Their commercially successful sophomore album E&A (released 2004) became a staple of the Twin Cities hip hop community, although following hectic touring the release of Eyedea & Abilities next album By The Throat would take several years, with Eyedea and DJ Abilities touring separately.
After a productive hiatus they returned with the critically acclaimed By The Throat (released 2009). Sonically divergent from their earlier work, By The Throat would showcase the their individual development along with the talents of Jeremy Ylvisaker, J.T. Bates & Graham O'Brien.
Eyedea (Born Micheal Larsen on November 9, 1981 – October 16, 2010) who also performed under the name Oliver Hart became widely known because of his battle and freestyle skills. The Many Faces of Oliver Hart prominently features the obliterating lyrical speed of a young Carnage the Executioner aka Terrell Woods along with Slug (of Atmosphere). Eyedea was best known for his victory at the Blaze Battle, which was aired on HBO, showing some of the best underground battlers in action. Eyedea largely toured with Slug aka Sean Daley during his early career, and would continue to collaborate with his mentor.
Numerous posthumous releases regularly appear since his passing, including Face Candy Waste-Age Teen Land and Eyenine Afraid to Dream on Crushkill Recordings, along with dedications from Kristoff Krane aka Christoffer Keller, Sadistik aka Cody Foster, No Bird Sing, Sage Francis, Brother Ali, Carnage XXXL, Murs among others. His mother Kathy Averill maintains an official dedication site www.micheallarsen.com.
DJ Abilities aka Maxx Keltgen is known for winning three DMC awards and for his work on his mixtapes and 1200 Hobos. He continues to tour, and is currently signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment.
Pushing Buttons
Eyedea & Abilities Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To everyone out there...
[Eyedea]
Speaking of out there
SPEAKING of out there
Where's he from?
He's from some other planet, I heard
[Abilities]
I think that's a myth
I heard about that kid
That one from St. Paul
[Eyedea]
No... heh... no
He ain't from St. Paul
[Abilities]
Well, he says he's from St. Paul
But no, I think you're right
[Eyedea]
Yeah, he says he's from St. Paul
Cause it's, it's more marketable when you talk about you're from
Earth
But check it out
It goes a little something like this...
He dug deep in his system to find nutrition for others
Lost sleep, tossed and turned, only to learn love is expensive
Talk was cheap, till my thoughts grew feet
Now I take them on walks with me
But don't let them off the leash
Cause they might cross the street and get hit
Listen a second, I pretended to need a friendship
With many forms of energy till everyone repented
Now I'm end this with a sentence(?) and a sentence become a way
Of life
To stay the night with my notebook, then wake up the next day to
Write
Again, and again, and again and again and again and again
Until my pen is inevitably inseparable from my finger skin
Lingering in the depths of this pool of resendential
Fighting a million and ten inner battles that'll sprain my neck
Into dudes(?)
Bobbing my head to keep cool, true, stays on the down low
Meaning proof for the bleeding, is it useful in the council
Meaning it cheaper what you believe to be the dopest at the
Moment
Yeah, he's exceeding the quotient and feeding me tokens
But the machine must be broken
[Chorus]
Cause he'd rather give him a uppercut than give him a hook
So he steady throwin jabs just to get him to look
Man, every thought he ever had quietly sits in his book
For anyone that's afraid to jump, let me give him a push
Rather give him a uppercut than give him a hook
So I'm steady throwin jabs just to get him to look
Every thought I ever had quietly sits in his book
For anyone that's afraid to jump, let me give him a push
[Eyedea]
From the north side to the southside, to the wild side to the
Pesticide
To the genocide to the homicide, you decide to set aside
Well, pick a side, any side, are you along just for the ride?
Oh me oh me oh my, I wish you would just die
Cause kid, you're the reason for my sore throat
Petty more dope(?), the war won't stop till you hop in a
Porthole
And sort those problems out, child, it ain't all about your
Style
Cause you could break your back to state the facts and make them
Smile
While the pain in my religion, paintin by the pigeons
Strainin while you're listenin to this brain on tire ribbons
Givin a splittin headache with energetic delivery
Livin as a poetic shredded by the edge of misery
Vividly describin the pain inside of this entity
Physically and mentally, we all pretend to need sympathy
Interesting enough, you say you don't give a [f**k]
But there's much I grew to like through this mic that I clutch
So keep your hands down, and put your attention span up
Understand now, man, sound is a dimension you can't touch
Plants crush, when the vocals of that local named Eyedea hit
Your ear
So c'mon, get your chair and stand up
[Chorus]
Because I'd rather give him a uppercut than give him a hook
So I'm steady throwin jabs just to get him to look
Every thought I ever had quietly sits in his book
For anyone that's afraid to jump, let me give him a push
Rather give him a uppercut than give him a hook
So I'm steady throwin jabs just to get him to look
Every thought I ever had quietly sits in his book
For anyone that's afraid to jump, let me give you a push
[Eyedea]
Every mama I am(?) with a friendship bracelet and a tin can
Get your business down and dig me up outta the ground when you
Get rich, man
I'll take a round of applause, but won't take no kids hand
Cause the challenge tonight is to balance my bike without a
Kickstand
Now a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down
In a room full of [hookers], well my head isn't in town
I consume what you, shoulda, and assume that the lookers
See the moon and the fact they pushing you to do more than push
A broom to
Cushion
Tune rolls to your head, and enables you to see
There really is more to life than bustin [guns] and smokin
[weed]
But we proceed to say it ain't fair until we got gray hair
But next time I ask you to think, please don't give me a blank
Stare
[Chorus]
Yo, cause I'd rather give him a uppercut than give him a hook
So I'm steady throwin jabs just to get him to look
Every thought I ever had quietly sits in his book
For anyone that's afraid to jump, let me give you a...
[Eyedea]
Give you a, push it up now, push it up
Push it up now! Push it up
Lemme see them hands, people (Push em up now!)
[Abilities] (overlapping Eyedea)
Push it up now!
Push it up now!
Push it up, push it up now!
[Eyedea]
What planet is he from?
What planet is he from?
He goes, he goes, one, two
Up in silicone and ice cream maintain glish mill (?!)
(some jibberish) ...better play with my wood, E-Y-E
D-E-A, bombard bitchy wits of par-tea bags, diplomatic to the
Hip
Hop around, hip hop around, said hip hop around now, now, now
Just grab your partnee and dozie-dough
And just listen to the RC kids can flow, whoa, whoa, whoa
The lyrics to Eyedea & Abilities' song "Pushing Buttons" are a celebration of the power of language and the creative process. The song opens with a conversation between Eyedea and Abilities about the origins of an otherworldly figure. The lyrics then delve deep into the process of writing and the importance of owning one's voice. Eyedea discusses the struggles of creating authentic work in a world that prioritizes marketability, and how writing can be a way to find nutrition for others, as well as a way to process and articulate one's own experiences. The chorus repeats the phrase, "For anyone that's afraid to jump, let me give you a push," which can be read both as a call to take risks and as a message of solidarity for those struggling to find their footing.
Throughout the song, there is an undercurrent of frustration with the limitations of language and the need to constantly refine and improve one's craft. Eyedea pre-empts criticism in the second verse by saying "Interesting enough, you say you don't give a fuck. But there's much I grew to like through this mic that I clutch," indicating that he is aware of the contradictions inherent in being an artist who thrives on audience approval.
In the final verse, Eyedea encourages the listener to look beyond their current circumstances and take control of their lives. By using metaphors such as "a room full of hookers" and "busting guns and smoking weed," he critiques societal norms while simultaneously empowering listeners to make a change. The song ends with Eyedea exhorting listeners to dance, once again emphasizing the importance of movement and action in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Speaking of out there
Eyedea and Abilities are discussing something unusual or strange.
Where's he from?
They are wondering where someone is from.
He's from some other planet, I heard
There are rumors that the person they are talking about is not from Earth.
I think that's a myth
Abilities thinks that the claim of the person being from another planet is not true.
That one from St. Paul
The person they are discussing is from St. Paul.
He ain't from St. Paul
Eyedea disagrees with the suggestion that the person is from St. Paul.
Yeah, he says he's from St. Paul / Cause it's, it's more marketable when you talk about you're from Earth
The person they are discussing says he is from St. Paul but actually it is more advantageous to say you are from Earth in terms of marketing.
He dug deep in his system to find nutrition for others
The person in this line is being resourceful for others and trying to give them what they need for sustenance.
Lost sleep, tossed and turned, only to learn love is expensive
The person in this line has experienced hardship in trying to love others. Love can be costly.
Talk was cheap, till my thoughts grew feet / Now I take them on walks with me / But don't let them off the leash / Cause they might cross the street and get hit
The person in this line has learned that talking is cheap and actions are more important. They take their thoughts seriously and are careful not to make mistakes.
Listen a second, I pretended to need a friendship / With many forms of energy till everyone repented
The person in this line used to pretend to need friends and used to be surrounded by different types of people until they realized that some of them were not good for them and others had changed.
Now I'm end this with a sentence(?) and a sentence become a way / Of life / To stay the night with my notebook, then wake up the next day to write / Again, and again, and again and again and again and again / Until my pen is inevitably inseparable from my finger skin
This person ends everything they do with writing and the lines between their thoughts, words, and writing are blurred. It has become an inseparable part of their life.
Lingering in the depths of this pool of resendential / Fighting a million and ten inner battles that'll sprain my neck / Into dudes(?) / Bobbing my head to keep cool, true, stays on the down low / Meaning proof for the bleeding, is it useful in the council / Meaning it cheaper what you believe to be the dopest at the moment / Yeah, he's exceeding the quotient and feeding me tokens / But the machine must be broken
This person is struggling and facing many internal battles that are causing them physical strain. They are trying to keep calm and not let it show. They are questioning whether it is useful to share their pain with others and whether the things they believe to be the best really are. They feel like despite their efforts to be recognized, they are not being properly rewarded.
Cause he'd rather give him a uppercut than give him a hook / So he steady throwin jabs just to get him to look / Man, every thought he ever had quietly sits in his book / For anyone that's afraid to jump, let me give him a push
This line means that the person is more willing to use force than persuasion and is constantly provoking others to gain their attention. They keep a record of all their thoughts and share them with others to encourage them to take risks.
From the north side to the southside, to the wild side to the / Pesticide / To the genocide to the homicide, you decide to set aside / Well, pick a side, any side, are you along just for the ride?
This person is describing the different sides of society and is encouraging others to take a stand rather than just being a bystander.
Oh me oh me oh my, I wish you would just die / Cause kid, you're the reason for my sore throat / Petty more dope(?), the war won't stop till you hop in a / Porthole / And sort those problems out, child, it ain't all about your / Style
This person is frustrated by someone who is causing them problems and wants them to take responsibility for their actions rather than just living their life according to their own preferences.
But we proceed to say it ain't fair until we got gray hair / But next time I ask you to think, please don't give me a blank stare
This person believes that people complain about life without doing anything about it. They are urging listeners to be more proactive about changing their situations.
Give you a, push it up now, push it up / Push it up now! Push it up
This person is encouraging others to take action and to push themselves to be better.
Contributed by Xavier T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.