The Overly Dramatic Truth
El-P Lyrics


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[1st verse]
I became for you what you had asked, telepath
You're too young to ask out loud, I'm too old to not know that
I can talk like you've not heard, I know weapons, you think words
I exposed you to these terms, you still chose to roll unheard
That could work but, I'm so fast, you're so open, I'm so crass
I'm too weak to hold that back, you still think intrigue will last
You can't imagine of my past, I just can't explain all that
I wish I could trade your place, so romantic full of faith
I must spare you, I must learn, I refuse to be your first
First to put you in your place, first to make you speed your pace
I'm a man now (good or bad), you're a girl still (good for you)
Don't think this don't make me sad, this is something I must do

[Hook]
Keep your own time (leave me be), trying to spare you
Trying to be God melodic, man on fire, Coward long gone, all desire
Fuck you raw now, it's my fault
Fuck you raw dog, I can't stop
Should've listened, should've left
I can't stop unless you jet
It's so simple, open head, I will knit my savage thread
Help me help you, walk away, leave this unamazing grace
You don't know from pure disgrace, you still think I'm here to save
I'm not even really here, I can't give what I can't take

[2nd verse]
What a ride, what a slide under the door, what a score
You think I'm a genius, I know I'm a whore
What a time, what a climb in for our lives, whats in store
You seen lit forever, all I see is war
I will pull your hair back, fuck you on the floor
Pour myself into the act, poor myself, boohoo I'm bad
Cause I know that these moments end, but telling you the truth is sad
You deserve the ignorance of bliss that I still wish I had
Don't you let me keep you here, don't ignore my greatest fear
I need you to not need me, you need not believe just flee
I will put myself inside you, find some way to run and hide you
I can't be responsible, do as I say, not as I do

[Hook]
Keep your own time, leave me be, I'm tryin to spare you
Tryin to be God melodic, man on fire, coward long gone, all desire
Fuck you raw now, it's my fault
Fuck you raw dog, I can't stop
Should've listened, should've left
I can't stop unless you jet
It's so simple, open head, I will knit my savage thread
Help me help you, walk away, leave this unamazing grace
You don't know from pure disgrace, you still think I'm here to save
I'm not even really here, I can't give what I can't take

This is not my ego talkin, I know I'm no perfect draw
And I do love the way you lay there, I do like the way we talk
Maybe I'm just condescending, maybe this thing isn't wrong
Maybe you should lay right there, put your hands up in the air

[Hook]
Keep your own time, leave me be, I'm tryin to spare you
Tryin to be God melodic, man on fire, coward long gone, all desire
Fuck you raw now, it's your fault
Fuck you raw dog, I can't stop
Should've listened, should've left
I can't stop unless you jet
It's so simple, open head, I will knit my savage thread
Help me help you, walk away, leave this unamazing grace
You don't know from pure disgrace, you still think I'm here to save
I was never even here, I can't give what I can't take





(fades out)
You still think I'm here to save

Overall Meaning

In El-P's song The Overly Dramatic Truth, the singer addresses a younger person and acknowledges their age and inexperience compared to his own knowledge and experience in life. He admits to becoming what this person has asked for, a telepath, but laments that he is unable to fully communicate the weight of his past experiences to them. Despite his desire to protect and spare them from some of life's harsh realities, he also acknowledges his own flaws and shortcomings. Throughout the song, the singer oscillates between a desire to be responsible for the younger person's well-being and wanting them to leave and not be reliant on him. The phrase "Trying to be God melodic, man on fire, coward long gone, all desire," which appears in the song's chorus, suggests the singer's conflicting feelings of wanting to be a savior, someone who can inspire and rescue, and his own inadequacy. Overall, the lyrics showcase El-P's ability to convey complex emotions and introspective thought processes.


Line by Line Meaning

I became for you what you had asked, telepath
I understood what you wanted me to be without you even saying it


You're too young to ask out loud, I'm too old to not know that
You're not ready to express your desires, and I'm too experienced not to recognize them


I can talk like you've not heard, I know weapons, you think words
I have the ability to speak in a way that you've never heard before, unlike anything you're used to. I have knowledge and power, while you rely only on your words.


I exposed you to these terms, you still chose to roll unheard
I introduced you to new things and concepts, but you ignored them and remained ignorant


That could work but, I'm so fast, you're so open, I'm so crass
We could make it work, but I'm too fast-paced for you, and even though you're open to new things, my way of doing things is too rough for you.


I'm too weak to hold that back, you still think intrigue will last
I can't control my impulses, and you believe that there's more to this than just physical attraction.


You can't imagine of my past, I just can't explain all that
You can't even begin to understand my history, and there's no way I can tell you everything.


I wish I could trade your place, so romantic full of faith
I wish you could experience things the way I do, with a sense of romance and faith.


I must spare you, I must learn, I refuse to be your first
I need to be careful with you, I have a lot to learn, and I won't be the first one to break your heart.


First to put you in your place, first to make you speed your pace
I don't want to be the one to assert power over you, to make you do things at my pace.


I'm a man now (good or bad), you're a girl still (good for you)
I've reached a level of maturity that you haven't, and that's both good and bad. You're still young and have time to grow.


Don't think this don't make me sad, this is something I must do
I'm not happy about this situation, but it's something that needs to be done.


Keep your own time (leave me be), trying to spare you
Take things at your own pace and don't interfere with me, I'm trying to protect you.


Trying to be God melodic, man on fire, Coward long gone, all desire
I'm trying to be in control of everything, to be powerful and passionate, and to overcome my fears and lack of courage.


Fuck you raw now, it's my fault
I'm taking responsibility for how I treat you, even if it's not good for you.


Fuck you raw dog, I can't stop
I'm too focused on my own pleasure to stop what I'm doing, even if it hurts you.


Should've listened, should've left
You never should have gotten involved with me, and you should have left when you had the chance.


I can't stop unless you jet
I won't stop unless you completely leave and cut off contact with me.


It's so simple, open head, I will knit my savage thread
It's easy to manipulate you and get inside your head, and I will use that to my advantage.


Help me help you, walk away, leave this unamazing grace
It will be better for you in the end if you walk away from me and this situation, and leave behind any false hope or illusion of grace that you may have.


You don't know from pure disgrace, you still think I'm here to save
You don't understand the extent of my faults and destructive behavior, and you still believe that I'm here to rescue you.


I'm not even really here, I can't give what I can't take
I'm not truly present in this situation, and I can't give you anything that I don't have for myself.


What a ride, what a slide under the door, what a score
This has been an exciting and sneaky experience for both of us.


You think I'm a genius, I know I'm a whore
You may believe that I'm smart and talented, but in reality, I'm just using you for my own pleasure.


What a time, what a climb in for our lives, whats in store
This has been a challenging and intense experience for both of us, with an uncertain future.


You seen lit forever, all I see is war
You see a beautiful and eternal future with me, but in reality, I only see conflict and strife.


I will pull your hair back, fuck you on the floor
I will dominate you physically and make you submit to me, even if it's painful or uncomfortable for you.


Pour myself into the act, poor myself, boohoo I'm bad
I will put all my energy into the sexual act, and then feel sorry for myself afterwards, even though I know I'm doing something wrong.


Cause I know that these moments end, but telling you the truth is sad
I'm aware that these moments are temporary, but being honest with you about it makes me feel depressed.


You deserve the ignorance of bliss that I still wish I had
You deserve to be happy and ignorant, even though I still wish I could be that way myself.


Don't you let me keep you here, don't ignore my greatest fear
Don't let me trap you in this destructive relationship, and understand that my fear is that you will leave and I will be alone.


I need you to not need me, you need not believe just flee
I need you to be independent and not rely on me, you don't need to believe in me, just get away from me.


I will put myself inside you, find some way to run and hide you
I will try to control you and invade your thoughts, and then find a way to keep you hidden away so that no one else can have you.


I can't be responsible, do as I say, not as I do
I can't take responsibility for my actions, so just do what I tell you to do and ignore what I actually do myself.


This is not my ego talkin, I know I'm no perfect draw
I'm not just saying this to pump up my own ego, I'm aware that I'm not the perfect catch.


And I do love the way you lay there, I do like the way we talk
I do have feelings for you, and I enjoy the physical and emotional connection we have.


Maybe I'm just condescending, maybe this thing isn't wrong
Maybe I'm talking down to you because of my own insecurities, and maybe this relationship isn't as bad as it seems.


Maybe you should lay right there, put your hands up in the air
Maybe you should just stay still and submissive while I continue to do what I want to do.




Contributed by Mila M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Bl42jd

Still one of my favorite songs of all time

Trefor Treforgan

Itโ€™s an awesome album

WaLd0 Waldenberg

Waldo 44yr. Her 26yr. It's going to be a complete disaster on crackroids shat out and lit on fire.

supercheese

Ariana Turner hi

Ariana Turner

Mine too

Anatoos

I love RTJ, but El-P's solo stuff is so gooddddd

Stephen Charms

It breaks my heart how many RTJ fans I run into who have never bothered to dig through El's solo works. They are so deprived and they don't even know it.

His music made a huge impact on my tastes and affected my world view. I got "Fantastic Damage" tatted across the chest.

1 More Replies...

supercheese

wow. I just discovered this in 2020 and I love it SO MUCH. that beat, lyricism... itโ€™s so perfect. keep up the work man...

Gabriele Tradori

So listen Superman pt.3 by Gemitaiz, Is from an italian mixtape

Certified TechLead Hater

First heard this song about 7-8 years ago and loved it... stumbled across it by pure chance today.

So good.

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