Piper - Vocals
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."

Train
Flipsyde Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sunshine feelin' static through your body you don't know what's going on
Then a creep crawl the mind bends bet it all then cash in and be gone
Cause it's side corners and street lights caught in this haze and I here them callin'

I hear that train just callin'
Callin' me home
I hear that train just callin'
Callin' me home

I hear that train just callin'
Callin' me home

I had a dream that everything wasn't the way it seemed
Martin was the President and Malcolm the VP
Bush wore a rubber and W was never born
We never bombed Nam and never went to Desert Storm
Little babies was birthed to ladies and grown men
Instead of gangsters and bitches not knowing were to begin
Because we born into this world to die trained to kill steal and lie
Raised to sin just to survive framed cause if we caught we fry
Somebody save us they said the saviors comin'
But if he ain't got nuclear weapons he should keep on runnin'
Cause they bombin' the palaces churches and temples and mosques
We got the freedom of speech until yo ass get shot
Where's the train

I hear that train just callin'
Callin' me home
I hear that train just callin'
Callin' me home
I hear that train just callin'
Callin' me home

Sometimes the candlelight is brighter than the sunshine darkness is long gone
Diggin' my soul still not knowing what's going on
Four in the morning a thousand miles away from home
Glassy and tight eyes reddish and off white observing the ice
Swimming in my cup until it's right
Cause it's midnight I'm in the devils daughter and it's so tight
I'm doin' it till I'm gone midnight I'm in the devils daughter and it's so tight
I'm doin' it till I'm gone

I hear the train just callin'
Callin' me home
I hear the train just callin'
Callin' me home

I hear that train just callin'
Callin' me home

Overall Meaning

The song "Train" by Flipsyde reflects on the struggles of life and the desire to escape from it all. The first verse talks about feeling overwhelmed and lost in life but then taking a chance at something and walking away from it all. However, the singer hears the train calling him back home. This creates a sense of internal conflict - should he go back or keep running away from his problems? The chorus repeats the line "I hear that train just callin', callin' me home" emphasizing the desire to escape from life's difficulties.

The second verse is a contrast to the first verse, as it talks about a dream world that could be. An alternative world where historical events did not take place, babies are born to loving parents, and people do not need to resort to crime to survive. However, the dream world is replaced quickly with the harsh reality of life where people live in fear, terror reigns supreme, and finally, the song calls for a savior to save us from this nightmare. The lyrics evoke a sense of desperation to escape from the violent world we inhabit.

The third verse adds more depth to the song's meaning. The singer is a thousand miles away from home, and they are in a dark place. They are using alcohol and other substances to escape their problems, and they are trapped in the clutches of the devil's daughter. The third verse connects the singer's personal struggles to the larger societal struggles of the second verse. The final repetition of the chorus brings the song full circle as the singer yearns to hear the train call once again.

Line by Line Meaning

Sunshine feelin' static through your body you don't know what's going on
Feeling confused, uncertain and on edge without knowing the cause

Then a creep crawl the mind bends bet it all then cash in and be gone
Giving in to temptation and risking everything, only to leave with the winnings

Cause it's side corners and street lights caught in this haze and I here them callin'
Feeling lost, trapped and lured into a dangerous situation

I had a dream that everything wasn't the way it seemed
Imagining a better, different world than the harsh reality

Martin was the President and Malcolm the VP
Hypothetically placing African American leaders as the highest officials in the U.S.

Bush wore a rubber and W was never born
A humorous way of saying that the Iraq War never happened, and President Bush used contraception thus preventing his birth

We never bombed Nam and never went to Desert Storm
Imagining a world without past U.S. military conflicts

Little babies was birthed to ladies and grown men
A world with fewer single mothers and absent fathers due to less gang violence and poverty

Instead of gangsters and bitches not knowing were to begin
In a crime-free world, the youth could better utilize their time and resources

Because we born into this world to die trained to kill steal and lie
Feeling trapped in a vicious cycle of violence, theft and dishonesty

Raised to sin just to survive framed cause if we caught we fry
Feeling like committing crimes is the only way to survive, but also a recipe for imprisonment

Somebody save us they said the saviors comin'
Holding onto hope for a better future

But if he ain't got nuclear weapons he should keep on runnin'
Suggesting that peace can only be preserved through weapons of mass destruction

Cause they bombin' the palaces churches and temples and mosques
Frustration with the ongoing religious and cultural wars around the world

We got the freedom of speech until yo ass get shot
The limitations and ironic consequences of freedom of speech

Sometimes the candlelight is brighter than the sunshine darkness is long gone
Finding solace and peace in the quiet and gentle moments in life

Diggin' my soul still not knowing what's going on
Searching for answers and meaning in life

Four in the morning a thousand miles away from home
Feeling lost and detached from one's familiar surroundings

Glassy and tight eyes reddish and off white observing the ice
Describing the physical symptoms of drug use and addiction

Swimming in my cup until it's right
Recklessly drowning one's problems with alcohol

Cause it's midnight I'm in the devils daughter and it's so tight
Giving into temptation and being caught up in a dangerous, seductive environment

I'm doin' it till I'm gone midnight I'm in the devils daughter and it's so tight
Acknowledging the potential self-destructive consequences of indulging in temptation

I hear the train just callin' Callin' me home
The train symbolizes the longing to escape from the current reality and returning to a place of safety and peace

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVE LOPEZ, JINHO HAKIM FERREIRA, STEPHEN ALTON SMITH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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