4 New Genius
Gorillaz Lyrics


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Dream on my world
I live on my world
Going off my head down to
Somewhere
Goin' on the best of tune
And pressure today
I blew a bad man away today
Had to go
Had to be told
I blew the man away

Brother, sister too
Do what you must do
Don't trust people you meet

Yeah, yeah
They might promise you
That the river ain't deep

Dream on the street
People passing through me
Yes they do
Well my friend
Oh my heart bends
Gonna bring it all back

(She walked out tomorrow) brother, sister too
(Like a corner, yeah) do what you must do
Don't trust people you meet

Yeah, yeah
They might promise you
That the river ain't deep
That the river ain't deep

(She walked out tomorrow) brother, sister too
(Like a corner, yeah) do what you must do
Don't trust people you meet
Yeah, yeah
They might promise you
That the river ain't deep

Do what you ought to do
Ooh my baby they say
The river ain't deep
But it's in the dark

The river ain't deep





Ah, the river ain't deep
Ah, the river ain't deep

Overall Meaning

The Gorillaz song "New Genius" features lyrics that are open to interpretation. The singer is singing about living on his own world, which may refer to a feeling of isolation or disconnection from the world around him. He sings about experiencing pressure and having to do something difficult, which may point to a situation of conflict or confrontation. The line "Had to go / Had to be told / I blew the man away" suggests that the singer had to do something violent or fatal in order to resolve the situation.


The chorus of the song is a warning to the listener to be cautious of people they meet and not to trust them blindly, as they may make promises that cannot be kept. The line "That the river ain't deep" is repeated multiple times, possibly as a metaphor for something that may seem safe or easy but is actually dangerous or risky. The final lines of the song "Do what you ought to do / Ooh my baby they say / The river ain't deep / But it's in the dark" further emphasize this notion, suggesting that things may not always be as they seem.


Overall, "New Genius" is a song that explores themes of isolation, conflict, and distrust, with a warning to be careful of those who may try to deceive or harm. The metaphor of the river provides a powerful image of the risks that may lie beneath the surface of seemingly safe situations.


Line by Line Meaning

Dream on my world
Imagining a world that exists only in my mind


I live on my world
Existing in this imaginary world, rather than reality


Going off my head down to somewhere
Feeling like I'm losing control of my thoughts and emotions


Goin' on the best of tune
Feeling great, like everything is going right


And pressure today
Feeling the weight of problems and stress today


I blew a bad man away today
I killed someone today


Had to go
I had to do it


Had to be told
Something or someone else made me do it


Brother, sister too
Addressing others who are close to me


Do what you must do
Do what you need to do, even if it's difficult


Don't trust people you meet
You can't always believe what people tell you


They might promise you that the river ain't deep
People might make false promises, saying that something is safe or easy


Dream on the street
Continuing to imagine this ideal, imaginary world even while out in reality


People passing through me
Feeling ignored or pushed aside in real life


Well my friend
Finally addressing someone I know intimately


Oh my heart bends
My heart is aching and sad


Gonna bring it all back
Going to try and return to the ideal world I've imagined


(She walked out tomorrow) brother, sister too
Recalling a moment from the future when someone will leave


(Like a corner, yeah) do what you must do
Using a metaphor to describe the difficult situation


Do what you ought to do
Do the right thing, even if it's not the easy thing


Ooh my baby they say
Others have told me something


The river ain't deep
The thing others told me about isn't dangerous or problematic


But it's in the dark
The truth of the matter is unknown, even to those who say it's not deep


Ah, the river ain't deep
Repeating what someone else has said


Ah, the river ain't deep
Repeating what someone else has said




Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAMON ALBARN, FONTAINE BROWN, JAMIE HEWLETT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@naranjaglaseada5608

Dream of my world
I live on my world
Going off my head, down to, somewhere
I'm going on a dancehall tune
I'm in a pressure today
I blew a bad man away, today
Higher ground, had to be told
I blew a man away

Brother sister too
Do what you must do
Don't trust people you meet
They may promise you
That the river ain't deep

Dream of a street
People passing through me, yes they do
Want my friend
Want my heart mend
I'm going to bring it all back to you

Brother sister too
Do what you must do
Don't trust people you meet
They may promise you
That the river ain't deep



@herbertgoncalves4345

[Verse 1 : 2D]
Ohh
Dream on my world
I live on my world
Going out my head, down to somewhere
Goin' on a dance hall tune
In a pressure today
I blew a bad man away today
Had a gun, had to be done
I blew a man away

[Chorus]
Brother, sister too
Do what you must do
Don't trust people you meet, yeah, yeah
They might promise you
That the river ain't deep

[Scratching interlude]

[Verse 2]
Dream on the street
People passing through me, yes, they do
Want mine back. I want my heart mend?
I'm gonna bring it all back


[Chorus]
Brother, sister too
Do what you must do
Don't trust people you meet yeah
They might promise you
That the river ain't deep
Brother, sister too
Do what you must do
Don't trust people you meet yeah
They might promise you
That the river ain't deep

[Outro]
Brother, sister too
Do what you want to do



All comments from YouTube:

@notamuffin

I love their new stuff, but I don't think people realise that Damon was trying his best to make his voice sound different, to sound more like 2-D when he sung, but after Demon Days, he decided to go with his regular voice.

@Char10tti3

probably much harder for him to do now, some blur fans made a video comparing his live shows for them and he has a much different voice for those too. Shame but at least he has songs like Sleeping Powder and I know the megaphone effect but imo it was a bit overused in Humanz

@mr.fahrenheit3768

"Regular" isn't the word I'd use

@tannerjacobson3674

When you think about it, it makes sense that Albarn's voice changed over the course of the Gorillaz albums. 2d's voice would change too as he got older

@Fuzunga

5/4 he literally sounds like 90s Blur though...

@TheCBLingo

I think Damon was just 20 years younger and really, really stoned.

48 More Replies...

@mutantdevil11

Damon  found his password to the account. Finally :D

@mylifeisameme8656

Omg is that really what happened?? hahaha

@salmasandoval5026

Is a joke

@SlingingHashSlasher

Us a joke

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