The end of 2008 saw Grieves enlisting the help of friend and collaborator Budo to co-produce Together/Apart bringing his signature swiss-army knife, multi-instrumental backdrop to Grieves' hauntingly poignant narrative. The album began taking shape in New York as the two built off the success 88 Keys and Counting had generated and paired it with the intensity they developed from their live performances. The recording process began to shadow the theme of the album as it saw tracks recorded in Colorado and Washington in addition to New York, infusing it with a mixture of regional influences while still maintaining a cohesive sound. As the album neared completion the title took on a double meaning for Grieves as he explored new subject matter in the absence of trust, refuge in addiction, acceptance and honesty in self-reflection, and trying to find his place in the world without forgetting his roots.
Shreds
Grieves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Own it like a scar on the face
Stand tall whether taking the gold or in last place
Not really the one to give God praise
But if you got the gospel then tell me how it taste
Hallelujah
I'm a long distance runner sucker
I'm in it for length
It's not a matter of whether or not you can play
But a scale of if you give a fuck enough to make us stay
Lay it down
Separate the men from the mice
Another body under halogen lights missing its life
Wondering what the hell would make you think that
You could judge another person for loving something so much it hurts the stomach
Living by the blood in my neck
With a bulls eye tatted on the back of my head
I never spoke it how they wanted it to be said
So they left me for the winter and the wolves
[Hook]
Tear me into shreds
Rip me into bits
Tear another page out
Punch me in the ribs
I can smell the poison on your lips
Whatever it is I'd be willing to bet
They want to get inside my head
Tell me how it is
Sitting in a tower with a rifle and a list
I can see the razor on your lips
Whatever it is I'd be willing to bet
You should of held your breath
I don't believe in sitting down
Take it like a knife in the back
If it burnt out into nothing after striking the match
I've never been the type to follow the pack
So if its true you got all the answers
Then why the hell you so mad then?
Another holy ghost laid script
Clipped the wings off of my words
And buried the shit
They want to pick apart the passion in my ribs
I invite them
Cause I don't run away from shit
Lay it out
Separate the guns and the flowers
The minutes that go into all of these hours
And I bet if you were given a smidgen of just the tip of the ice berg
I've had to struggle with you
Wouldn't act so sour, maybe not
Livin' off the fruit of my stress
With a size twelve boot heel stepping on my chest
Didn't do it how they wanted it to end
So they threw me to the winter and wolves
Tear me into shreds
Rip me into bits
Tear another page out
Punch me in the ribs
I can smell the poison on your lips
Whatever it is I'd be willing to bet
They want to get inside my head
Tear me into shreds
Rip me into bits
Tear another page out
Punch me in the ribs
I can smell the poison on your lips
Whatever it is I'd be willing to bet
They want to get inside my head
The lyrics of Grieves's song "Shreds" convey a message of resilience and defiance in the face of criticism and adversity. The artist reflects on his experiences of judgment and rejection, emphasizing the importance of owning one's scars and standing tall with pride. He challenges the idea of conformity and denounces those who try to enforce their beliefs on others, advocating for individuality and self-expression instead.
Grieves also touches upon the idea of struggle and the importance of perseverance, comparing his journey to that of a long-distance runner. He highlights the value of passion and dedication, and encourages others not to give up in the face of obstacles. The chorus of the song, which repeats the phrase "tear me into shreds," can be interpreted as a way of expressing the artist's willingness to withstand criticism and overcome adversity.
Overall, "Shreds" is a powerful message of resilience and self-acceptance, urging listeners to embrace their scars and stay true to themselves in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't believe in cutting corners
I don't believe in taking shortcuts
Own it like a scar on the face
Own your mistakes and flaws like a visible scar
Stand tall whether taking the gold or in last place
Stand with confidence regardless of your position
Not really the one to give God praise
Not a religious person, but open to hearing about it
But if you got the gospel then tell me how it taste
If you have strong beliefs, share them with me
Biting on the bullet for strength
Enduring pain for inner strength
I'm a long distance runner sucker
I'm willing to go the distance
I'm in it for length
I'm committed for the long haul
It's not a matter of whether or not you can play
It's not about skill, it's about passion
But a scale of if you give a fuck enough to make us stay
It's about giving enough of a damn to make an impact
Separate the men from the mice
Distinguish the strong from the weak
Another body under halogen lights missing its life
Another person sacrificed for fame and success
Wondering what the hell would make you think that
Questioning the motives of those who judge others
You could judge another person for loving something so much it hurts the stomach
You shouldn't judge someone for being passionate
Living by the blood in my neck
Living by my instincts and intuition
With a bulls eye tatted on the back of my head
Targeted by those who want to bring me down
I never spoke it how they wanted it to be said
I never conformed to others' expectations
So they left me for the winter and the wolves
They left me vulnerable to danger and attack
Tear me into shreds
Trying to break me down
Rip me into bits
Tearing me apart piece by piece
Tear another page out
Trying to erase my existence
Punch me in the ribs
Inflicting physical and emotional pain
I can smell the poison on your lips
I can sense your harmful intentions
Whatever it is I'd be willing to bet
I'm certain that you want to harm me
They want to get inside my head
They want to control me mentally
Sitting in a tower with a rifle and a list
In a position of power, ready to attack
I can see the razor on your lips
I can see that you are dangerous
You should of held your breath
You should have stayed away
I don't believe in sitting down
I don't believe in being passive
Take it like a knife in the back
I'm willing to endure betrayal
If it burnt out into nothing after striking the match
If it fails, it fails, but at least I tried
I've never been the type to follow the pack
I've never been a follower
So if its true you got all the answers
If you claim to have all the answers
Then why the hell you so mad then?
Then why are you still angry and unhappy?
Another holy ghost laid script
Another superficial message
Clipped the wings off of my words
Limiting my expression and creativity
And buried the shit
Trying to suppress my authenticity
They want to pick apart the passion in my ribs
They want to tear down my drive and motivation
I invite them
I'm unafraid of their criticism
Cause I don't run away from shit
Because I don't give up easily
Separate the guns and the flowers
Separate the violent from the peaceful
The minutes that go into all of these hours
The hard work and effort put in every day
And I bet if you were given a smidgen of just the tip of the ice berg
And I'm willing to bet if you knew the full story
I've had to struggle with you
You would understand my struggles
Wouldn't act so sour, maybe not
You wouldn't be so quick to judge me
Livin' off the fruit of my stress
Living off the results of my hard work and effort
With a size twelve boot heel stepping on my chest
Feeling crushed under the weight of others' expectations
Didn't do it how they wanted it to end
Didn't meet others' expectations
So they threw me to the winter and wolves
Left me vulnerable to harsh criticism and attacks
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@uncleodin
"Shreds"
[Verse 1:]
I don't believe in cuttin' corners
Own it like a scar on the face
Stand tall whether taking the gold or in last place
Not really the one to give God praise
But if you've got the gospel, then tell me how it tastes, halleluiah
Bitin' on the bullet for strength
I'm a long distance runner sucker, I'm in it for length
It's not a matter of whether or not you can play
But a scale of if you give a fuck enough to make a statement
Lay it down, separate the men from the mice
Another body under halogen lights missing it's life portrait
What the hell would make you think that you could judge another person
For loving something so much it hurts their stomach, huh?
Living by the blood in my neck
With a bulls-eye tatted on the back of my head
I never spoke it how they want it to be said
So they left me for the winter and the wolves
[Chorus:]
Tear me into shreds, rip me into bits
Tear another page out, punch me in the ribs
I can smell the poison on your lips
Whatever it is, I be willin' to bet
They wanna get inside my head, tell me how it is
Sittin' in a tower with a rifle and a list
I can see the razor on your lips
Whatever it is, I be willing to bet
You shoulda held your breath
[Verse 2:]
I don't believe in sitting down
Take it like a knife in the back
You burnt out into nothing after striking a match
I never been the type to follow the pack
So if it's true, you got the answers, then why the hell you so mad then?
Another Holy Ghost-laid script
Clipped the wings off of my words and buried the shiv
They wanna pick apart the passion in my ribs, I invite them
Cause I don't run away from shit, lay it out
Separate the guns and the flowers
The minutes that go into all these hours
And I bet if you were given a smidgen of just the tip of the iceberg I've had to struggle with
You wouldn't act so sour, but maybe not
Livin' off the fruit of my stress
With a size 12 boot heel steppin' on my chest
Didn't do it how they wanted it to end
So they threw me to the winter and the wolves
[Chorus x2]
@josethebioform7519
I don't believe in cutting corners
Own it like a scar on the face
Stand tall whether taking the gold or in last place
Not really the one to give God praise
But if you got the gospel then tell me how it taste
Hallelujah
Biting on the bullet for strength
I'm a long distance runner sucker
I'm in it for length
It's not a matter of whether or not you can play
But a scale of if you give a fuck enough to make us stay
Lay it down
Separate the men from the mice
Another body under halogen lights missing its life
Wondering what the hell would make you think that
You could judge another person for loving something so much it hurts the stomach
Living by the blood in my neck
With a bulls eye tatted on the back of my head
I never spoke it how they wanted it to be said
So they left me for the winter and the wolves
Tear me into shreds
Rip me into bits
Tear another page out
Punch me in the ribs
I can smell the poison on your lips
Whatever it is I'd be willing to bet
They want to get inside my head
Tell me how it is
Sitting in a tower with a rifle and a list
I can see the razor on your lips
Whatever it is I'd be willing to bet
You should of held your breath
I don't believe in sitting down
Take it like a knife in the back
If it burnt out into nothing after striking the match
I've never been the type to follow the pack
So if its true you got all the answers
Then why the hell you so mad then?
Another holy ghost laid script
Clipped the wings off of my words
And buried the shit
They want to pick apart the passion in my ribs
I invite them
Cause I don't run away from shit
Lay it out
Separate the guns and the flowers
The minutes that go into all of these hours
And I bet if you were given a smidgen of just the tip of the ice berg
I've had to struggle with you
Wouldn't act so sour, maybe not
Livin' off the fruit of my stress
With a size twelve boot heel stepping on my chest
Didn't do it how they wanted it to end
So they threw me to the winter and wolves
Tear me into shreds
Rip me into bits
Tear another page out
Punch me in the ribs
I can smell the poison on your lips
Whatever it is I'd be willing to bet
They want to get inside my head
Tear me into shreds
Rip me into bits
Tear another page out
Punch me in the ribs
I can smell the poison on your lips
Whatever it is I'd be willing to bet
They want to get inside my head
@JAYVICTORIOUSTV
Once I heard this track looked up grieves and just was like alright this dude is a genius and bought as many albums as I could.
@zachwarr3668
Indeed..
@lissiflores2262
Cool
@lissiflores2262
Sunshine is good song redone
@punxroxr1987tltv
He came up in a conversation I was having and I forgot how much I enjoy his stuff. I know what I’m doing today! 7 years ago, damn I feel old now 😂
@LizLofi
@Lissi Flores22 ppp
@65Broncos65
2019 and all your music still stands on it own. No competition.
@johnhaynes3975
damn near 10 yewars later and this song still gets me. lyrical genius, indeed a successor to slug for rhymesayers
@SwiitchStyles
Just got this album in the mail yesterday. Been supporting Grieves since I discovered his music in 2008. This album has been on repeat since I got it. AMAZING.
@moxshyfter
Wow, I can't honestly say I consider myself a fan of rap or hip-hop at all, but this is really freakin good! Thanks for the great music!