Born in 1978 in Puerto Rico, Gabriel Rios soon chose a path which few from … Read Full Bio ↴Born in 1978 in Puerto Rico, Gabriel Rios soon chose a path which few from his kin before him did. A blonde angel whispered that he should follow her lead. Young Gabriel kicked his heels and travelled through turbulent clouds, ending up in a city that was not his, but which he embraced. Enter a new-found posse. Being a bunch of young wolves, they started playing music, created a way to communicate their thoughts to the outer world and christened themselves The Nothing Bastards. They toured the country.

After a couple of years Gabriel felt an itch. His Puerto Rican roots urged him to start digging in his own past. This led to a quest with the band L. Santo. Alas! Gabi felt that he could only get to the bottom of things on his own. He decided to devote his time to seeking for the inner spark that made him tick. In his search, he ran into one of Belgian s finest producers, Jo Bogaert, whose -Pump up the Jam- after circling the planet successfully crashed with the souls of Puertorican youngsters. Fate brought Gabriel and Jo together and they created a universe in which Gabriel could freely confront his ever creeping demons and yet treat his ghosts with the utmost respect. Gibbering like two old rapscallions Bogaert and Rios created an album, Ghostboy: an ode to that part of you guys who just, well, you know what I am talking about - on which Gabriel united his old-skool Caribbean roots with his love for hip hop and melody. Gabriel, besides currently being involved in extremely nasty, extracurricular activities, is still busy recording with Jo Bogaert. This time the project will bear the name of another species of neither the here nor the there, beware of the -Angelhead-.

Burning Son
Gabriel Rios Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've listened to the things you people say Letting all that love you hide
see the light of day
Open up and let it show
Make it plain for all to see
I guess I just don't think that way Such ways are not for me They're not for me
I guess I always knew I'd start a war and lock my chances in with me,
hang a rag outside that door
And if I had a mirror

I would point my mirrors to
your ships and laugh just like a burning sun
But then that wind began to crawl
And I stumbled through the pages in the book How did I
end up selling urchins to the sea?
Is it me?
Or was it just another day
when I rose and fell just like a burning sun?
I moved on without friends and family for doing all that putting up
and pinning all that faith on me One by one I let them down
Now they wonder why
They wonder how
I walk around just like a burning sun
How do I sing of all the empty pages that it took? When I feel,
I feel I'm selling urchins to the sea
Is it me,

or was it just one hundred days?
So I rise and fall just like a burning son. Just like a burning son.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Gabriel Rios's song “Burning Son” talk about self-discovery and the path one chooses in life. The song starts with the artist talking about listening to other people's opinions and how some people hide their love instead of letting it show. However, the artist admits that such ways are not for him. He believes in being true to oneself and letting it show no matter what. He also mentions that he knew he would start a war and lock his chances in with him. This line is probably hinting towards the internal struggles the artist is facing, causing him to feel like he is at war with himself.

As the song progresses, the artist talks about stumbling through the pages in the book and selling urchins to the sea. These lines could be interpreted as the artist trying to find his way and make sense of his situation. He also talks about feeling like he is walking around like a burning sun, which seems to be a metaphor for the internal anguish he is experiencing.

The artist ends the song by acknowledging that he has let down his friends and family, and they wonder why and how he got to this point. In the end, he feels like he is rising and falling like a burning sun, which could signify the constant cycle of going through a rough patch and then getting back up again.

Line by Line Meaning

I've listened to the things you people say
I have paid attention to what others say

Letting all that love you hide see the light of day
Reveal and embrace the affection that is concealed from the world

Open up and let it show
Unveil and display your feelings

Make it plain for all to see
Present your emotions without any ambiguity or disguise

I guess I just don't think that way
Perhaps I do not possess the mentality or inclination for such behavior

Such ways are not for me
I do not conform to such customs and practices

I guess I always knew I'd start a war and lock my chances in with me, hang a rag outside that door
I had a premonition that I would be the instigator of conflict and carry my destiny with me, leaving a sign of warning

And if I had a mirror I would point my mirrors to your ships and laugh just like a burning sun
If there was a mirror available, I would direct it towards your vessels and smirk like a blazing sun

But then that wind began to crawl And I stumbled through the pages in the book How did I end up selling urchins to the sea?
Yet, a gentle breeze arose, and I flipped through the pages of a book, pondering how I became a peddler of sea urchins

Is it me?
Am I responsible?

Or was it just another day when I rose and fell just like a burning sun?
Or was it a routine occurrence when I triumphed and failed, much like a fiery star?

I moved on without friends and family for doing all that putting up and pinning all that faith on me One by one I let them down Now they wonder why They wonder how I walk around just like a burning sun
I progressed without any loved ones because they had high hopes and beliefs in me, and I gradually disappointed them. Now they are amazed and perplexed that I continue to exist with an intense and scorching glare

How do I sing of all the empty pages that it took? When I feel, I feel I'm selling urchins to the sea Is it me, or was it just one hundred days?
How can I express the countless blank days that have elapsed? Every time I sense, I feel like I am vending sea urchins. Am I responsible or has it merely been a hundred days?

So I rise and fall just like a burning son. Just like a burning son.
Therefore, I lift off and descend like a blazing star, just like a blazing star.

Contributed by Alex V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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