Pump Me Up
Grandmaster Melle-Mel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rappers might be willin but they ain't able
Cause I was their king straight from my cradle
I screamed and hollered and shook my rattle
And dreamt of defeating them all in battle
There was no food in my silver spoon
I'm a righteous king but I'm hungry too
And I eat up chumps that rap like you
Then I met this shark and his name was Jaws
He was biting my rhymes like y'all bite yours
I starting writing my rhymes the shark grew and grew
But I was writing more rhymes than the shark could chew
The shark got sick and then he exploded
Cause he didn't realize that my rhymes was loaded
They flew in the air and into the sea
And the whole universe knew that the king was me
Come on, I said come on, I said come on
I'm not a laser beam or a diamond mine
Or a platinum watch or some vintage wine
Not a pocket full of pearls I'm a oil well
Like black gold baby I'm Melle Mel
And to all the fly girls I come off hard
The slightest wink or nod makes me your god
All my problems are small so my pockets are large
When I walk in the door Oh baby I'm in charge
Treat ladies like jewels and diamond rings
On my fingers on my arms on everything
On the streets oh my Jesus! I can't be beat
So don't ask where's the beef baby here is the meat
I'm gonna give you some soap a towel and a cup
Cause the bum emcees are all washed up
Put your women on the line with the rest of my crew
So I can make love to her and annihilate you
Pump, pump ( me up!) me what? (me up!)
Pump, pump, pump, pump me up!
I'm like the genie in your lamp
A face on your stamp
The hip hop rocker
The microphone champ
Got a knock out voice
Like a Rolls Royce
Gotta rank as number one
To be the people's choice
Cause you can hum a ding then you can hum a dong
Its just like the friendly game of ping pong
When you hitting the ball upside the paddle
It's just like cowboy riding on a saddle
Up above your head is the flash of light
Cause I can rock to the beat on any God given night
Like to rock like to roll like to entertain
While my car's outside you're waiting for the train
The train to the bus the bus to whatever
And I'm the type of MC to rock in any type of weather
I'm the bow legged brother there'll never be another
I bought a mansion for my mother
Come on, I said come on, I said come on
I got a certain cool that breaks the rules
That get me paid and a lot of jewels
And the women I'm calling day and night
That's proof I'm getting mine like a thief in the night
Because Scorp is known as the singer
The quiet storm that lover didn't linger
I will not change cause its in my blood
I'm like dynamite and you a rappin dud
And if the future is here in the making
Then why I can't be part of the taking
Cause you know I like cars and fancy women
That give me good love in the beginning
Bubble bath and candle lights
And girls saying Scorp you alright?
So stop standing there
I'm not a laser beam or a diamond mine
Or a platinum watch or some vintage wine
Not a pocket full of pearls I'm a oil well
Like black gold baby I'm Melle Mel
And to all the fly girls I come off hard
The slightest wink or nod makes me your god
All my problems are small so my pockets are large
When I walk in the door Oh baby I'm in charge
Treat ladies like jewels and diamond rings
On my fingers on my arms on everything
On the streets oh my Jesus! I can't be beat
So don't ask where's the beef baby here is the meat
I'm gonna give you some soap a towel and a cup
Cut the bum emcees are all washed up
Put your women on the line with the rest of my crew
So I can make love to her and annihilate you
Pump, pump ( me up!) me what? (me up!)
The lyrics of "Pump Me Up" by Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five speak about the rapper's confidence and his conquest over other rappers who cannot match his skills. He claims to be a king who was born to defeat all in battle, even from his cradle. He then speaks about his struggle while growing up and his hunger to conquer the rap scene. He portrays himself as a prolific writer who can outmatch any competition. He narrates a story where he meets a shark named Jaws, who bites his rhymes but could not digest them, and he explodes. The rapper boasts about his success with women and money, and how he outshines his rivals in every aspect.
Line by Line Meaning
Rappers might be willin but they ain't able
Some rappers have the desire to be great, but lack the ability
Cause I was their king straight from my cradle
The singer believes they were born destined to be better than other rappers
I screamed and hollered and shook my rattle
As a child, the singer was already showing signs of passion and aggression
And dreamt of defeating them all in battle
The artist has always had the dream of being the best rapper and defeating all other competitors
There was no food in my silver spoon
The artist did not come from a wealthy upbringing and had to work hard to get where they are
So I grew up hard and I grew up soon
The singer had to mature quickly due to their difficult upbringing
I'm a righteous king but I'm hungry too
The singer is proud of their success but remains humble and still wants more
And I eat up chumps that rap like you
The artist sees other rappers as lesser and easily defeated competition
Then I met this shark and his name was Jaws
The artist is referencing an opponent that they faced in the rap game
He was biting my rhymes like y'all bite yours
The opponent was taking the artist's style and using it for their own gain
The shark got sick and then he exploded
The opponent was defeated by the singer's superior skills
Cause he didn't realize that my rhymes was loaded
The opponent underestimated the artist's talent and lost because of it
I'm not a laser beam or a diamond mine
The singer is not a physical entity, but a talented rapper
Or a platinum watch or some vintage wine
The singer is not defined by material possessions or wealth
Not a pocket full of pearls I'm a oil well
The singer is valuable and provides something essential, like oil
And to all the fly girls I come off hard
The artist is attractive and seductive to women
The slightest wink or nod makes me your god
The artist exudes confidence and power over women
When I walk in the door Oh baby I'm in charge
The singer commands respect and authority
Treat ladies like jewels and diamond rings
The singer believes women are valuable and should be treated with respect
On the streets oh my Jesus! I can't be beat
The artist is confident in their abilities and cannot be surpassed
I'm gonna give you some soap a towel and a cup
The artist is mocking lesser rappers and providing them with basic necessities
Cause the bum emcees are all washed up
The artist believes lesser rappers are not worth their time or energy
Put your women on the line with the rest of my crew
The singer is challenging other rappers to compete with their female companions as their prize
So I can make love to her and annihilate you
The artist is boasting their ability to seduce women and defeat their competition
I'm like the genie in your lamp
The singer is compared to a magical entity, capable of great feats
A face on your stamp
The singer is popular and well-known
The hip hop rocker
The singer is a skilled rapper
The microphone champ
The artist is the best rapper on the microphone
Got a knock out voice
The artist has a commanding and impressive voice
Like a Rolls Royce
The quality of the singer's voice is compared to that of a luxury car
Gotta rank as number one
The singer believes they are the best rapper
To be the people's choice
The artist wants to be accepted and favored by the public
Its just like the friendly game of ping pong
The competition between rappers is compared to a game of table tennis
When you hitting the ball upside the paddle
The artist is skilled enough to hit the ball in an unorthodox manner
It's just like cowboy riding on a saddle
The singer is comparing their skills to those of a cowboy riding a horse
Up above your head is the flash of light
The artist is causing excitement and energy in their audience
Cause I can rock to the beat on any God given night
The singer is capable of performing well at any time
Like to rock like to roll like to entertain
The singer enjoys performing and entertaining their audience
While my car's outside you're waiting for the train
The singer is successful and wealthy, while their competition is struggling
And if the future is here in the making
The artist is optimistic about their future in the rap industry
Then why I can't be part of the taking
The artist wants to be successful and wealthy alongside their peers
Bubble bath and candle lights
The singer enjoys luxury and romance
And girls saying Scorp you alright?
The singer is attractive to women and enjoys their attention
So stop standing there
The artist is commanding attention and action
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: WILLIAM GRIFFIN, EMMET NIXON, ROBERT REED, JAMES AVERY, TONY FISHER, ERIC BARRIER, DOUG DAVIS, WILLARD C SMITH, J SPICER, RICK WALTERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sinicalypse
Jesus as a guy who made his own trouble funk shirt and a healthy appreciation of melle Mel how did I not hear this until today?
@jeffreyprather5834
GRANDMASTER FLASH GREATEST RAP GROUP EVER
@wbarn003
You might want to clarify your statement because this is Grandmaster Melle Mel not Grandmaster Flash...You can thank those over at Sugar Hill for the confusion..
@cliftonmoore6928
Nice selection .
@jamalyoung-zq9gl
Dj jazzy Jeff killed this beat
@MrMLD1972
β€
@jamalyoung-zq9gl
Beastie boys hold it now
@smalliebiggs3836
Mel le Mel made the grand master flash!yep
@smallz4116
Mel Rahiem and Cowboy was the group
@mfcmfc8483
To believe when they made the song grandmaster flash was no longer a part of Sugarhill the label and thatβs when Melle Mel started calling himself grandmaster Melle Mel