He formed Gnarls Barkley with Cee Lo Green and produced their albums St. Elsewhere and The Odd Couple. He produced the second Gorillaz album, 2005's Demon Days, as well as The Black Keys' acclaimed Attack & Release and Beck's 2008 record, Modern Guilt. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the Producer of the Year category. In addition, Burton worked with rapper MF DOOM as DANGERDOOM, and released the albums The Mouse and the Mask and Occult Hymn.
Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse present Dark Night of the Soul is his collaboration with Sparklehorse, David Lynch and a diverse cast of vocalists.
Broken Bells (formed in 2009) is his collaboration with James Mercer of the shins.
December 4th
Danger Mouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They say "they never really miss you til you dead or you gone"
So on that note i'm leaving after the song
So you ain't gotta feel no way about Jay so long
Atleast let me tell you why i'm this way, Hold on
I was conceived by Gloria Carter and Adaness Revees
Who made love under the Siccamore tree
Which makes me
At 10 pounds when i was born i didn't give her no pain
Although through the years i gave her her fair share
I gave her her first real scare
I made it from birth and i got here
She knows my purpose wasn't purpose
I ain't perfect i care
But i feel worthless cause my shirts wasn't matchin my gear
Now i'm just scratchin the surface cause what's burried under there
Was a kid torn apart once his pop disappeared
I went to school got good grades could behave when i wanted
But i had demons deep inside that would raise when confronted
Hold on
[Jay-Z's Mom:]
Shawn was a very shy child growing up
He was into sports
And a funny story is
At 4 he taught hisself how to ride a bike
A two wheeler at that
Isn't that special?
But, i noticed a chance in him when me and my husband broke up
[Jay-Z Verse 2]
Now all the teachers couldn't reach me
And my momma couldn't beat me
Hard enough to match the pain of my pops not seeing me, SO
With that distain in my membrain
Got on my pimp game
Fuck the world my defense came
Then Dahaven introuced me to the game
Spanish Jose introduced me to cane
I'm a hustler now
My gear is in and i'm in the in crowd
And all the wavey light skinned girls is lovin me now
My self esteem went through the roof man i got my swag
Got a volvo from this girl when her man got bagged
Plus i hit my momma with cash from a show that i had
Supposedly knowin nobody paid Jaz wack ass
I'm geting ahead of myself, by the way, i could rap
That came second to me movin this crack
Gimme a second i swear
I will say about my rap career
Til 96 came niggas i'm here
Good-bye
[Jay-Z's Mom:]
Shawn use to be in the kitchen
Beating on the table and rapping
And um, until the wee hours of the morning
And then i bought him a boom box
And his sisters and brothers said he would drive them nuts
But that was my way to keep him close to me and out of trouble
[Jay-Z Verse 3]
Good-bye to the game all the spoils, the adreneline rush
Your blood boils you in a spot knowing cops could rush
And you in a drop your so easy to touch
No two days are alike
Except the first and fifteenth pretty much
And "trust" is a word you seldom hear from us
Hustlers we don't sleep we rest one eye up
And the drought to find a man when the well dries up
You learn to work the water without workin thirst til die YUP
And niggas get tied up for product
And little brothers ring fingers get cut up
To show mothers they really got em
And this was the stress i live with til i decided
To try this rap shit for a livin
I Pray i'm forgiven
For every bad decision i made
Every sister i played
Cause i'm still paranoid to this day
And it's nobody fault i made the decisions i made
This is the life i chose or rather the life that chose me
If you can't respect that your whole perspective is wack
Maybe you'll love me when i fade to black
If you can't respect that your whole perspective is wack
Maybe you'll love me when i fade to black
[repeat 2 more times to fade]
The song December 4th is a deeply personal and introspective track by rapper Jay-Z. The opening lines, "They say 'they never really miss you til you dead or you gone'" set the tone for the rest of the song, which serves as a retrospective on Jay-Z's life and career. He speaks about his family history, his childhood, and the pain he felt when his father left him. He reveals the struggles he faced growing up in Brooklyn, including being involved in drug dealing, which ultimately led him to a career in the music industry as a rapper. Throughout the song, Jay-Z raps about his inner demons and the insecurities that followed him through his life. Ultimately, he reflects on his past mistakes and attempts to reconcile with himself and his decisions.
Line by Line Meaning
They say "they never really miss you til you dead or you gone"
People often fail to appreciate someone until they are gone or no longer present.
So on that note i'm leaving after the song
Jay-Z is leaving, possibly retiring, after this song.
So you ain't gotta feel no way about Jay so long
People should not worry about Jay-Z's departure.
Atleast let me tell you why i'm this way, Hold on
Jay-Z wants to explain the reasons why he is the way he is.
I was conceived by Gloria Carter and Adaness Revees
Jay-Z was born to Gloria Carter and Adaness Revees.
Who made love under the Siccamore tree
Jay-Z's parents conceived him under a Siccamore tree.
Which makes me
This event contributed to Jay-Z's birth and ultimately who he is as a person.
A more sicker emcee my momma would claim
Jay-Z's mother would consider him an even better rapper due to this fact.
At 10 pounds when i was born i didn't give her no pain
Jay-Z was born at a healthy weight and did not cause his mother any pain during childbirth.
Although through the years i gave her her fair share
Jay-Z acknowledges that he has caused his mother some stress and worry over the years.
I gave her her first real scare
Jay-Z caused his mother to worry for the first time when he was born.
I made it from birth and i got here
Jay-Z has been able to succeed in life since the day he was born.
She knows my purpose wasn't purpose
Jay-Z's mother knows that his journey in life had many ups and downs.
I ain't perfect i care
Jay-Z may not be perfect, but he cares about his family and fans.
But i feel worthless cause my shirts wasn't matchin my gear
Jay-Z may feel worthless because his clothes don't match, which affects his self-esteem.
Now i'm just scratchin the surface cause what's burried under there
Jay-Z has only revealed a small part of his true self, and there is much more to uncover.
Was a kid torn apart once his pop disappeared
Jay-Z suffered after his father left, and it affected him greatly.
I went to school got good grades could behave when i wanted
Jay-Z was a good student and could behave well when he needed to.
But i had demons deep inside that would raise when confronted
Jay-Z had personal struggles and demons that would come out when he felt threatened.
Shawn was a very shy child growing up
According to Jay-Z's mother, Shawn was a shy child when he was young.
He was into sports
Jay-Z enjoyed sports during his childhood.
And a funny story is
Jay-Z's mother wants to share a humorous anecdote about his childhood.
At 4 he taught hisself how to ride a bike
Jay-Z learned how to ride a bike by himself when he was only 4 years old.
A two wheeler at that
Jay-Z learned to ride a two-wheeled bike on his own.
Isn't that special?
Jay-Z's mother thinks it's special that her son learned how to ride a bike at such a young age.
But, i noticed a chance in him when me and my husband broke up
Jay-Z's parents' separation affected him and changed him in some way.
Now all the teachers couldn't reach me
Jay-Z became unreachable for teachers and authority figures during his adolescent years.
And my momma couldn't beat me
Jay-Z's mother could not discipline him enough to reach him during his troubled years.
Hard enough to match the pain of my pops not seeing me, SO
Jay-Z's father not being present was a source of pain for him, and his mother's punishments did not compare to that pain.
With that distain in my membrain
Jay-Z had a deep-seated bitterness and resentment in his mind.
Got on my pimp game
Jay-Z turned to the streets for solace, money, and power.
Fuck the world my defense came
Jay-Z became defensive towards the world and didn't trust anyone.
Then Dahaven introuced me to the game
Dahaven introduced Jay-Z to the street life, which provided him with a sense of belonging.
Spanish Jose introduced me to cane
Jay-Z was introduced to dealing cocaine by his friend Spanish Jose.
I'm a hustler now
Jay-Z is now a full-blown hustler who deals drugs to find success and money.
My gear is in and i'm in the in crowd
Jay-Z's style and gear are now trendy, and he is part of the popular crowd.
And all the wavey light skinned girls is lovin me now
Many beautiful light-skinned women are attracted to Jay-Z now that he is successful and living the high life.
My self esteem went through the roof man i got my swag
Jay-Z's confidence and self-esteem have skyrocketed due to his success and newfound popularity.
Got a volvo from this girl when her man got bagged
Jay-Z received a car as a gift from a girl when her boyfriend was jailed, possibly from drug dealing involvement.
Plus i hit my momma with cash from a show that i had
Jay-Z is making enough money that he can give some to his mother as a gift.
Supposedly knowin nobody paid Jaz wack ass
Jay-Z claims that he is so successful that he can afford to give away money, a diss aimed at fellow rapper Jaz-O.
I'm geting ahead of myself, by the way, i could rap
Jay-Z was already a good rapper before his drug dealing days.
That came second to me movin this crack
Drug dealing became more important to Jay-Z than his music career for a time.
Gimme a second i swear
Jay-Z needs a moment to reflect on his past struggles and how they led him to his current position.
I will say about my rap career
Jay-Z wants to talk about the success he has achieved in his rap career.
Til 96 came niggas i'm here
Jay-Z continued to be successful in his music career until 1996, when he had to start from scratch.
Good-bye
Jay-Z is saying goodbye, possibly to his fans, possibly retiring.
Your blood boils you in a spot knowing cops could rush
Drug dealers are constantly under stress because of the fear of being caught by the police.
And you in a drop your so easy to touch
Riding around in a convertible car makes drug dealers an easy target for police.
No two days are alike
Every day is different for drug dealers, with new challenges and risks.
Except the first and fifteenth pretty much
The first and fifteenth of each month are the biggest paydays for drug dealers, a time when they're most at risk of being caught.
And "trust" is a word you seldom hear from us
Drug dealers don't trust anyone, not even each other.
Hustlers we don't sleep we rest one eye up
Drug dealers don't get much sleep and are always alert for danger.
And the drought to find a man when the well dries up
Drug dealers have to search for new buyers when the ones they have run out of money.
You learn to work the water without workin thirst til die YUP
Drug dealers have to learn how to be successful without being consumed by greed or thirst for power.
And niggas get tied up for product
Drug dealers get kidnapped or killed for their products.
And little brothers ring fingers get cut up
Drug dealers' families and loved ones can get hurt or killed because of their involvement in the drug trade.
To show mothers they really got em
Sometimes young drug dealers hurt themselves to show their loyalty and dedication to their mothers.
And this was the stress i live with til i decided
Jay-Z lived with stress caused by his involvement in the drug trade until he decided to leave that life behind.
To try this rap shit for a livin
Jay-Z moved on from the drug trade and decided to focus on making a living through rap.
I Pray i'm forgiven
Jay-Z hopes he is forgiven for his past mistakes and sins.
For every bad decision i made
Jay-Z acknowledges that he made some bad decisions in the past.
Every sister i played
Jay-Z has hurt women in the past.
Cause i'm still paranoid to this day
Jay-Z is still anxious and fearful despite his success.
And it's nobody fault i made the decisions i made
Jay-Z takes responsibility for his past decisions and doesn't blame anyone else.
This is the life i chose or rather the life that chose me
Jay-Z believes that he chose his life, but he was also influenced by external circumstances.
If you can't respect that your whole perspective is wack
Jay-Z believes that if people cannot respect his life choices and experiences, their perspective is flawed.
Maybe you'll love me when i fade to black
Jay-Z hopes that people will appreciate him more when he is gone or has retired.
Contributed by Charlotte H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.