Billy pokes fun at the younger audience, telling them to do their thing. He’ll still be here aiming his sights directly at them proving that he still can school even the most up-to-date youth. He doesn’t mind being overlooked by the younger generations who think they’re the hottest thing out. Or maybe, he’s just the crazy one.
All of this is one big reference to the game Duck Hunt as he talks about the youth being the birds in the game “spreading their wings”. He’s still aiming the game’s gun at Magnavox, an older electronic company, shooting the birds down.
- via Masterphonkk and ScopeY on Genius Annotations
Duck Hunt
Billy Woods Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Laser beams, lucid dreams
Even the wiliest fiends find
Theyselves losing steam
Chasing hit's, Barry Bonds
Those high scores only last so long
8 bit's in the cartridge, 16 in the P
Yeah, it comes with the game but
The kid talk about pussy like
He trying to convince me g'head dog
I see how close you and your niggas be
Self-described pretty G's with fly
Bitches on they tweets but me?
I'll Delonte West your Old Earth
And still keep it discreet
Duke, your whole style is wash, rinse, repeat
I bet your A&R knew he struck
Gold with that easy listening
Middle of the road and to all you rapping
Christians on a mission
I'm happy to lighten that load
You'll stumble out the jungle
Twenty pounds lighter
Wild eyed like a white man
After twenty days on Rikers
Tell em our pupils was red, skin black
Rhyming brutal back of the izakaya
Sapporo tallboy with my Ramen noodle
Either I'm seeing y'alls wires or
This strain is that crucial
A lot of shit old people got to say
Really ain't that useful
So don't mind me youngin', do you
Spread your wings i'mma be right up on that
Magnavox clappin' that thing
They shootin' at the screen
Laser beams, lucid dreams
Even the wiliest fiends find
Theyselves losing steam
Chasing hit's, Barry Bonds
Those high scores only last so long
8 bit's in the cartridge, 16 in the P
Yeah, it comes with the game but
Ain't a damn thing free
To everyone I loved
To everyone who fronted me drugs
To all y'all who still
Frontin' and fake friends
Who left me for dead in the mud salud!
May you each get exactly what you deserve
Had a speech prepared chock full
Of them SAT words
But on second thought, fuck it
Two tears in a bucket about sums it
A tisket, a tasket
Black Robert Baden Powell
Never caught without the ratchet
Grass like Wimbledon, wood racquet
Rap like a simpleton, see new tax bracket
So-called goons
Turns out they schools was magnet
Masters of masquerade masked up, all
The worlds a stage, Director's cut
Faster blade, hunting ducks
Both barrels spray
They stuttering "best of luck"
On your last day
Last check cut bout 3 weeks before
Your health insurance fly away smarten up
Hulk gray or find yourself in
The hole like Special K pimpers Paradise
Nigga my mic sounds nice and from the jump
I bet my life
Pocket collapsing, it's the recession
Nobody's buying the playaction
We don't believe you like
The government in Mogadishu
You need more factions
They shootin' at the screen
Laser beams, lucid dreams
Even the wiliest fiends find
Theyselves losing steam
Chasing hit's, Barry Bonds
Those high scores only last so long
8 bit's in the cartridge, 16 in the P
Yeah, it comes with the game but
Ain't a damn thing free
The song "Duck Hunt" by Billy Woods opens with a reference to the classic video game of the same name. The lyrics "They shootin' at the screen, Laser beams, lucid dreams" paint a picture of the player in the game, firing their virtual gun at ducks on the screen, lost in the fantasy world created by the game. The lines "Even the wiliest fiends find, Theyselves losing steam" suggest that the game can be all-consuming and can lead to exhaustion, even for those who are skilled.
The second verse is a commentary on the rap industry and the ways in which it can be a source of false bravado and empty posturing. The line "Self-described pretty G's with fly, Bitches on they tweets" mocks rappers who brag about their connections with attractive women on social media. The following lines "I'll Delonte West your Old Earth, And still keep it discreet" refer to the rumor that NBA player Delonte West had an affair with LeBron James's mother and suggest that the singer could engage in similarly scandalous behavior without anyone finding out.
The final verse is a critique of the capitalist system and the ways in which it can leave individuals abandoned and alone. Woods references "the recession" and the fact that people are struggling to make ends meet. The lines "Last check cut bout 3 weeks before, Your health insurance fly away smarten up" imply that people are losing their jobs and healthcare and are left to fend for themselves. The repeated chorus "They shootin' at the screen, Laser beams, lucid dreams" reinforces the idea that many people are living in a virtual world, distracted from the harsh realities of life.
Line by Line Meaning
They shootin' at the screen
The obsession with video games is leading to a loss of focus and reality, as people become addicted to the competition of shooting on-screen targets.
Laser beams, lucid dreams
The gaming world provides a false sense of excitement and escapism, with players losing themselves in the illusions of the digital world.
Even the wiliest fiends find
Theyselves losing steam
Even the most dedicated players will eventually tire of the chase for high scores and virtual achievements.
Chasing hit's, Barry Bonds
Those high scores only last so long
The satisfaction of achieving high scores is fleeting, and ultimately has no real-world value or meaning.
8 bit's in the cartridge, 16 in the P
Yeah, it comes with the game but
Ain't a damn thing free
The technology behind gaming may evolve, but the underlying addiction and cost of gaming remains unchanged.
The kid talk about pussy like
He trying to convince me g'head dog
I see how close you and your niggas be
The rapper criticizes the excessive sexual talk and bravado of young men, while also observing how it serves to bond them together.
Self-described pretty G's with fly
Bitches on they tweets but me?
I'll Delonte West your Old Earth
And still keep it discreet
The rapper deems the self-proclaimed 'gangsters' as insincere, while also referencing an infamous incident in which a basketball player had a secret affair with another player's mother.
Duke, your whole style is wash, rinse, repeat
I bet your A&R knew he struck
Gold with that easy listening
Middle of the road and to all you rapping
Christians on a mission
I'm happy to lighten that load
The rapper criticizes the derivative and formulaic nature of mainstream rap music, and praises his own unique style as a welcome change.
You'll stumble out the jungle
Twenty pounds lighter
Wild eyed like a white man
After twenty days on Rikers
The rapper describes the harshness of his lyrics as a metaphorical jungle which people must traverse, with survivors emerging exhausted and changed by the experience.
Tell em our pupils was red, skin black
Rhyming brutal back of the izakaya
Sapporo tallboy with my Ramen noodle
Either I'm seeing y'alls wires or
This strain is that crucial
The rapper describes the intensity of his creative process, which requires him to immerse himself in a world of drugs, alcohol, and raw emotion in order to produce meaningful and impactful lyrics.
A lot of shit old people got to say
Really ain't that useful
So don't mind me youngin', do you
Spread your wings i'mma be right up on that
Magnavox clappin' that thing
The rapper encourages young people to ignore the criticism of older generations and to pursue their own passions, while also expressing his own love for gaming and the sense of competition and adrenaline it provides.
To everyone I loved
To everyone who fronted me drugs
To all y'all who still
Frontin' and fake friends
Who left me for dead in the mud salud!
The rapper reflects on the people in his life who have both supported and betrayed, and wishes them all well while also expressing a bitter resentment towards those who have wronged him.
May you each get exactly what you deserve
Had a speech prepared chock full
Of them SAT words
But on second thought, fuck it
Two tears in a bucket about sums it
A tisket, a tasket
Black Robert Baden Powell
Never caught without the ratchet
Grass like Wimbledon, wood racquet
The rapper expresses his distaste for empty verbosity and instead opts for a simple message - that people will receive what they deserve based on their actions.
Rap like a simpleton, see new tax bracket
So-called goons
Turns out they schools was magnet
Masters of masquerade masked up, all
The worlds a stage, Director's cut
Faster blade, hunting ducks
The rapper reflects on his own success and how it has necessitated a simpler style in order to reach a wider audience, while also pointing out the falseness of many of his competitors and the masquerade they put on to appeal to their fans.
Both barrels spray
They stuttering "best of luck"
On your last day
Last check cut bout 3 weeks before
Your health insurance fly away smarten up
Hulk gray or find yourself in
The hole like Special K pimpers Paradise
The rapper comments on the precarious nature of the music industry and how artists are often one misstep away from total financial ruin and a loss of security.
Nigga my mic sounds nice and from the jump
I bet my life
Pocket collapsing, it's the recession
Nobody's buying the playaction
We don't believe you like
The government in Mogadishu
You need more factions
The rapper boasts of his microphone skills and laments the difficulties and challenges of the music industry, calling out the insincerity of other artists and the need for greater diversity and authenticity in the industry.
They shootin' at the screen
Laser beams, lucid dreams
Even the wiliest fiends find
Theyselves losing steam
Chasing hit's, Barry Bonds
Those high scores only last so long
8 bit's in the cartridge, 16 in the P
Yeah, it comes with the game but
Ain't a damn thing free
The chorus repeats previous themes of gaming addiction and the false sense of achievement, while also warning that everything in life has a cost and nothing is truly free.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
knuck ckles
I heard this when it first dropped and now looking back I realize how blessed I was.
P D
Going back through this guy's backlog is such a blessing
Steven Kelly
Been listening to History Will Absolve Me for over a year now, STILL bumping it! Dour Candy is dope too; one of the best MC's in the game period!
Harman Smith
Man, I wish Billy Woods had more videos. He seems like an artist that would and should. Aside from Death Grips, the cornel west theory, and a few others. These visuals go unmatched.
Nick Newman
one of the best songs ever made
Damagedone56
i recently just found out about billy now im a fan for life
Mist Brewer
Is this still true?
Justin A
woods music ages as well as anyone's!
ea
This reminds me a lot of "The Overly Dramatic Truth" by El-P. With that being said; I love it.
Quentin Sands IV
Damn. It's been nine years since this dropped. I've been a fan of Billy since hearing him on Vordul Mega's "Megagraphitti".