North By Northwest
Blue Scholars Lyrics

Live from occupied Duwamish territory
The singer is reporting from the occupied land of the Duwamish people.

Where Carlos Bulosan once lived to tell the story
Carlos Bulosan lived here and wrote about the struggle of the Filipino-American community.

Of the brain, sweat, and glory of mic checks and men
The people here work hard to make their music and get their message across.

Who fight the destination we were destined to end
They are fighting against the predetermined outcome that society has set for them.

Left the writing on the walls in the halls of the Nippon Kan
The artist left a message on the walls of the Nippon Kan building.

Others transform, majority Decepticons
Most of society conforms to the norm and is deceptive.

But my conception of the Walkman's rotation,
The singer has a particular way of listening to music on their Walkman.

Is you live in the upper left you've got to have patience
Living in the Northwest requires patience.

Cause ain't no urban radio stations about to play us
Their music is unlikely to be played on mainstream radio stations.

Unless you sign the dotted and make your songs brainless
To get played on mainstream radio, you need to dumb down your music and lyrics.

While you waitin' for the mention in the pages of "The Stranger"
They are waiting for recognition in a local news publication.

You can find me in the basement makin' heaters for later
The artist is making music in their basement that will be popular later on.

And yes, we all need a little paper to strive
Everyone needs money to survive.

But the monsters in your town will put a limp in your stride
The negative aspects of society can hinder your progress and success.

I exhibit all the time like I'm pimpin' your ride
The singer consistently puts in effort and is successful, as though they are customizing a car.

And we've been living in conditions we're tired of
They are tired of the societal conditions they are living in.

Come on and rise up
They urge their audience to rise up against injustice and oppression.

Two Scholars rock fresh, North by Northwest
The Blue Scholars are producing fresh music from the Northwest region.

And it's still no rest 'cause we're not finished yet
They are still working hard and not resting because they have more work to do.

We're broke, but not broken
They may not have financial wealth, but they still have strength and resilience.

Cold, but not frozen
They are experiencing hardship, but are not completely immobilized.

Lost but not forgotten, we're kickin' the doors open
They haven't given up, and are still trying to make a difference.

Nine eight double-one eight, the alphabetically 2nd to last state [changed in live version to 4th]
The state of Washington is the 2nd to last in alphabetical order.

Never finished in last place
Washington has never been dead last in a competition.

Like the Mariners for 3 years straight
The Seattle Mariners baseball team had a losing streak for three years.

From prescriptions we administer the medicine
Their music is the medicine that helps heal societal issues.

For people still afflicted with acute two-oh-sickness
The singer is referring to the societal issues that plague the early 2000s (i.e Two-Oh-sickness).

We exist between the gold and the green
They exist between the financial power of gold and the environmental power of green.

I paint the soul of the scene
The artist portrays the heart and soul of the region through their music.

Under towers of power, dodging the over Over-fiend daily
They navigate through the oppressive power structures in society that aim to destroy their message.

Causing bones to decay, they say is so far away
The negative consequences of societal conditions are often ignored or treated as though they are far away.

Couldn't possibly make it, I seen modesty fade
People begin to lose their modesty as they become more successful.

And awful lot of hate, but none of which was said to my face
There is a lot of hatred towards the artist, but no one is willing to say it to their face.

I confide inside, my son, but with a fire made of purple
The artist has a deep inner strength and passion that they pass on to others.

I'm a writer for the art, I keep it sharpened with rehearsal
The singer is a writer who practices and hones their craft.

The worst is when they mark us to target a market that we're not even a part of
The worst is when society tries to target them for a market that they don't belong to.

If your CD's in Target it means you got distribution, but we still pushin' units
Even though their music isn't sold at mainstream stores like Target, they are still able to sell plenty of copies on their own.

With our own two homegrown since youth
They have been making music from their own roots and experiences since they were young.

Thought you knew
They are expressing that they hope their audience understands and agrees with their message.

And they say desegregation was a big step forward
Society claims that desegregation was a positive step forward.

But integration only covered up a rotten core
Integration didn't solve the underlying issues and inequalities present in society.

The surface might've changed but the cauldron is still hot
Surface-level changes may have occurred, but the underlying problems are still present and prevalent.

Now we more politically correct with less real talk
Society is more focused on being politically correct than having honest and authentic conversations.

They say we liberal but literally not
Even though they are labeled as liberals, they don't entirely align with the liberal political stance.

When the cops bend us over while upholding the law
The police abuse their power while also enforcing the law.

Despite the sight of coffee shops on every single block
Even though the area seems trendy and gentrified, issues still persist.

Nearby its supply and demand for the rock
Drug issues and addiction are present in the area.

It's two types of crack, one legal, one felonious
There are two types of drugs, one legal and one illegal, that are affecting the community.

The lumpenprole push keys like Thelonious
Low-income people are selling drugs (pushing keys) like jazz pianist Thelonious Monk played keys on a piano.

The corporation pushing blood with the beans
Major corporations are ignoring ethical issues and exploiting workers in their supply chain.

I heard people moving up here for the love of the green
People are moving to the Northwest for money and financial success.

New homes, new stores, still a hood underneath
Even with new developments, the underlying poverty and issues of the community still exist.

No good how we chilling in the gut of the beast
They are living in the midst of the oppressive and negative aspects of society.

A national question, with no answer in the least
There is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed on a national level, but there is no clear solution.

It's no restin' ‘til the cancer meets defeat
They will not stop working until society's ill effects have been defeated.