His mother was an English literature professor from Jamaica. His father was a Ph.D. Marxist writer, active in the Zimbabwe War of Liberation and then a member of the government in Zimbabwe. In 1980, the family moved to Zimbabwe. After the death of Woods' father, they returned to the United States in 1989. Woods briefly attended Howard University before getting involved in New York City's hip-hop scene. He started making music in the late 1990s. He wrote his "first real rhyme" at a laundromat in Kennebunk, Maine in 1997.
Billy Woods released his debut solo album, Camouflage, on his record label Backwoodz Studioz in 2003. In 2012, he released History Will Absolve Me. In 2013, he released Dour Candy, which was entirely produced by Blockhead. In 2017, he released Known Unknowns. It was included on Rolling Stone's "15 Great Albums You Probably Didn't Hear in 2017" list. In 2019, he released a collaborative album with producer Kenny Segal, titled Hiding Places, and a solo album, Terror Management. 2020 brought Brass, a collaborative album with Moor Mother. Woods released Aethiopes and Church in 2022. On May 5th 2023 Woods released Maps , second collaborative album with producer Kenny Segal.
Cheap Shoes
Billy Woods Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
Flatfeet knock looking for Billy
My voice switch, Uncle Quilly
Be in the can eating canned chili
Out the can
Canned laugh as he mash past Philly
Gas mask, how the gas so illy?
Hash got me like, they might kill me
(They might really)
Off the rack suit, Hazmat
Suitcase full of brass tacks
Job interview might coulda had a laugh track
Must've smelled a rat, or the Gorilla Glue
Cheap shoes
Either way Jack, the position's nigga-proofed
Necklace cobra tooth
Shell casings like bric-a-brac
Otherwise place is like new
Winnie the Pooh half nude
Fingers in the honeypot
Not to be lewd, police sketch crude
River Styx booze cruise lose-lose
Wrinkled dress shirts at work
Three-quarter length jorts in court
Secondhand suicide vests
Fresh bomb threats locally sourced
Wrinkled dress shirts at work
Three-quarter length jorts in court
Secondhand suicide vests
Fresh bomb threats locally sourced
Wrinkled dress shirts at work
Three-quarter length jorts in court
Secondhand suicide vests
Fresh bomb threats locally sourced
Wrinkled dress shirts at work
Three-quarter length jorts in court
Secondhand suicide vests
Fresh bomb threats locally sourced
Guinea-Conakry warehouse fulla tall tees
Triple XL Sean John jeans
Shrink-wrapped Diplomats double CDs
Art direction Sudanese
Every penny squeezed, African Ebeneze
Rich as bone marrow, margins narrow
Draped in Renaissance apparel
Last laughs stashed by the barrel
Last gasp of a Pharaoh
Blot the sun with arrows
Read weed leaves like Tarot
Beat the case, Charles Darrow, Fire Burn!
Babylon brought marshmallow
Ras, your god is dead
Wings are tin, feet of lead
Childhood friends foreboding and dread
Hell's Gate under race car bed
Show & Tell, young Will had Medusa's head
Eyes rimmed red, hard day's night
False skin shed by full moon's light
Troglodyte cackle while he write, pipe alight
Spittoon fulla spite
Even whites admit he right
Riding by on Citibikes
It was all a 'cise so he could say "psych"
A hundred missed calls i'm onto y'all tryna
Co-ordinate drone strikes
No way your call has been forwarded to an
Automated voice messaging system 9-1-7-2-8
Not answering
Wrinkled dress shirts at work
Three-quarter length jorts in court
Secondhand suicide vests
Fresh bomb threats locally sourced
Wrinkled dress shirts at work
Three-quarter length jorts in court
Secondhand suicide vests
Fresh bomb threats locally sourced
Wrinkled dress shirts at work
Three-quarter length jorts in court
Secondhand suicide vests
Fresh bomb threats locally sourced
Wrinkled dress shirts at work
Three-quarter length jorts in court
Secondhand suicide vests
Fresh bomb threats locally sourced
Wrinkled dress shirts at work
Three-quarter length jorts in court
Secondhand suicide vests
Fresh bomb threats locally sourced
Wrinkled dress shirts at work
Three-quarter length jorts in court
Secondhand suicide vests
Fresh bomb threats locally sourced
Wrinkled dress shirts at work
Three-quarter length jorts in court
Secondhand suicide vests
Fresh bomb threats locally sourced
Wrinkled dress shirts at work
Three-quarter length jorts in court
Secondhand suicide vests
Fresh bomb threats locally sourced
The lyrics to Billy Woods's song "Cheap Shoes" convey a sense of desperation and struggle in the face of societal and personal challenges. The opening lines, "Ankle sock, ashy Achilles, Flatfeet knock looking for Billy," depict the physical discomfort and weariness of the singer, who is searching for a way out of his current situation. The switch in voice to "Uncle Quilly" suggests a shift in perspective or alternate personality, possibly as a coping mechanism. The reference to eating canned chili in the can portrays a sense of isolation and confinement. The following lines, "Out the can, Canned laugh as he mash past Philly, Gas mask, how the gas so illy?" suggest a detached and surreal experience, where laughter is ironic and gas masks are necessary for survival.
The lyrics continue with references to clothing and appearances, such as the "off the rack suit" and "wrinkled dress shirts at work." These descriptions highlight the singer's lack of financial stability and the struggles associated with finding and maintaining employment. The mention of "cheap shoes" is symbolic of the singer's inability to escape their current circumstances and the "nigga-proofed" position indicates systemic oppression and barriers to progress. The repetition of lines, such as "Wrinkled dress shirts at work, Three-quarter length jorts in court," emphasizes the cycle of struggle and adversity that the singer faces in various aspects of life.
Throughout the song, there are also references to violence, threats, and social unrest. The lines, "Secondhand suicide vests, Fresh bomb threats locally sourced," paint a grim picture of a society plagued by violence and instability. These references may serve as a commentary on the current state of the world and the constant fear and anxiety that many people endure.
Overall, "Cheap Shoes" explores themes of poverty, resilience, and societal inequalities. It portrays a gritty and chaotic world where individuals struggle to navigate their circumstances and find a way to transcend their limitations.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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