Steve Knight - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Dave Lopez - El… Read Full Bio ↴Piper - Vocals
Steve Knight - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Dave Lopez - Electric and Acoustic Guitar
Flipsyde's music is an unconventional, yet harmonious mix of styles. The top and bottom of their innovative sound is straight-up Hip Hop while the middle punches with Rock. These parts are made whole through Piper's consummate MC skills and stinging rhymes, Steve Knight's emotive voice & adhesive melodies plus Dave Lopez' inspired Latin-flavored flourishes of blazing guitar.
Of course ... Flipsyde is a natural amalgam in a post-modern world where cultures, beliefs and music collide like wrecking balls but, at once, coexist, interlace and augment our everyday human experience.
At first, the backgrounds and influences of the three members that make up Flipsyde appear disparate, but, upon closer inspection, their common thread of passion, politics and commitment to music becomes evident.
Piper is a razor-sharp MC from the streets of Oakland, California whose distant childhood memories of an intermittent father from Brazil opened a window of curiosity to the Portuguese language and the bigger world outside. He weaves both interests liberally with a wicked flow to form precise rhymes. Focused and resolutely opinionated about the political landscape of our times, Piper can shift effortlessly between dazzling bravado and indictment of national and international policy.
Steve Knight's grainy vocals betray the gravely road he's tracked from his spiritual roots of Alabama to a tour of duty in the U.S. Coast Guard and through a self-described "chemical" journey from which he emerged more driven and committed to pursue his love of music in the Oakland scene.
A loyal disciple of the Bay Area music community, Dave Lopez originally immigrated to the U.S. from Chile where he was born and raised until his early adolescence. He carried with him - and has always harbored - a passion for the rhythms of South America and the melodic cadences of Chile's bold and deep-rooted musical traditions.
When asked to describe Flipsyde's unique sound, Piper offers the following analogy: "Our music is like water, it has no form but can cover you ... or morph into anything."
Piper and Knight were originally signed to the same Bay Area indie label where they had each been working on separate projects. They often helped one another by trading rhymes or guitar parts on each other's tracks. But, it wasn't until 2003, in Oakland's Soundwave Rehearsal Studios, that Dave - working there at the time - happened to cross the pair's path.
"Steve barged into me," remembers Lopez of their initial meeting, "and it really irked me. But then he started to play 'Someday' and I was in awe. I thought right away that I might have something to contribute to it and we've been jamming ever since that day."
In addition to serendipitous timing, Piper, Knight and Lopez also share a common dedication to unity and political awareness. This message comes across loud and clear in Flipsyde's lyrics.
"It doesn't matter where you come from, how rich or poor you are or what your religion is," says Knight. "You can break down the walls and communicate. You can gain strength from these things and come together."
Flipsyde's debut album on Cherrytree/Interscope Records is aptly titled "We the People." As Piper explains "It's 'We the People ... of the world;' a new declaration of independence without political boundaries. Our music promotes unity, peace and the empowerment of people." Lopez adds with a confident smile: "Our music is a big mess of love."
Skippin' Stones
Flipsyde Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's just the way that I play
And I'ma' think and I'ma spit and I'ma' fly and I'ma' give
Until the end of my day's
I'm skippin' stones 'till I'm lost in the world
Fall in love and then get lost in a girl
You gotta live life
And ain't no tellin' what tomorrow can bring
You gotta live life
I'm packin' and leavin' travelin' and sight seein'
Writin' my name in the sand on the beach in the Caribbean
Hittin' the club give a pound and a hug to the thugs
Later on I'm makin' love on that bear skin rug
'Cause I'm skippin' town I'm skippin stones
I'm skippin' town I'm skippin' stones
I'm skippin' town I'm skippin' stones
And all I know is I'm alone
I feel the vibe inside me and I'm not gonna let it go
So come on
And I'm laughin' and cryin' and buyin' time
I'm not gone let it go
So come on
And I'm findin' a dime thata wanta good time and I'm not gonna let her go
So come on
And it's all on the line but I'm still gone' shine I'm not gone let it go
Hey
Slow it down for a minute while I capture the sky
Surfing the clouds wind surfin' through a deep sea dive
The devil's tryin' to get up in my soul but I'm not gone let it go
So come on
And I'm drinkin' this spiritual wine so he can't fuck with my flow
'Cause I'm skippin' town I'm skippin stones
I'm skippin' town I'm skippin' stones
I'm skippin' town I'm skippin' stones
And all I know is I'm alone
Keep on runnin' through all my days
He got a need for speed
But what you runnin' from playa
I think he runnin' from me
Take ya time and just relax
He ain't got time to take
Slow it down and think about it
He got moves to make
Strugglin' and scrapin' takin' chances attemptin' to make it
The time that was taken was tedious but fuck it we made it
Created much later now playin' n' singin' invaded with Piper n' Dave
And the angels bout to make us the greatest
Somebody save us the shit that we spittin' soundin' ridiculous
Rippin' and gifted with lyrics flavored up more than licorice
Shift it and kick it with enough spittage to make it Sickenin'
Skippin' stones, mama I'm gone its time to rip this shit
'Cause I'm skippin' town I'm skippin stones
I'm skippin' town I'm skippin' stones
I'm skippin' town I'm skippin' stones
And all I know is I'm alone
In this song, Flipsyde expresses their love for life, living it to the fullest and taking risks. They compare life to skipping stones, where they throw a stone and watch it skid, bounce and ultimately sink, symbolizing how life is unpredictable and it's best to enjoy every moment while it lasts. The lyrics also portray a sense of freedom and escape, as the singer packs his bags, skips town, and leaves everything behind to wander, have fun and explore.
The song starts with the singer declaring that he will drink, dip, ride, live, think, spit, fly, and give until the end of his days. He then talks about his experiences of skipping stones, falling in love, traveling, and making love. The chorus is repeated several times throughout the track, where the singer emphasizes the importance of living life to the fullest and not taking a single day for granted.
Despite the overall sense of joy and adventure, the lyrics also touch on the idea of struggle and chasing after dreams. The lyrics mention taking chances and making moves, struggling, and scraping to make it happen. However, through it all, the singer maintains a positive attitude and the belief that they will ultimately be successful.
Overall, Skippin' Stones is a feel-good, inspirational song that encourages listeners to live in the moment and enjoy life to the fullest.
Line by Line Meaning
And I'ma' drink and I'ma' dip and I'ma ride and I'ma' live
I will indulge in drinking, dipping, riding, and living my life to the fullest.
It's just the way that I play
This is my lifestyle.
And I'ma' think and I'ma spit and I'ma' fly and I'ma' give
I will think, create, fly high, and give until the end of my life.
Until the end of my day's
This will continue for the rest of my life.
I'm skippin' stones 'till I'm lost in the world
I'm skipping stones until I lose myself to the world.
Fall in love and then get lost in a girl
I'll fall in love with a girl and lose myself to her.
You gotta live life
Life is meant to be lived.
And ain't no tellin' what tomorrow can bring
We can never know what the future holds.
As long as you breathin' and livin' ya dream
As long as we're alive and pursuing our dreams.
I'm packin' and leavin' travelin' and sight seein'
I'm packing my bags, traveling, and seeing new places.
Writin' my name in the sand on the beach in the Caribbean
I'm leaving my mark on the beautiful beaches of the Caribbean.
Hittin' the club give a pound and a hug to the thugs
I'm going to the club and greeting the thugs with a pound and a hug.
Later on I'm makin' love on that bear skin rug
Later, I'm making love on a bear skin rug.
'Cause I'm skippin' town I'm skippin stones
I'm leaving town and skipping stones.
And all I know is I'm alone
I'm alone in my journey.
I feel the vibe inside me and I'm not gonna let it go
I feel a strong energy within me and I won't let it fade.
And I'm laughin' and cryin' and buyin' time
I'm laughing, crying, and spending my time wisely.
I'm not gone let it go
I won't let go of this energy.
And I'm findin' a dime thata wanta good time and I'm not gonna let her go
I've found a woman who wants to have a good time and I won't let her go.
And it's all on the line but I'm still gone' shine I'm not gone let it go
Even though there's a lot at stake, I'll still shine and not give up.
Slow it down for a minute while I capture the sky
I'm slowing down to appreciate the beauty of the sky.
Surfing the clouds wind surfin' through a deep sea dive
I'm enjoying the experience of being up in the sky.
The devil's tryin' to get up in my soul but I'm not gone let it go
I'm resisting temptation and not giving in to the devil.
And I'm drinkin' this spiritual wine so he can't fuck with my flow
I'm drinking a spiritual wine that will protect me from the devil's influence on my life.
Keep on runnin' through all my days
I'm constantly running through life.
He got a need for speed
I have a desire for speed and excitement.
But what you runnin' from playa
What are you running from, my friend?
I think he runnin' from me
I think he's running away from me.
Take ya time and just relax
Take your time and relax.
He ain't got time to take
He doesn't have the time to relax.
Slow it down and think about it
Slow down and think about your actions.
He got moves to make
He has to make his moves.
Strugglin' and scrapin' takin' chances attemptin' to make it
I'm struggling, scraping by, taking chances, and attempting to make it.
The time that was taken was tedious but fuck it we made it
The time it took was difficult, but we made it.
Created much later now playin' n' singin' invaded with Piper n' Dave
Created much later, now playing and singing, with Piper and Dave.
And the angels bout to make us the greatest
The angels will make us the greatest.
Somebody save us the shit that we spittin' soundin' ridiculous
Someone save us, the things we're saying sound ridiculous.
Rippin' and gifted with lyrics flavored up more than licorice
Our lyrics are filled with flavor, like licorice.
Shift it and kick it with enough spittage to make it Sickenin'
Shift and kick it with enough spit to make it sickening.
Skippin' stones, mama I'm gone its time to rip this shit
Skipping stones, mama, it's time for me to take off and start making something great.
And all I know is I'm alone
Despite my success, I am still alone.
Lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: SPENCER THOMSON, TREVOR TERNDRUP, TYLER RITTER, THOMAS PUTNAM, WES BAILEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind