Cal Scruby is a 23-year-old product of Cincinnati, OH and the Ohio State Un… Read Full Bio ↴Cal Scruby is a 23-year-old product of Cincinnati, OH and the Ohio State University. Much of his childhood was spent in the small town of Londen, OH surrounded by a close-knit group of family and friends. Cal's interest in hip-hop grew from an early age until he started making music in 2011. His music covers the aspects of his young adult lifestyle, often using wordplay that references sports and pop-culture. With each project, he focuses on personal and artistic progression. Unsigned, released May 21st, 2019, was his first album since ditching his record label Riveting Music.

Smoke and Mirrors
Cal Scruby Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

By 25, I wanna have an Aston
So I can hit the gas, 150 on the dash and prolly crash but fuck it

V1
I promise it’s harder than I make it look, don’t try this at home
I don’t think you understand the level I be on
Sitting at the corner table drinking DeLeon
Tequila, sativa; oh my God I’m in my zone

I want that new Lamborghini, I want that Ferrari
I still want that Aston Martin, I have not forgot it
Lately I’ve been rapping like it’s all about the money
I can’t have no fun without the funds, I think it’s funny
That they tell me that I changed like I should be offended
That’s progression, I get better and you can’t prevent it
Tryna give my best impression of somebody paying attention
I ain’t listen to your bullshit, I’ma stop pretending; who’m I kidding?
I ain’t give a fuck since I was 21 and broke
And alone, old girl told me all I do is smoke
Yeah I know, used to tell me all my rapping was a joke
Now she buying tickets to my shows

HOOK (x2)
Lately I’ve been rapping like it’s all about the money
I can’t have no fun without the funds, I think it’s funny (yeah)
I want that new Lamborghini, I want that Ferrari
I still want that Aston Martin, I have not forgot it (nah)

V2
I promise it’s harder than I make it look, you don’t see me hurting
Got a lot of pain I gotta carry on my person
Sitting in the studio alone, I’m putting work in
Hour after hour, flipping shit until it’s perfect
I want two new Lamborghinis, I want two Ferraris
First I’ll get that Aston Martin, pass on that Bugatti
It won’t be about the price, it’s more about the body
You gon’ have to apologize, I promise you’ll be sorry
That you ever said I changed and meant to be offensive
Talk is cheap, what you say to me ain’t that expensive
You gave me that impression you ain’t really paying attention
So I gave you all this bullshit, knew you wouldn’t listen; who’m I kidding?
I’ve been tryna give you what you want, what you want?
I know I can say whatever, you gon’ hate no matter what
Even if I find a fuck to give, I’m not gon’ give it up
Fuck it, I want that Bugatti, I’ma stunt

HOOK

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Cal Scruby's song "Smoke and Mirrors" express his aspirations and desires for luxury and success. He wants to own an Aston Martin by the age of 25, and he doesn't care if he crashes it while driving at 150 mph. He talks about his level of success, and how it's not as easy as he makes it look. He spends his time drinking DeLeon tequila and smoking weed, which puts him in the zone to rap about his goals of owning a Lamborghini, Ferrari, and two Lamborghinis. He used to be broke but now people attend his shows and his ex-girlfriend who once thought of his rapping as a joke is now buying tickets to see him perform.

In the second verse, he reiterates that his level of success isn't easy, and he has to deal with personal pain. He spends his time in the studio working on his craft, hour after hour until it's perfect. He now wants to own two Lamborghinis, two Ferraris, and a Bugatti. He does not care about the price of these cars, but more about the cars' aesthetics. Although people tell him that he has changed, he insists that he's just progressing, and people are being offended because they can't keep up. He ends the song with an expression of his desire for a Bugatti, and he will stunt with it, no matter what people say.

Line by Line Meaning

By 25, I wanna have an Aston
I want to own an Aston Martin car by the age of 25 and drive it at 150 mph and maybe crash it, but I don't care.

I promise it’s harder than I make it look, don’t try this at home
This lifestyle I'm living is harder than it looks, so don't try to copy me.

I don’t think you understand the level I be on
You don't understand the level of success I have achieved.

Sitting at the corner table drinking DeLeon. Tequila, sativa; oh my God I’m in my zone
I'm sitting at a table drinking DeLeon tequila and smoking sativa weed, feeling completely relaxed and in the zone.

I want that new Lamborghini, I want that Ferrari. I still want that Aston Martin, I have not forgot it
I still want all these expensive cars, and I haven't forgotten about the Aston Martin.

Lately I’ve been rapping like it’s all about the money. I can’t have no fun without the funds, I think it’s funny
Recently, I've been rapping about money because I can't have fun without it, which I find amusing.

That they tell me that I changed like I should be offended. That’s progression, I get better and you can’t prevent it
People say I've changed, but I see it as progress, and no one can stop me from getting better.

Tryna give my best impression of somebody paying attention
I'm trying my best to look like I'm paying attention to someone, but I'm really not.

I ain’t give a fuck since I was 21 and broke. And alone, old girl told me all I do is smoke
I stopped caring about what people think of me when I was 21 and broke, and when I was alone, a girl told me all I did was smoke.

Yeah I know, used to tell me all my rapping was a joke. Now she buying tickets to my shows
That same girl who used to make fun of my rapping now buys tickets to my shows.

I promise it’s harder than I make it look, you don’t see me hurting
It's harder than it looks, and you don't see my pain.

Got a lot of pain I gotta carry on my person. Sitting in the studio alone, I’m putting work in
I have a lot of emotional pain, but I'm still putting in work in the studio by myself.

You gon’ have to apologize, I promise you’ll be sorry
You will have to apologize to me, and I promise you will regret what you said.

Talk is cheap, what you say to me ain’t that expensive
What you say isn't valuable or meaningful to me.

So I gave you all this bullshit, knew you wouldn’t listen; who’m I kidding?
I'm giving you nonsense because I know you won't listen to anything I say anyway.

I know I can say whatever, you gon’ hate no matter what
I know I can say anything, and you will hate it regardless.

Fuck it, I want that Bugatti, I’ma stunt
I don't care anymore, I want that Bugatti car and I'm going to show off.

Contributed by Connor L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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