Doomtree is a hip hop collective based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Members o… Read Full Bio ↴Doomtree is a hip hop collective based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Members of Doomtree bring various bases of knowledge and musical backgrounds together to create honest and original music. Their main influence is punk and their lyrics are frequently introspective and self-deprecating. They often do shows with fellow Minnesota hip-hop label Rhymesayers Entertainment. Emcees perform solo or with one another, each contributing a different approach to their music.

Emcees
* P.O.S. has released four albums under the Rhymesayers record label in conjunction with the Doomtree label. His first album, Ipecac Neat, made its Rhymesayers debut in 2004. His next album Audition released in 2006. His third release, Never Better was released in February 2009. We Don't Even Live Here, his fourth album, came out October 2012.
P.O.S is the de facto leader of the group. He also performs with the punk rock group Building Better Bombs.
* Sims released his first full length album in July 2005, Lights Out Paris. He also released False Hopes 14 in 2009. In 2011, he released Bad Time Zoo to critical acclaim.
* Dessa released one of Doomtree's several False Hopes albums and often performs live with violinist Jessy Greene (who is featured on P.O.S's Audition). She is an accomplished spoken word poet. In January 2010, she released her first solo LP, A Badly Broken Code. 2011 brought Castor, The Twin, which was a re-imagining of many of the tracks from A Badly Broken Code, utilizing a live band.
* Mictlan has released Doomtree False Hopes albums Deity for hire and Deity for Re-hire. In 2008, Mike Mictlan and Lazerbeak released their album Hand Over Fist
* Cecil Otter released Hung Over-seas, a Doomtree False Hopes album in 2003. He was also a finalist in a national spoken word competition inspired by the 2004 presidential election. He released another album, simply titled Cecil Otter's False Hopes, in 2005. In 2006 Cecil Otter released his new full length album Rebel Yellow. He is also signed to Strange Famous Records.

Producers/DJs
* Paper Tiger has produced for Doomtree emcees and often spins records for Doomtree performances. He also provides graphic design for various flyers and other Doomtree visuals. He has released a solo album Made Like Us.
* MK Larada has produced many tracks for Doomtree emcees and is also Doomtree's resident artist. He has released an album Break In Two (Music For B People).
* Lazerbeak has produced many tracks for Doomtree emcees as well as several other Minneapolis hip-hop artists, including Toki Wright. He is also the guitarist of Minnesota indie band The Plastic Constellations. He has released his solo album Legend Recognize Legend
* Turbo Nemesis is the most common Doomtree DJ to spin at performances

http://www.doomtree.net

Dots & Dashes
Doomtree Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Dessa]
I’m on a vision quest at the Best Western
the best-dressed wreck in the hotel lounge
found out that the message in the bottle’s the booze
that my braid is a fuse
but I’ve get shit left to do so
So keep waiting
So just be patient

I’m not sure how or when or from whom
but I got this funny feeling I’m in for big news
Took a walk to cool off, come down to collect clues
Sky rests on the overpass
cracks the foundation
passersbys' faces
they don’t look like mine to me
though I’ve been told that we’re related
that we’ve got the same fear of death
the same basic debts the same
that we’re branded with a secret in a language we can’t read
on the courting spirals of a coupled double helix.
Panic in a phone booth
love in a parked car
broken bottles like corpses of the fallen stars
and valets are the only ones that in modern America
remember how to run.

[Hook]
It goes Delta
Epsilon
Sigma Sigma Alpha
Is there anyone there?

[Dessa]
Distress message comin from the city kids
I read it in the smoke signals from their filtered cigarettes
it’s all boredom and bitterness at the Ritalin pill that does a legitimate business makin kids keep still.

[P.O.S]
Yeah but still ain’t motionless
Test the restless hands for shakes
and see the flutter when the patience breaks
I keep time
With the crickets in 4/4 and gangster lean
sirens in 3
the trouble speaks beats.

[Dessa]
Double dutch sounds a bit like dots and dashes
I sit for a minute tryna understand the pattern
But that’s not morse code man
Y’all just double-handed.

[P.O.S]
Trouble landin’ tricks so roll
fuck it
whatever gets your blood up
Rip that sidewalk sounding like a click track cut up
Wind speaks to wall makes the frame creek
Ghost in the house wakes the baby

It goes
All day, all day, keep it movin' all day
Come on
Is there anyone there?
All day, all day, keep it movin' all day
Is there anyone there?

[Chorus]

[P.O.S]
Never better
Thick skin, thin sweater
spinnin’ grins at a dirt whistle wetter
Flirt
this’ll get her
hurt
this’ll sever worth
stop pop lock the fuck out
Duck ain’t got a buck
like the luck’s out (dang)
Who makes a living giving plasma?
Nickle-thin kids spilling smoke up out the asthma
Anyway who paves the way
when you can save your slave
and make a dollar out your veins
He times it by the weeks
Patterns for the sheep
sleepwalking to the beat
Keep talking to the loose leaf
Silence to the creeps
violence from the beef
teach tryna find a new leaf
Science of a time defined by
climb up and recline
Speech
Fine
whatever
Ain’t nothing but a rumble in that belly
but your starving’s what you’ll tell her
Me?
Oh I’ll be on the corner eating nothing a la mode
staring at the stoplights trying to break the code.
Love in a phone booth
panic in a parked car
static in a signal
scars a communique
All day
in every which with sitcom wit
handle the sitch hit the switch

It goes
All day, all day, keep it movin' all day
Come on
Is there anyone there?

All day, all day, keep it movin' all day
Is there anyone there?

Overall Meaning

In Doomtree's song "Dots & Dashes," Dessa begins with a description of herself as the "best-dressed wreck in the hotel lounge," implying that she is troubled, but trying to appear put-together. She then goes on to describe a feeling of unease and anticipation of something big coming her way. As she takes a walk to clear her head, she observes strangers who share common fears and secrets with her, despite not looking like her. P.O.S then adds a verse about restlessness and impatience, and how it is manifested in the youth using Ritalin to keep still. He also speaks on the social and economic struggles of those who are "nickle-thin" and resort to selling plasma for money. The chorus then repeats the distress call in morse code, before P.O.S ends the song with a final verse about trying to decipher the meaning of life and feeling a sense of disconnect, but ultimately persevering through the chaos and finding love and connection in unexpected places.

The song's title "Dots & Dashes" refers to Morse code, with the distress call being spelled out in the chorus.

The song was produced by Doomtree's Lazerbeak and originally released in 2011 as part of the album "No Kings."

The song's music video features the Doomtree crew performing the song while dressed in all white amidst a colorful and chaotic backdrop.

In an interview with NPR, Dessa explained that the song was inspired by a sense of unease and uncertainty she felt while on tour, and also by the riots that occurred in the Twin Cities where Doomtree is based.

P.O.S's verse references the struggles of those who have to resort to selling plasma for money, a common practice among college students in the US.

The chorus's use of Morse code to spell out the distress call was a deliberate nod to punk rock and anti-authoritarian culture.

The song's overall message seems to be one of perseverance through chaos and finding love and connection amidst societal struggles and personal strife.

The song features intricate wordplay and metaphors, including Dessa comparing her braid to a fuse and likening passerby's faces to hers, and P.O.S referring to himself as being on an ever-evolving quest to "climb up and recline."

The song has been praised for its use of unconventional sounds and production, which combine rap with punk influences and experimental textures.

Chords are not provided as the song is largely electronic and programmed, with minimal use of live instruments.

Line by Line Meaning

I’m on a vision quest at the Best Western
I'm on a personal journey to find my purpose

the best-dressed wreck in the hotel lounge
I may look put together, but I'm still struggling

found out that the message in the bottle’s the booze
I realized that alcohol is not the answer to my problems

that my braid is a fuse
My hair is a symbol of my strength and determination

but I’ve got shit left to do
I have important tasks to complete

So keep waiting
Please be patient with me

So just be patient
I'm asking for understanding

I’m not sure how or when or from whom
I don't know exactly what's coming or when it will happen

but I got this funny feeling I’m in for big news
I have a strong intuition that something significant will occur

Took a walk to cool off, come down to collect clues
I went for a walk to clear my head and gather information

Sky rests on the overpass cracks the foundation passersbys' faces they don’t look like mine to me
The world seems different and unfamiliar to me right now

though I’ve been told that we’re related that we’ve got the same fear of death the same basic debts the same that we’re branded with a secret in a language we can’t read on the courting spirals of a coupled double helix.
Despite our differences, we all share some universal experiences

Panic in a phone booth love in a parked car broken bottles like corpses of the fallen stars and valets are the only ones that in modern America remember how to run.
The world is chaotic and unpredictable, but some people still know how to survive

Distress message comin from the city kids I read it in the smoke signals from their filtered cigarettes it’s all boredom and bitterness at the Ritalin pill that does a legitimate business makin kids keep still.
The youth are struggling, trying to find meaning in a world that often suppresses them

Yeah but still ain’t motionless Test the restless hands for shakes and see the flutter when the patience breaks I keep time With the crickets in 4/4 and gangster lean sirens in 3 the trouble speaks beats.
Even when we feel still, our minds and emotions are constantly moving

Double dutch sounds a bit like dots and dashes I sit for a minute tryna understand the pattern But that’s not morse code man Y’all just double-handed.
There are patterns and rhythms all around us, but not everything has a clear explanation or meaning

Trouble landin’ tricks so roll fuck it whatever gets your blood up Rip that sidewalk sounding like a click track cut up Wind speaks to wall makes the frame creek Ghost in the house wakes the baby
Life can be difficult and frustrating, but we have to keep moving forward and finding ways to stay motivated

Never better Thick skin, thin sweater spinnin’ grins at a dirt whistle wetter Flirt this’ll get her hurt this’ll sever worth stop pop lock the fuck out Duck ain’t got a buck like the luck’s out (dang) Who makes a living giving plasma? Nickle-thin kids spilling smoke up out the asthma Anyway who paves the way when you can save your slave and make a dollar out your veins He times it by the weeks Patterns for the sheep sleepwalking to the beat Keep talking to the loose leaf Silence to the creeps violence from the beef teach tryna find a new leaf Science of a time defined by climb up and recline Speech Fine whatever Ain’t nothing but a rumble in that belly but your starving’s what you’ll tell her Me? Oh I’ll be on the corner eating nothing a la mode staring at the stoplights trying to break the code.
Life is full of contradictions and challenges, but we have to find ways to survive and even thrive in the face of adversity

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

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