Dark Fantasy
Kanye West Lyrics

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You might think you've peeped the scene
You haven't
The real one's far too mean
The watered down, the one you know
Was made up centuries ago
They made it sound all wack and corny
Yes its awful blasted boring
Twisted fictions, sick addiction

Well gather 'round children
Zip it listen!

Can we get much higher?
So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Can we get much higher?
So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Can we get much higher?
So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Can we get much higher?
So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I fantasized 'bout this back in Chicago
Mercy, mercy me, that Murcielago
That's me, the first year that I blow
How you say broke in Spanish? Me no hablo
Me drown sorrow in that Diablo
Me found bravery in my bravado
DJ's need to listen to the model's
You ain't got no fuckin' Yeezy in your Serato?
(You ain't got no Yeezy, nigga?)

Stupid, but what the hell do I know?
I'm just a Chi-town nigga with a Nas flow
And my bitch in that new Phoebe Philo
So much head, I woke up to Sleepy Hollow

Can we get much higher?
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Look like a fat booty Celine Dion
Sex is on fire, I'm the King of Leon-a Lewis
Beyond the truest
Hey, teacher, teacher
Tell me how do you respond the students?
And refresh the page and restart the memory?
Re-spark the soul and rebuild the energy?
We stopped the ignorance, we killed the enemies
Sorry for the night demons that still visit me
The plan was to drink until the pain over
But what's worse, the pain or the hangover?
Fresh air, rolling down the window
Too many Urkels on your team, that's why your wins low
Don't make me pull the toys out, huh
Don't make me pull the toys
And fire up the engines huh
And then they make noise

Can we get much higher? So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

At the mall there was a seance
Just kids, no parents
Then the sky filled with herons
(I saw the devil) In a Chrysler LeBaron
And the hell, it wouldn't spare us
(And the fires did declare us)
(But after that, took pills, kissed an heiress)
(And moved her back in Paris)

Can we get much higher? So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh

Can we get much higher? So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Can we get much higher? So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Can we get much higher? So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Can we get much higher? So high
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Overall Meaning

In the opening lines of Kanye West's "Dark Fantasy," he critiques the state of popular culture by suggesting that the true nature of reality is far more cruel and violent than the sanitized version that has been created for public consumption. He asserts that the "real one" is "far too mean" than the "watered down" version that's been presented to us by the media. Kanye encourages the listener to pay attention, "zip it listen!" to the twisted fictions and sick addiction that they've been fed. He then poses the question: can we get much higher? This question serves as an invitation to his listeners to join him in his exploration of what lies beyond the surface level of existence.

As the song continues, Kanye West gives us an autobiographical account of his own rise to fame, detailing his early struggles and his recent successes. His braggadocious lyrics boast of his affinity for luxury items like the Murcielago car and his ability to afford them now that he's made it big. He boasts about his unique style, influenced by Nas and his girlfriend, who wears high-end fashion by designer Phoebe Philo. Kanye West continues with his critique of popular culture as he questions the status quo, challenging his peers by asking them if they have "Yeezy" in their music collection.

Despite Kanye West's past struggles and current success, he acknowledges that inner demons still plague him. In a surrealist turn, the song describes a seance at a mall where children call upon the devil who arrives in a Chrysler LeBaron. Kanye suggests that the devil is all around us and that it's up to us to elevate ourselves to a higher plane of existence to avoid being consumed by the darkness around us.

Line by Line Meaning

You might think you've peeped the scene
You may believe you understand the world as it is

You haven't
You truly have not understood the reality of the world

The real one's far too mean
The actual world is much darker and crueler than you can imagine

The watered down, the one you know
The simplified version of reality that you are accustomed to

Was made up centuries ago
It was invented and has been perpetuated for centuries

They made it sound all wack and corny
The portrayal of reality as you know it is made to seem unimportant and frivolous

Yes its awful blasted boring
It is excruciatingly mundane and uninteresting

Twisted fictions, sick addiction
The stories you believe and consume are distorted and harmful

Well gather 'round children
Listen to what I am about to tell you

Zip it listen!
Shut up and pay attention!

Can we get much higher?
Is it possible to elevate ourselves?

So high
To a state of great enlightenment

I fantasized 'bout this back in Chicago
I had this dream when I was living in Chicago

Mercy, mercy me, that Murcielago
I have achieved the success that I once dreamed of

That's me, the first year that I blow
That's who I was in my first year of success

How you say broke in Spanish? Me no hablo
I have transcended being broke, I no longer understand that state of mind

Me drown sorrow in that Diablo
I cope with my pain by indulging in excessive drinking

Me found bravery in my bravado
I have found courage and confidence in my outwardly bold and aggressive behavior

DJ's need to listen to the model's
DJ's need to pay attention to the people who set the trends

You ain't got no fuckin' Yeezy in your Serato?
Don't you have any Kanye West music?

(You ain't got no Yeezy, nigga?)
(You don't have any Kanye West music, man?)

Stupid, but what the hell do I know?
That was a silly question to ask

I'm just a Chi-town nigga with a Nas flow
I'm just a regular guy from Chicago with a flow similar to that of Nas

And my bitch in that new Phoebe Philo
My partner is dressed in the new collection from Phoebe Philo

So much head, I woke up to Sleepy Hollow
I received so much oral sex that I woke up with a numb head like the character from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Look like a fat booty Celine Dion
She has a big butt and a singing voice like Celine Dion

Sex is on fire, I'm the King of Leon-a Lewis
My sex life is intense like the song 'Sex on Fire' and I'm as talented as the singer Leona Lewis

Beyond the truest
More authentic than the authentic

Hey, teacher, teacher
Hey, teacher, listen up

Tell me how do you respond the students?
How do you explain things to your pupils?

And refresh the page and restart the memory?
How can we change the way we think and remember?

Re-spark the soul and rebuild the energy?
How can we reignite our passion and restore our vitality?

We stopped the ignorance, we killed the enemies
We have defeated ignorance and overcome our adversaries

Sorry for the night demons that still visit me
Apologies for the negative thoughts that still haunt me at night

The plan was to drink until the pain over
My original plan was to numb my pain through alcohol

But what's worse, the pain or the hangover?
Which is worse, the pain of my struggles, or the physical pain of a hangover?

Fresh air, rolling down the window
Taking a breath of fresh air and feeling the breeze

Too many Urkels on your team, that's why your wins low
There are too many weak links on your team, which is why you don't win often

Don't make me pull the toys out, huh
Don't make me resort to violence

And fire up the engines huh
Let's get ready to go

And then they make noise
Everyone will start cheering and making noise

At the mall there was a seance
A gathering to communicate with the dead was taking place at the mall

Just kids, no parents
Only young people were present, without supervision

Then the sky filled with herons
The sky became filled with large birds (possibly bull herons)

(I saw the devil) In a Chrysler LeBaron
(I had a vision of the devil who was) driving a Chrysler LeBaron

And the hell, it wouldn't spare us
We were not forgiven by hell, it was merciless towards us

(And the fires did declare us)
(The fires pronounced judgment upon us)

(But after that, took pills, kissed an heiress)
(But after that, I took some pills and kissed a wealthy woman)

(And moved her back in Paris)
(And moved to Paris with her)

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Robert F. Diggs, Onika Tanya Maraj, Malik Yusef El Shabbaz Jones, Kanye Omari West, Michael Gordon Oldfield, Ernest Dion Wilson, John Roy Anderson, Mike Dean, Justin Deyarmond Edison Vernon

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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