Dub Fx the street-loop-beatboxer grew up in St Kilda / Melbourne / Australia performing in various bands before hitting the world-wide road. Dub Fx uses Roland BOSS effect & loop pedals to create sounds which when layered creates a live musical construct. Predominantly Dub Fx can be found busking through Europe with his Girlfriend the 'Flower Fairy' who also performs along side.
The reggae band Dub FX originated in San Francisco, CA in 2004. Some of the band's influences include Steel Pulse, Aswad, Burning Spear, UB40, Roots Radics, Dub Nation and dozens of Jamaican roots bands from the '60s to the '80s. Dub's band members are: Paul Dawson (vocals, keyboards), Dale Mungaray (vocals, alto sax), Justin Cosgrove (bass), Andy Van Doren (lead & rhythm guitar), Scott Maddern (drums & percussion), Dan Shafer (keyboards & percussion) and Craig Bryant (trombone).
Society Gates
Dub Fx Lyrics
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Conformity is society
Society is this reality
The faces that saw me
And the angels that warned me
They told me to run
And dispose of the gun
Be gone with no trace
Instead I just stayed
Within societies gates
Cos I can run but I can't hide
And I must justify
The way I live my life
Until the day I die
I live within these gates
I cannot go against
So I must see it through
There's nothing left to do
They said I was crazy
And they called me a fool
But words cannot change me
And my respect for the rules
I may be part of the system
But if I could rule this land
The rules would be different
But I am just one man
So I wish I was under a tree
Far away from society
Where the only truth in me
Is the soothing sound of my own entity?
While my other voice is free
It expresses words of plea
To return to a stable form of reality
But I'm inside of that tree
That tree is inside of another tree
The perplexity is infinity
So I will just chill with a spliff
I can run but I can't hide
The song "Society Gates" by Dub Fx speaks to the conformity and pressures of society that individuals face. The lyrics allude to the idea that humanity is shaped by conforming to societal norms and that society itself dictates reality. This is exemplified in the line "Humanity is conformity, conformity is society, society is this reality." The singer of the song speaks of being warned by angels to run away, but instead, he chooses to stay within society's gates. He acknowledges that he cannot go against society and that he must live within the system, though he wishes he could escape it all. The song acknowledges the complexities of societal pressures and our desire to break free from them, but also the difficulty in doing so.
The lyrics of "Society Gates" touch on themes of isolation, frustration, and existential questioning. The singer desires to be free from the constraints of society but recognizes the difficulty in doing so. The line "I may be part of the system, but if I could rule this land, the rules would be different, but I am just one man" speaks to the limitations of individual power within the larger context of society. The singer desires change, but understands that this change must come from a significant collective effort.
Line by Line Meaning
Humanity is conformity
People tend to conform to society
Conformity is society
Being a part of society means conforming to its norms
Society is this reality
Society shapes our reality
The faces that saw me
People who have seen me
And the angels that warned me
The people who tried to save me
They told me to run
They warned me of the consequences
And dispose of the gun
Get rid of whatever is causing trouble
I could have escaped
I had the opportunity to leave
Be gone with no trace
To leave unnoticed
Instead I just stayed
I chose to stay
Within societies gates
Within the confines of society
Cos I can run but I can't hide
I can try to escape, but the consequences will remain
And I must justify
I must provide a reason for my actions
The way I live my life
My lifestyle choices
Until the day I die
For the remainder of my life
I live within these gates
I am confined within society
I cannot go against
I cannot act in opposition to society
So I must see it through
I must continue living within society's boundaries
There's nothing left to do
No other options available
They said I was crazy
People called me insane
And they called me a fool
They believed I was foolish
But words cannot change me
I am unaffected by their words
And my respect for the rules
I have respect for society's rules
I may be part of the system
I am a part of the societal system
But if I could rule this land
If given the opportunity to govern
The rules would be different
I would set different rules
But I am just one man
But I don't have the power to change everything alone
So I wish I was under a tree
I long to escape society
Far away from society
At a far-off distant place from society
Where the only truth in me
Where I can be completely truthful with myself
Is the soothing sound of my own entity?
Where I can listen to the soothing sounds of nature
While my other voice is free
While my subconscious tells me to escape society
It expresses words of plea
It speaks of my desire to escape the confines of society
To return to a stable form of reality
To return to a simpler way of life
But I'm inside of that tree
But I am still a part of this world
That tree is inside of another tree
The world is full of many layers of complexity
The perplexity is infinity
It's never-ending complexity
So I will just chill with a spliff
So I will try to relax and forget about it all
Contributed by Leah J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ArkusTheGreat
The most underrated song of Dub-FX love you my boy!!!!!
JDZ
One of the most inspiring artists of our generation. It gives me goosebumps.
Inna Illiakova
Да, Dub хорош. песни со смыслом, музыка супер. Лучший!
retardno002
By far his best and most underrated song.
Dave Shields
step on my trip is better
Quentin
step on my trip is the god of music, overall !!!!
Speedo 711
Daamn dude i love all song from this guy ! :D
RudeyDoo92
I dont think anyone underates it tho, and he always plays it live! everyone sang it and went mad when he performed it for us <3
Jay Light
First song i ever heard by him! And always a favorite.. It changed the way i look at music
Sweggy DNB
By the end I was wiping tears and if you look when he finishes his tune you can see his own emotional response being wipes from his cheeks. Inspiring tune.