George was featured on Season 6 of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry on HBO. He was the 2006 Youth Speaks Grand Slam Poetry Champion, 2006 Brave New Voices International Poetry Slam Champion, and performed in a record six consecutive Youth Speaks Grand Slam Finals. The last three of those audiences, all topping out at over 3,000, were the largest ever for poetry slams anywhere in the world. In 2009 Watsky was one of three poets who performed live on FOX at the NAACP Image Awards in honor of Russell Simmons’ lifetime achievement award.
George has made strides to bring his poetic sensibilities to the theater world. His one-man show So Many Levels has been presented in Boston, San Francisco, Vermont, and at the Hip Hop Theater Festival Critical Breaks series in New York City. He has also been featured at the San Francisco and Washington, DC arms of the Hip Hop Theater Festival. He played the title character and co-wrote a 2004 adaptation of Dante’s Divine Comedy for the Living Word Festival and his stage play Harold’s Fall or King Will is the recipient of the 2009 Rod Parker Playwriting Fellowship.
Taking it to the page and stereo, George’s debut poetry collection and CD, Undisputed Backtalk Champion, was published by First Word Press in 2006. Edited by novelist Adam Mansbach, the book is currently in its fourth printing. As an emcee, Watsky has performed on both coasts with his band Invisible Inc. The trio’s self titled album, a blend of jazz and hip hop, features R&B sensation Passion. He served as a regular on-air personality for WERS Boston’s hip hop show 889@Night for several years.
An honorary graduate of the Centre for Sustainability Leadership in Melbourne, George has emerged as part of a vanguard of artists involved in the sustainability movement. The inaugural Speak Green winner for poetry on climate change, Watsky was twice invited by Robert Redford to perform in Sundance, Utah. He served as host of Green Mic in San Jose, California and of the culminating concert of Powershift 2007 in Washington DC, and performed at Rock the Debate in Oxford, Mississippi, prior to 2008’s first Presidental debate. His work has brought him to the opening plenary of Green Cities 2008 in Sydney, Australia, and Greenbuild Chicago, where he took the stage immediately before President Bill Clinton.
Touring while finishing his college education on a condensed schedule, George has performed at conferences and universities in more than half the states in the US, and two in Australia, appearing at some of the nation’s most notable venues, including the Apollo Theater, the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, the San Francisco Opera House and the Shrine Auditorium. He has shared billing with, among others, Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt and Mohammed Ali.
George graduated from Emerson College with a B.A. in “Writing and Acting for the Screen and Stage,” studying with Keith Johnstone, Ken Cheeseman, Robbie McCauley, Sarah Hickler, Amelia Broome and Andrew Clarke.
Moral Of The Story
George Watsky Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the moral of the story is
And the moral of the story is
(Work!) till your arms fall off
Till your abs get hard and your bone’s all soft
(Just work!) till your hands go numb
And they cramp and the fans in the stands go dumb
You gotta bring yourself your flowers now in show biz
Focus it’s Quiet Coyote come on let’s go kids
Everybody get together with a study buddy
And then talk about the fuck that I don’t give
Because it’s so big and explosive
But a lotta people don’t live, they don’t ever get a motive
If you got a goal you gotta hold onto what hope is
If I didn’t have it I would ask you where the rope is
Work is my church and so the studio’s the closest
I spit it sick until my cootie flow’s the grossest
Don’t be so pissed just be focused on your own shit
‘Cause we Supercalifornialisticsexyandweknowsit
You’re not my biness, I go for number one, not a top five finish
You can have a chicken pot pie
But I’m thinking that I’m gonna have another can of Popeye’s spinach
I’m Rottweiler, pop my collar when I pop my fur
You’re on my nerves, but mark my words
Gotta put a leg up and then mark my turf
[Chorus]
Work until I’m black and yellow black and yellow, worker bee
I just work until I’m black and blue and burgundy
Burgundy, work until I earn that rich mahogany
Honestly, can’t you tell I’m working, bitch don’t bother me
Show some modesty, if you’re watching me
A bitch is anybody in my way it’s not misogyny
But if yer blockin’ me I will soon defeat you
I will build a bridge above you, or I’ll tunnel underneath you
I will eat you and excrete you and I’ll feed you to the flowers
If I need to I’ll go through you and absorb your fucking powers
I put in hour after hour let’s be crystal clear
I’m gonna get there if it takes a day or fifty years
I’ll fingerbang my fears, I’ll fucking punch a dragon
Even with the Himalayas in my way it’s gonna happen
‘Cause waiting doesn’t work, and praying may not come through
And hoping doesn’t work. So I will be the one to (work)
[Chorus]
And maybe someday you might see me in a glossy photo
No weirdo’s rocked the bells as hard as me since Quasimodo
In “Moral of the Story”, Watsky encourages the listener to work hard and persistently to achieve their goals. He repeats the phrase “work till your arms fall off, till your abs get hard and your bone’s all soft” in the chorus as a metaphor for pushing oneself to the limit. He also acknowledges the difficulties of working in show business and urges his listeners to bring themselves flowers and to be their own source of motivation. He mentions his work ethic in the line, “Work is my church and so the studio’s the closest” and later states that he’ll “get there if it takes a day or fifty years.” Watsky asserts his determination with lines like “waiting doesn’t work, and praying may not come through, and hoping doesn’t work. So I will be the one to (work)”. He also shows a sense of humor in the lyrics, referencing Popeye’s spinach and Quasimodo.
The chorus of the song is accompanied by a lively and upbeat instrumental featuring clapping, drums, and guitar. Watsky’s fast-paced rapping is in contrast to the slower and more melodic verses. Nonetheless, he maintains a clear and confident flow throughout the song. The lyrics and melody are intended to inspire listeners to pursue their dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
And the moral of the story is
This is the lesson to be learned
Work! Till your arms fall off
Put in as much effort as possible
Till your abs get hard and your bone’s all soft
Keep working until your body feels weak
Just work! Till your hands go numb
Continue working until you can't feel your hands
And they cramp and the fans in the stands go dumb
Keep working so hard that even the onlookers are awed
I write till my fingers look like a bouquet of roses
I write so much that my fingers resemble flowers
You gotta bring yourself your flowers now in show biz
You must reward yourself for your work
Focus it’s Quiet Coyote come on let’s go kids
Stay focused and quiet to get the job done
Don’t be so pissed just be focused on your own shit
Stay concentrated on your own goals
If you got a goal you gotta hold onto what hope is
If you have a goal, maintain hope and never let go
Work is my church and so the studio’s the closest
I consider my work like a religion and the studio is my temple
You can have a chicken pot pie
You can have something mediocre while I strive towards excellence
But I’m thinking that I’m gonna have another can of Popeye’s spinach
I will go above and beyond what the average person does
You’re not my biness, I go for number one, not a top five finish
I won't let anyone get in the way of me becoming number one
Work until I’m black and yellow black and yellow, worker bee
Work tirelessly like a worker bee
Burgundy, work until I earn that rich mahogany
Work hard until I achieve a rich and valuable success
Honestly, can’t you tell I’m working, bitch don’t bother me
Don't interrupt my work because it's obvious that I'm working hard
I will build a bridge above you, or I’ll tunnel underneath you
I will find a way to overcome any obstacle in my path
I’ll fingerbang my fears, I’ll fucking punch a dragon
I will conquer my fears and overcome anything standing in my way
Even with the Himalayas in my way it’s gonna happen
I will succeed even if the odds are stacked against me
‘Cause waiting doesn’t work, and praying may not come through
Sitting around waiting or hoping won't lead to success
And hoping doesn’t work. So I will be the one to (work)
The only way to achieve success is by putting in the work
And maybe someday you might see me in a glossy photo
If I keep working hard, I will achieve success
No weirdo’s rocked the bells as hard as me since Quasimodo
I have worked harder than anyone else to achieve my goals
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: George Watsky, Nichel Shoe, Waner Camerline
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@aryanaek6516
Work!
'Till your arms fall off
'Till your abs get hard
And your bone's all soft
Just work!
'Till your hands go numb
And they cramp and the fans
In the stands go home
I write 'till my fingers look like a bouquet of roses
You got to bring yourself your flowers now in show biz'
Focus it's quiet coyote
Come on let's go, kids
Everybody get together with a study buddy
And I'll talk about the fuck that I don't give
Because it's so big
And explosive
But a lot of people don't live
They don't ever get a motive
If you got a goal you got to hold onto what hope is
If I didn't have it I would ask you where the rope is
Work is my church and so the studio's the closest
I spit it sick until my cootie flow's the grossest
Don't be so pissed
Just be focused
On your own shit
Cause we super-cali-fornia-listic sexy and we knows it
You're not my business
Go for number one, not a top 5 finish
You could have a chicken pot pie
But I'm thinking that I'm gonna have another can of Popeye spinach
I'm a rottweiler
Pop my collar when I pop my fur
You're on my nerves, but mark my words,
Got to put a leg up and I'll mark my turf
Work! [x8]
Work! [x8]
Work!
'Till your arms fall off
'Till your abs get hard
And your bone's all soft
Just work!
'Till your hands go numb
And they cramp and the fans
In the stands go home
Work until I'm black and yellow
Black and yellow, worker bee
I'll just work until I'm black and blue and burgundy
Burgundy
Work until I earn that rich mahogany
Honestly
Can't you tell I'm working bitch don't bother me
Show some modesty
If you're watching me
'Bitch' is anybody in my way, its not misogyny
But if you're blocking me,
I will soon defeat you
I will build a bridge above you or I'll tunnel underneath you
I will eat you and excrete you
And I'll feed you to the flowers
If I need to I'll go through you and absorb your fucking powers
I put in hour after hour
Let's be crystal clear
I'm gonna get there if it takes a day or fifty years
I'll finger-bang my fears
I'll fucking punch a dragon
Even with the Himalayas in my way it's gonna happen
Cause waiting doesn't work
And praying may not come through
And hoping doesn't work
So I will be the one to
Work! [x8]
And maybe someday you might see me in a glossy photo
No weirdo's rocked the bells as hard as me since Quasimodo
And maybe someday you might see me in a glossy photo
No weirdo's rocked the bells as hard as me since Quasimodo
No weirdo's rocked the bells as hard as me since Quasimodo
@kevinschepp5434
watsky is like if Michel cera unleashed his savage side.
@charlescarranzainactiveacc3499
+Kevin Schepp Youth In Revolt? Haha
@larryrottenberk7771
+Joseph Hays Youth in Revolt i think
@sisibailhache3051
Omg I was thinking the same thing 😍😍😍 and I find both him and Michael Cera EXTREMELY HOT!! 😂😂😂
@iamtrashman3089
When he was performing at his Aus show, he didn't come out so we all started chanting Michael Cera and he came out, it was fucking hilarious
@alexsayther1603
Kevin Schepp know what the use tchotchke for when he came a young man
@mybikiniarea
i never thought michael cera could inspire me so much omg
@gameguy9212
Wait, what? What does that have to do with this song?
@LetsGetFrosty
THATS who I was thinking of! I couldn't put a finger on it
@kyleb707
I knew I wasnt the only one who thought he looked like George-Michael. lol.