Empire
Bomb The Bass Ft. Sinead O'connor & Benjamin Zephaniah Lyrics


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A duet with benjamin zephaniah
Done on bob the bass' album "clear"

I'm looking at your soul, your soul, your soul, your soul
I'm looking at your future, your future, future, future
As I look into your eyes, these eyes, these eyes, these eyes
I see another side, side, side, side
Vampire, you're feed on the life of a pure heart
Vampire you suck the life of goodness
Vampire, you're feed on the life of a pure heart
Vampire you suck the life of goodness

Turn the lights on
Let the lights shine bright
Turn the lights on
Let the lights shine bright

You've got to feel yourself and let go
You got to know you reap what you sown
You've got to feel something at sometime

Check the writings on the wall
And look into the sight
You're spending all your money on gear that never work
You're wasting all your energy and everywhere it hurts
God it really hurts
Yes it really hurts
You got to know yourself

Vampire, you're feed on the life of a pure heart
Vampire, you suck the life of goodness
Yes
Vampire, you're feed on the life of a pure heart
Vampire you suck the life of goodness

From now on I'll call you england
From now on I'll call you england
From now on I'll call you england
From now on I'll call you england

See if you spit in the sky
It will fall in your eye
You see what goes up must come down
You will die looking up if you're not looking in
You've got to know yourself

I'm looking at your partners and they would never agree
I'm looking for your justice and it can not be seen
I'm checking where you're coming from and where you're going to
I'm checking all off what you have done to see what you can do
I'm looking at your lawbooks and they were never read
I'm looking at your lovesquire and they can not be thread
I'm looking at your empire living on the drears
You've got to know yourself

Vampire, you're feed on the life of a pure heart
Vampire, you suck the life of goodness
Yes
Vampire, you're feed on the life of a pure heart
Vampire you suck the life of goodness

From now on I'll call you england
Empire fall man, empire go
From now on I'll call you england
There's a lesson to be learned
Why is it that, you must know
From now on I'll call you england
And the rich that you eat is more like food that you fear
From now on I'll call you england
Gotta see no love anyway you appear
From now on I'll call you england
You've got to know yourself




From now on I'll call you england
You've got to know yourself

Overall Meaning

The song "Empire" by Bomb the Bass featuring Sinéad O'Connor and Benjamin Zephaniah is a powerful and thought-provoking commentary on the destructive effects of empire-building and the need for self-knowledge and self-awareness. The lyrics are spoken from the perspective of someone looking into the soul of an empire, calling it out for its vampiric tendencies and its exploitation of the pure-hearted and good. The message is clear: those who build empires by feeding on the lifeblood of others will ultimately fall and must come face to face with themselves.


The repeated refrain of "From now on I'll call you England" is a direct call-out to the UK, which has a long history of empire-building and colonialism. The lyrics reference the lawbooks that were never read, the lovesquire that cannot be thread, and the dreary empire that the UK has built on the backs of others. The song explains that the rich that the empire eats is more like food that it fears, and emphasizes the need for self-knowledge and self-examination as a way to prevent further destruction and exploitation.


Ultimately, "Empire" is a warning against the dangers of building empires and the need for self-awareness and self-knowledge. The repeated refrain serves as a reminder and a call to action, urging listeners to examine their own lives, their own actions, and their own intentions in order to avoid becoming the very thing that they fear.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm looking at your soul, your soul, your soul, your soul
I'm peering into the essence of who you are


I'm looking at your future, your future, future, future
I see what lies ahead for you


As I look into your eyes, these eyes, these eyes, these eyes
Through your eyes, I see into you


I see another side, side, side, side
There is another aspect of your character I perceive


Vampire, you're feed on the life of a pure heart
You embody the persona of a being who subsists on innocent souls


Vampire you suck the life of goodness
You consume any goodness from those you encounter


Turn the lights on
Illuminate the world


Let the lights shine bright
Enable positivity and hope to pervade


You've got to feel yourself and let go
You need to examine your emotions, allowing yourself to free your mind


You got to know you reap what you sown
Acknowledge that the repercussions of your actions are inevitable


You've got to feel something at sometime
It's crucial to experience emotions at some point


Check the writings on the wall
Assess the state of things to come


And look into the sight
Contemplate the future


You're spending all your money on gear that never work
You waste your resources on frivolous items that lack efficacy


You're wasting all your energy and everywhere it hurts
You expend all your effort and energy with no palpable gain


God it really hurts
It is genuinely painful


Yes it really hurts
Truly, it causes pain


You got to know yourself
It's important to have a deep understanding of oneself


From now on I'll call you england
I will henceforth refer to you as England


See if you spit in the sky
Imagine if you spit in the sky


It will fall in your eye
The result would be that it lands in your eye


You see what goes up must come down
Any action one takes will have equal and opposite reactions


You will die looking up if you're not looking in
An aimless and unexamined life will lead to disappointment


And the rich that you eat is more like food that you fear
The wealthy that you consume is more ominous than nourishing


Gotta see no love anyway you appear
There's no love to be found regardless of your appearance or intentions


Empire fall man, empire go
Empires rise and crumble


There's a lesson to be learned
There is a moral to be comprehended


Why is it that, you must know
Reflect on the cause and reason


You've got to know yourself
It's imperative to understand oneself




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah, Sinead O'Connor, Tim Simenon

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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