The song samples “Sadness Theme” by Franco Micalizzi, “If You Only Had the Time” by Nova Local, and “Rhythm’s Dealer” by Ted Atking and His Orchestra.
The Mask
DANGERDOOM Lyrics
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Exit stage left with the cash, gone took it
Off like a koufi, the fit was a bit doofy
He tried to get screwy, with that "two for you,
One, two for me, G," cut the cranky attitude
Wet him like a handkerchief on a stanky fatter dude
Whether you's a rapper or dang sanger
Once you in the zone only one way out, like a gang banger
What set do he claim for fame, peep game
Just to keep feta and stay dip
You need it like a letter or better a getaway whip
This old things rusted, encrusted as the gold rings the old kings busted
Plan to end global starvation and fat her
Now what in tarnation did I go and do that fer?
Stuff happens, like gettin' snuffed for tough tit rappin'
See, I told 'em enough, quit yer yappin'
The same applied to any and all chumps
The only question he had for y'all is how many lumps?
Three or four? either or? mon cheri amour
See, why you need your heater for?
The super villain slid in your party for free
Warn a emcee, get outta here kid, you bother me!
The day I took my mask off my face was missin' for two days
For the record, G, came back a year later, whole new identity
Tony Starks pedigree, my money green like my nickname was celery
Who is Ghost who flashes toast, never wore sheets but bulletproof coats
Oh no! the fans cry for the mask back on
Told 'em "Ghost is dead, he'll return at the crack of dawn"
Few years from now, him and his pals before the Jetson-era arrived
He'll be back summertime, 2000 and 5, with a half a face iron
The other half water look like alien science
In the summertime, you can see the face boil
But the other side I keep blue with the Penzoil
Mad loyal, when the wintertime come, (what?)
I get stuck 'cause my brain all numb
Like I ate a thousand icee's and frozen Pepsi's
Aquaman's pops can't water-check me, disrespect me, indirectly
I seen his feet and they both lefty, he's steppin' half correctly
As I stroll the globe and terrorize the planet
With a Bill Clinton mask and them Playskool hammers
Me and DOOM, always be the best on the landin'
Superhero's for life, until our souls vanish
The lyrics to DANGERDOOM's song The Mask speak to the idea of identity, both in terms of the physical mask that the villainous character wears, and the metaphorical masks that people wear in their day-to-day lives. The character described in the song has his "head on straight," but his mask is "crooked" - suggesting that he may be hiding something behind his outward appearance. The lines "Off like a koufi, the fit was a bit doofy / He tried to get screwy, with that 'two for you, / One, two for me, G,' cut the cranky attitude" suggest that the character is perhaps not as suave or confident as he seems, and that he may be trying to overcompensate for this fact.
The character's motivations for wearing the mask are somewhat ambiguous - he is described as having stolen "the cash" and then disappearing with it, suggesting that he may be a criminal. However, he is also described as having a desire to "end global starvation and fatter" - suggesting that there may be more to his character than initially meets the eye. Ultimately, the lyrics suggest that identity is a complex and multifaceted concept, and that people often wear masks to hide their true selves from the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Head on straight, mask on crooked
I may look put together but to get by in this crazy world, I've got to be a little crooked.
Exit stage left with the cash, gone took it
I'm not one to stick around after I've made my fortune. I take the money and run.
Off like a koufi, the fit was a bit doofy
I may not always look cool, but it's what's underneath that counts.
He tried to get screwy, with that "two for you, One, two for me, G," cut the cranky attitude
Some people try to rip you off, but I won't stand for it. Cut the attitude or else!
Wet him like a handkerchief on a stanky fatter dude
If you mess with me, you're gonna get wet. Like really wet. And it's gonna be gross.
Whether you's a rapper or dang sanger
I don't care if you're a rapper or a singer, if you cross me, you're gonna regret it.
Once you in the zone only one way out, like a gang banger
Once you're involved with me, there's no going back. It's like being in a gang.
With a new crew keychain and street name
When you're with me, you get a new identity. A new keychain, a new name.
What set do he claim for fame, peep game
People want to know who I'm with and what I'm about. But I'm not telling.
Just to keep feta and stay dip
I'm just doing what I can to stay ahead and keep myself safe.
You need it like a letter or better a getaway whip
If you're gonna succeed in this game, you need a good escape plan. And a fast car wouldn't hurt either.
This old things rusted, encrusted as the gold rings the old kings busted
My equipment may be old and worn down, but it's still just as valuable as those old kings' gold rings.
Plan to end global starvation and fat her
I've got big plans to make a difference in this world. Starting with ending global starvation.
Now what in tarnation did I go and do that fer?
Sometimes I wonder why I even bother trying to save the world. It's a lot of work.
Stuff happens, like gettin' snuffed for tough tit rappin'
Sometimes things don't go the way I planned. Like when I get attacked for rapping too tough.
See, I told 'em enough, quit yer yappin'
I keep telling people to stop talking and start doing something. But they never listen.
The only question he had for y'all is how many lumps?
If you want to fight me, how many hits are you gonna take? One, two, three, or four?
Three or four? either or? mon cheri amour
I don't care how many hits you take, it's all the same to me. My love.
See, why you need your heater for?
Why do you need a gun to fight me? I don't need one.
The super villain slid in your party for free
I may be a super villain, but I can still get into parties for free.
Warn a emcee, get outta here kid, you bother me!
If you're a wannabe rapper, get out of here. You're just bothering me.
The day I took my mask off my face was missin' for two days
When I revealed my true self, I felt lost for a while.
For the record, G, came back a year later, whole new identity
But after a year, I reinvented myself and came back with a new identity.
Tony Starks pedigree, my money green like my nickname was celery
My background is strong, and my money is plentiful. Like really plentiful.
Who is Ghost who flashes toast, never wore sheets but bulletproof coats
Who is this Ghost character? He's always flashing his gun and wearing a bulletproof coat, but he's not some KKK member in a sheet.
Oh no! the fans cry for the mask back on
The fans want me to put my mask back on. They're not ready for my true self.
Told 'em "Ghost is dead, he'll return at the crack of dawn"
But I told them that Ghost is gone. He'll be back, but not for a while.
Few years from now, him and his pals before the Jetson-era arrived
In a few years, Ghost and his crew will be back. But they won't be from the future like the Jetsons.
He'll be back summertime, 2000 and 5, with a half a face iron
He'll be back in 2005 with a new face that's half iron.
The other half water look like alien science
The other half of his face will look like something out of this world.
In the summertime, you can see the face boil
In the summer, his face will actually boil. It's not pretty.
But the other side I keep blue with the Penzoil
But to keep him cool, he uses Penzoil. Strange, but it works.
Mad loyal, when the wintertime come, (what?)
Despite all this, Ghost is fiercely loyal. And when winter comes around, he's still here.
I get stuck 'cause my brain all numb
But in the winter, I get a little stuck. My brain doesn't work as well.
Like I ate a thousand icee's and frozen Pepsi's
It's like I ate a ton of icy drinks and my brain is frozen solid.
Aquaman's pops can't water-check me, disrespect me, indirectly
Even Aquaman's dad can't stop me. Don't disrespect me, even indirectly.
I seen his feet and they both lefty, he's steppin' half correctly
I saw Aquaman's dad's feet and they were both left. He's only stepping half-correctly.
As I stroll the globe and terrorize the planet
As I travel the world, I'm leaving my mark. And it's not always a good one.
With a Bill Clinton mask and them Playskool hammers
I'm doing it all with a Bill Clinton mask and toy hammers from Playskool. Because why not?
Me and DOOM, always be the best on the landin'
No matter what we do, me and DOOM will always be the best at it.
Superhero's for life, until our souls vanish
We may be villains, but we're still superheroes at heart. And we'll be that way until we die.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAKE FIELD, SANDI THOM, DUNCAN THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind