement, intensifying the fear and uncertainty they feel. The lyrics also talk about the driver's sense of freedom and rebellion as a 'runaway', but their ultimate goal remains ambiguous.
Overall, the lyrics of Nightdriving are a poignant portrayal of a person's emotional state while driving and the circumstances that have led them to this point.
Line by Line Meaning
Night driving. Faced my wheel.
Driving all night, I face the wheel of my car.
Both of my legs replaced by steel.
I feel like my legs are made of steel and I can drive forever.
Lights in my eyes. Rear-view rosary.
The lights of the cars passing by and my rosary hanging from the rear-view mirror are the only things keeping me company.
Woke up this morning with your blood all over me.
I woke up this morning covered in my own blood and feeling like I've been through an ordeal.
My finger drew a deep red line.
I cut myself with a sharp object and left a deep red line on my skin.
Shout. Living without dead time.
I need to scream to keep myself awake and alive while driving through the night without any breaks.
Scared, yes. That would be a fair guess.
I am terrified and anyone would be able to guess that just by looking at me.
A New York City that couldn't care less.
I feel like I'm driving through a New York City that doesn't care about me or my problems.
Nights in Paris I just about died.
The nights I spent in Paris were so intense that I felt like I was close to death.
Behind doors that locked only on the only outside.
I was trapped behind doors that only locked from the outside, unable to escape from my situation.
Wandering hope attacked by worries.
My hope is slowly being eaten away by my worries and doubts.
Bended. Attended to by furies.
I am bent and broken, and it feels like the furies are punishing me for something.
Communion swallowed, my head hung.
I take communion and bow my head, seeking some sort of solace or comfort.
Taste of paper on my tongue.
The communion wafer tastes like paper on my tongue.
'I see nothing', the driver said, 'I can't tell if I'm alive or dead'.
The driver is delirious and can't tell if they are still alive or dead.
I'm a runaway... Hold Still. Keep Koing.
I'm a runaway, trying to escape from something, but I need to hold still and keep going to survive.
Ten to two and the highway's divided.
The clock reads 10 minutes to 2 and the highway is split in two.
Don't look back - my way's decided.
I am committed to moving forward and not looking back, even if I'm not sure where I'm going.
Milk's been spilt, the wall's been built.
Something has gone wrong and now there are consequences that can't be undone.
Bones like glass and painted-over guilt.
I feel fragile and broken, like my bones are made of glass, and I'm struggling with guilt that has been hidden or ignored.
Unanswered questions I fed on in prison.
When I was confined, I obsessed over unanswered questions and couldn't let them go.
Opposite fears in head-on collision.
I have conflicting fears that are coming at me from both sides, colliding in my mind.
I am the passenger - passionate, ill-at-ease.
I am just a passenger, passionate but also uneasy and uncomfortable.
Silver teeth and psychic abilities.
There is something strange and mystical about me, hinted at by my silver teeth and psychic abilities.
Roots and wires. Evens and odds.
My life is a tangle of roots and wires, with patterns of even and odd.
Degrees of perfection. Demons and gods.
I strive for perfection, but I'm also haunted by demons and guided by gods.
The loneliest hunter, fists in his pockets.
I am like a lonely hunter, with my fists balled up in my pockets and no one to turn to.
Waits and distances, pistons and rockets.
I am waiting and keeping my distance, like a machine fueled by pistons and rockets.
No going back. Black afternoons and red nights.
There is no going back now, only black afternoons and blood-red nights ahead.
Lost in thought and caught in the headlights.
I am lost in my own thoughts and trapped in the glare of headlights.
Into the unknown, I better arrive.
I am heading into the unknown, but I need to arrive at my destination.
I can't tell if I'm dead or alive.
I am so disoriented that I can't tell if I'm still alive or if I've already died.
I'm a runaway... Hold Still. Keep Koing.
I am still running away, but I need to hold still and keep going in order to survive.
Contributed by Jacob M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
333dav3eee
good shit!