Applause
Empty Sentiment Lyrics
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Villain looking down at the crowd from the watchtower
Bone to pick, we all his hounds, we his dogs
Our lives is sanitized like antiseptic dousing the gauze, now we're
Gathered underneath the banister at dawn
Attendance checked by the feds, if you absent then you brought up
Kneeling, often squealing, make example of you
Strong-armed
Preach that freedom's being robbed but, who you kidding
Keep my head down so I don't lose it, yeah I choose to fit in
Petty rebel, I hoard colored fabric, shot of booze is hidden
Tucked between the floorboards 'till muster strength for true resistance
Fantasizing that I'll shoot the ruler, prove I'm different
Recoil at the very thought of punishment like Ruger kicking
Pretend butter knives are murder weapons when I use the kitchen
What if I drew pistol, lose my status as a moving piston
Revolt
Cause some
Results
Bravado
Dissolves
I find my own cowardice revolting
It don't even matter 'cos he sit on the throne, iron fist, silver tongue
All the powers of the pulpit
We ain't citizens, we cultists
Passion was assassinated, listen to the culprit speaking
Cope by indulging in lives of alter egos
No libido here
Sulphur breeds the fear
I'm silent
The song Applause by Empty Sentiment is a political commentary on the state of society and its dynamics with power. The song's first verse talks about a villain sitting on a watchtower, looking down at the crowd below, as if controlling them like his hounds. The metaphorical language is employed to show how those in power manipulate those who are powerless. The next few lines talk about how the powerless are kept in check by the government, and if anyone steps out of line, they are made an example of. The rapper uses the metaphor of a pawn (a chess piece) to show the limited power the powerless have. The ideas of freedom and rebellion are discussed, but the singer's cowardice revolts him. The second verse talks about how the villain is like a cult leader, treating his subjects as members, rather than citizens. The use of the word cultists is a powerful metaphor. The singer is portrayed as powerless and indulging in alter egos to cope with it, but even this coping mechanism is poisoned by the sulfur-like fear that breeds in him. The song's final line "I'm silent" means that he is afraid to speak up against the system.
Line by Line Meaning
Give the man a round of applause
Let's give applause to the man in power, despite the injustice he creates
Villain looking down at the crowd from the watchtower
The person in power is like a villain who looks down on the people from a high place
Bone to pick, we all his hounds, we his dogs
We all have issues with the person in power, but we still follow him like obedient dogs
Our lives is sanitized like antiseptic dousing the gauze, now we're
Our lives are sterile and cleaned up to the point of being unrecognizable
Gathered underneath the banister at dawn
We gather in secret at dawn, huddled together for safety
Attendance checked by the feds, if you absent then you brought up
The government keeps a close eye on attendance, and absence is considered suspicious
Kneeling, often squealing, make example of you
If you speak out, you'll be made an example of and punished severely
Strong-armed
The government uses excessive force to keep control
We kept in check but even pawn is a euphemism
We are being controlled and manipulated, even though we're supposed to be free
Preach that freedom's being robbed but, who you kidding
We speak about freedom being taken away, but we're not really doing anything to stop it
Keep my head down so I don't lose it, yeah I choose to fit in
We're afraid to speak out or stand out, so we blend in with the crowd
Petty rebel, I hoard colored fabric, shot of booze is hidden
We rebel in small ways, like hoarding things and drinking in secret
Tucked between the floorboards 'till muster strength for true resistance
We keep our rebellion hidden until we have the strength to truly resist
Fantasizing that I'll shoot the ruler, prove I'm different
We daydream about assassinating the person in power to prove ourselves
Recoil at the very thought of punishment like Ruger kicking
We're terrified of punishment, like being kicked by a gun, and it holds us back
Pretend butter knives are murder weapons when I use the kitchen
We exaggerate the threat to ourselves even in everyday situations, like cooking
What if I drew pistol, lose my status as a moving piston
What if we took action, and lost our place in society as someone who just goes along
Revolt
We need to rise up and take action against the tyranny
Cause some
That action, even just something small, can cause change
Results
We might finally see results from our resistance
Bravado
We need to be brave and take risks to make change
Dissolves
Our fears and doubts will start to melt away once we begin to resist
I find my own cowardice revolting
We are disgusted by our own fear and inaction, and need to change that
It don't even matter 'cos he sit on the throne, iron fist, silver tongue
The person in power is so firmly in control that it feels like resistance is pointless
All the powers of the pulpit
The person in power wields all the influence and control like a religious leader
We ain't citizens, we cultists
We're not true citizens with rights, but rather brainwashed followers of the powerful person
Passion was assassinated, listen to the culprit speaking
Our passion for freedom has been destroyed, and the powerful person is to blame for it
Cope by indulging in lives of alter egos
We try to escape our reality and the oppression by creating different personas and lives
No libido here
We have no drive or energy left to change our situation
Sulphur breeds the fear
Our fear is growing like sulfur, and it's toxic
I'm silent
We've been oppressed into silence and compliance
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Othneil Gayle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind