Downtown
Kool Moe Dee Melle Mel Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Grandmaster Caz Eric Nally Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Salesman's like what up, what's your budget?
And I'm like honestly, I don't know nothing about Mopeds
He said I got the one for you, follow me
Ooh, it's too real
Chromed out mirror, I don't need a windshield
Banana seat, a canopy on two wheels
Eight hundred cash, that's a hell of a deal
I'm headed downtown, cruising through the alley
Tip-toeing in the street like Dally
Pulled up, moped to the valley
Whitewalls on the wheels like mayonnaise
Dope, my crew is ill, and all we need is two good wheels
Got gas in the tank, cash in the bank
And a bad little mama with her ass in my face
I'mma lick that, stick that, break her off, Kit-Kat
Snuck her in backstage, you don't need a wristband
Dope
Killing the game, 'bout to catch a body
Passed the Harley, Dukie on the Ducati
Timbaland, Khaled, Scott Storch, Birdman
God damn, man, everybody got Bugattis
But I'ma keep it hella nineteen eighty seven
Head into the dealership and drop a stack and cop a Kawasaki
I'm stunting on everybody, hella raw, pass the Wasabi
I'm so low that my scrotum's almost dragging up on the concrete
My seat is leather, alright, I'm lying, it's pleather
But girl, we could still ride together
You don't need a Uber, you don't need a cab
Fuck a bus pass, you got a Moped man
She got nineteen eighty eight Mariah Carey hair
Very rare, mom jeans on her derriere
Throwing up the West Side as we tear in the air
Stop by Pike Place, throwing fish to a player
Downtown, downtown (downtown)
Downtown, downtown (downtown)
She has her arms around your waist
With a balance that will keep her safe
(Downtown)
Have you ever felt the warm embrace
(Downtown)
Of the leather seat between your legs
(Hey-ey-ey-ey, hey-ey-ey-ey)
(Hey-ey-ey-ey, hey-ey-ey-ey)
Downtown
You don't want no beef, boy
Know I run the streets, boy
Better follow me towards
Downtown
What you see is what you get girl
Don't ever forget girl
Ain't seen nothing yet until you're
Downtown
Dope
Cut the bullshit
Get off my mullet
Stone washed, so raw
Moped like a bullet
You can't catch me
A po-po can't reprimand me
I'm in a B-Boy stance, I'm not dancing
I got your girl on the back going tandem
'Cause I'm too damn quick, I'm too damn slick
Whole downtown yelling out who that is?
It's me, the M, the A-C, the K
Sounding like a French pimp from back in the day
I take her to Pend Oreille and I watch her skate
I mean, water ski, ollie ollie oxen free
I'm perusing down fourth and they watching me
I do a handstand, the eagle lands on my seat
Well hello, but baby, the kickstand ain't free
Now do you or do you not wanna ride with me
I got one girl, I got two wheels
She a big girl, that ain't a big deal
I like a big girl, I like 'em sassy
Going down the backstreet listening to Blackstreet
Running around the whole town
Neighbors yelling at me like, you need to slow down
Going thirty-eight, Dan, chill the fuck out
Mow your damn lawn and sit the hell down
If I only had one helmet I would give it to you, give it to you
Cruising down Broadway, girl, what a wonderful view, wonderful view
There's layers to this shit player, tiramisu, tiramisu
Let my coat-tail drag but I ain't tearing my suit, tearing my suit
Downtown, downtown (downtown)
Downtown, downtown
She has her arms around your waist
With a balance that will keep her safe
Have you ever felt the warm embrace
Of the leather seat between your legs
Downtown
You don't want no beef, boy
Know I run the streets, boy
Better follow me towards
Downtown
What you see is what you get girl
Don't ever forget girl
Ain't seen nothing yet until you're
Downtown
You don't want no beef, boy
Know I run the streets, boy
Better follow me towards
Downtown
What you see is what you get girl
Don't ever forget girl
Ain't seen nothing yet until you're
Downtown
The song "Downtown" is about riding a moped through the city and experiencing the freedom that comes with it. The lyrics depict the singer's excitement about finding a moped that he likes and his subsequent joy as he rides it downtown. He describes the moped's features, such as the chromed-out mirror, banana seat, and canopy, and he revels in the attention he receives as he rolls through the city streets. The chorus encourages the listener to join in on the adventure, promising that riding on the moped is a unique and freeing experience.
The verses of the song focus on specific aspects of the singer's ride. He describes cruising through the alley and feeling like he's walking on air, and he talks about the good feeling he gets when he's with his friends and riding his moped. He also boasts about "killing the game" and passing other vehicles, naming a variety of famous people who also drive fancy cars. Finally, he celebrates the freedom of riding through the city, saying that even though he's not driving a fancy car, he feels like he's stunting on everyone else.
Overall, "Downtown" is a song about embracing a simpler form of transportation and enjoying the freedom that comes with it. The song encourages listeners to join in on the ride and to embrace the joy of feeling the wind in their hair and the pavement beneath their feet.
Line by Line Meaning
I went to the Moped store, said fuck it
I visited a store that sells Mopeds although I had no intention to do so.
Salesman's like what up, what's your budget?
The salesman asked about my budget as he thought he could sell me a moped.
And I'm like honestly, I don't know nothing about Mopeds
I was honest to the salesman about not knowing anything about mopeds.
He said I got the one for you, follow me
The salesman thinks he had the right moped for me and guides me to it.
Ooh, it's too real
The moped looks good and is just as the salesman described it.
Chromed out mirror, I don't need a windshield
The moped's chromed mirror was a nice touch so I didn't need a windshield.
Banana seat, a canopy on two wheels
The moped had a unique and comfortable banana seat with a canopy-like structure on two wheels.
Eight hundred cash, that's a hell of a deal
I thought that paying $800 cash for the moped was a great deal.
I'm headed downtown, cruising through the alley
I started cruising through the alleyways in the downtown area.
Tip-toeing in the street like Dally
I was moving carefully through the street like Dally from 'The Outsiders.'
Pulled up, moped to the valley
I arrived in the valley on my moped.
Whitewalls on the wheels like mayonnaise
The moped had white-walled wheels that resembled mayonnaise.
Dope, my crew is ill, and all we need is two good wheels
My crew was awesome, and all we needed was a reliable set of wheels.
Got gas in the tank, cash in the bank
I had enough money in my bank account and gas in the tank of my moped.
And a bad little mama with her ass in my face
I had a pretty and flirty girl with me, and her behind was close to my face.
I'mma lick that, stick that, break her off, Kit-Kat
I had intimate intentions with the girl, and we made a pact like breaking off a Kit-Kat bar.
Snuck her in backstage, you don't need a wristband
I got her to the backstage section without needing to show a wristband.
Killing the game, 'bout to catch a body
I was doing very well and on my way to achieving greatness.
Passed the Harley, Dukie on the Ducati
I overtook the rider on a Harley and on a Dukati respectfully.
Timbaland, Khaled, Scott Storch, Birdman
I referenced noteworthy musicians namely Timbaland, DJ Khaled, Scott Storch, and Birdman as I cruised down the street.
God damn, man, everybody got Bugattis
Everyone seemed to be getting or have already obtained Bugattis.
But I'ma keep it hella nineteen eighty seven
Despite the trends, I would remain old-school like in 1987.
Head into the dealership and drop a stack and cop a Kawasaki
I intended to go to a store to purchase a Kawasaki by spending a lot of money.
I'm stunting on everybody, hella raw, pass the Wasabi
I was showing off to everyone and being unapologetically raw while passing around some Wasabi.
I'm so low that my scrotum's almost dragging up on the concrete
I was riding low on the moped, and it felt like my scrotum was touching the concrete.
My seat is leather, alright, I'm lying, it's pleather
I fibbed about the seat of my moped by saying it was leather when it was pleather.
But girl, we could still ride together
The girl I was with and I could still ride the moped together despite the seat.
You don't need a Uber, you don't need a cab
I suggested that the girl I was with wouldn't require a ride from Uber or a cab since we had a moped.
Fuck a bus pass, you got a Moped man
The moped was practically better than having a bus pass, according to me.
She got nineteen eighty eight Mariah Carey hair
The girl I was with had hair that looked like Mariah Carey's in 1988.
Very rare, mom jeans on her derriere
The girl's jeans were rare and up-to-date as they were worn by moms and showed off her derriere.
Throwing up the West Side as we tear in the air
As we rode the moped, we threw our hands up to represent the West Side and exited the area whilst doing so.
Stop by Pike Place, throwing fish to a player
We decided to take a brief stop near Pike Place Market to watch some fish being thrown around.
She has her arms around your waist
The girl had her arms wrapped around my waist as we rode the moped.
With a balance that will keep her safe
The girl had a balancing technique that would keep herself as well as me safe.
Have you ever felt the warm embrace
I was asking the listeners if they had ever felt the warmth of an embrace.
Of the leather seat between your legs
I asked if they had ever felt the comfort of a leather seat between their legs.
Hey-ey-ey-ey, hey-ey-ey-ey
The lyrics here are a nonverbal exclamation sound.
You don't want no beef, boy
I warned a boy against getting into any sort of trouble with me.
Know I run the streets, boy
I let him know that I was someone who had control over the streets.
Better follow me towards
I suggested that the boy should keep following me.
What you see is what you get girl
I told the girl with me that she could trust me since I was exactly how I appeared to be.
Don't ever forget girl
I advised the girl not to forget that I was genuine.
Ain't seen nothing yet until you're
I assured her that she hadn't seen anything yet until she was with me.
Cut the bullshit
I wanted everyone to stop talking nonsense.
Get off my mullet
I requested someone to stop bothering me or getting in my way.
Stone washed, so raw
I was referring to my clothing as I dressed in stone-washed raw garments.
Moped like a bullet
The moped went fast and smooth like a bullet.
You can't catch me
Nobody could catch up to me as I was too fast.
A po-po can't reprimand me
The police wouldn't be able to stop me, and I wouldn't get into trouble.
I'm in a B-Boy stance, I'm not dancing
I stood in a B-Boy stance, ready for anything, instead of dancing.
I got your girl on the back going tandem
The girl got on the back of the moped with me and sat tandem or side-by-side.
'Cause I'm too damn quick, I'm too damn slick
Because I was fast and slick, or clever.
Whole downtown yelling out who that is?
People in the whole downtown area wondered who I was.
It's me, the M, the A-C, the K
I introduced myself as MACK (M-A-C-K).
Sounding like a French pimp from back in the day
I spoke like a French pimp from the olden times.
I take her to Pend Oreille and I watch her skate
I took her to a specific lake to watch her skate.
I mean, water ski, ollie ollie oxen free
I corrected myself, saying that she was water skiing, not skating while using the phrase 'ollie ollie oxen free'.
I'm perusing down fourth and they watching me
I was cruising down Fourth Street, and people were watchful of me.
I do a handstand, the eagle lands on my seat
I did a handstand while riding the moped, and a bald eagle landed on the seat.
Well hello, but baby, the kickstand ain't free
I greeted someone with 'hello,' but as a joke, told them the kickstand wasn't free.
Now do you or do you not wanna ride with me
I wanted to know if they would like to ride the moped with me.
I got one girl, I got two wheels
I had one girl and just two wheels of the moped.
She a big girl, that ain't a big deal
The girl I was with was big, but that wasn't an issue for me.
I like a big girl, I like 'em sassy
I was into big and sassy girls.
Going down the backstreet listening to Blackstreet
We were riding down the backstreet while listening to Blackstreet music.
Running around the whole town
We were riding all around the town.
Neighbors yelling at me like, you need to slow down
The locals shouted at us, telling us to slow down.
Going thirty-eight, Dan, chill the fuck out
I was going at a speed of 38 mph, and Dan asked me to calm down.
Mow your damn lawn and sit the hell down
I told the locals to mow their lawns and mind their businesses.
If I only had one helmet I would give it to you, give it to you
If I had only one helmet, I would give it to the person listening.
Cruising down Broadway, girl, what a wonderful view, wonderful view
As we rode down Broadway, we saw a beautiful sight of the view, and I commented on it.
There's layers to this shit player, tiramisu, tiramisu
I was implying that there were different levels to the experiences we were having, similar to the layered Italian dessert Tiramisu.
Let my coat-tail drag but I ain't tearing my suit, tearing my suit
I allowed my coat-tail to drag along the ground, but I didn't want to tear my suit.
Downtown, downtown
I reiterated that we were out 'downtown.'
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JACOB DUTTON, BEN HAGGERTY, RYAN LEWIS, ERIC NALLY, JOSHUA KARP, JOSHUA RAWLINGS, DARIAN ASPLUND, EVAN FLORY-BARNES, TIM HAGGERTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@aae1977
because it helps me to have the songs not be too long at first. but then afterwards the directors cut can be hours and hours long. I hope they release additional footage from When the Levees Break or if God is willing and the creek is ready to be controlled through steady stewards I hope spike lee is still gathering footage to this day but in the meantime I only need 5 minutes for the take away. and the first 5 minutes of the second half of if god is willing and the creek don't rise available on prime I hope free for all time so people can see Obama go to downtown and go to wherever the heart of the city is and the heart of the city and the heart of this song is downtown and downtown is where it is safe for children to talk with presidents while the bad grownups stay at home and go to summer school.
I hope that helps. I believe the song was longer at first but was shortened. sometimes when I dream too high I get seven dimensional and I recognize I gotta come down from mount sinai sometimes and certainly a lot can go wrong in 5 minutes. but a lot can go write. and in any case. the song is a perfect length for me.
7 minutes would have lost too many of the short-attention-spanned so perhaps the directors landed on a happy medium of five minutes for this version but once they get on the mother ship and all the flat earth 2 dimensional grownups are safely left behind. all the boys and all the girls because all boys and girls go to heaven as children to be free and full and filled and fulfilled by loving protection from harm everyone 6 6 6 feet away at a distance and everyone feels safe becaseueveryone has everyone 6.
my uncle Aaron is a soldier in the Space Force and he told me that "if a friend has your six o clock it means your facing 12 o clock and you are the center of a perfectly egineered clock and you can choose the position of your six and we the adults and soldiers will always protect your six o clock always. you count on uncle Aaron to always stand between you and the enemies gate. and the enemies gate is always down so whenever you are down you are with me and when you and I are one and with your other loved ones than you are always protected like in a veil of loved ones and you are the one standing on the fire escape looking down on the street below. you are ken Griffey junior and this song is for that child and for his uncle Aaron and his Aunt Kima).
basically, I am mixing my metaphors but Downtown is a film like the book the Color Purple. it shows how deeply painful it is to love and how pefectly symmetry we love our way to the end which is when all enemies sit on a porch together and somehow have all been all along the closest dearest and most elemental and eternal group of friends that expands and somehow expands and expands. and never ends.
Downtown is the film and book and book film the Princess Bride, just with the names changed and the genders removed to protect the innocent and then giving to hip hop to remind us that HIPS hop don't lie. so there. that's that in 5 minutes.
-thankful to be
delete the following
d will sit at the children's table with all their friends and family and uncles and aunts and gods and dogs because they all go to heaven. and here's the thing:
heaven is downtown.
the enemies gate is always down. but that is just basic physics we humans have to throw something behind in order to ascend. but only gods comprehend how to do that humanely and in order for all to enjoy the full blessings of a land and a city and its downtown where
MLB MVP KG JR can witness street fights that are safe and kind and kinda fun and Kima can read OK moon goodnight moon and there is no night in Zion so every fight in heaven downtown on the blocks were all the little children who ever were scared of the big city or the bigger country would know there was grownups in the room and adults surrounding them and protecting them like Kima in the Wire and like so many elements in this song that got filmed and only people who upvote good things and compassionately and carefully and considerably considerately consider that we are all in this together so judge wise. fools mock. and then they have to sit through an entire presidency reflecting on how not to treat the loudest most obnoxious man in the room. we all drop the mic. lets be sure next time not to drop it into the wrong hands.
we Shakespeares and shaka Zulus and African bambatas gotta not provoke ire or wrath. we can deescalate and please never offend the least of these any child in heaven or earth or anywhere in the universe. downtown is safe and must be for all eternity and thus it is.
thank you for making this movie. and keeping it within my limited attention span of theater.
love
falling profit
@laggy3099
"Goin' 38 Dan, CHILL THE FUCK OUT! Mow your damn lawn and SIT THE HELL DOWN!"
Macklemore is back.
Fuck yeah.
@davidmoreno6358
best part in song
@MG-zt8nq
FUCK YEAH!
@savannuhcourtney1665
I love it!!
@laggy3099
+Roxas The Key of Destiny™ Well, to be fair, it's only January, so it's only been out a few months.
@OneTrueBelmont
+Fat6amer I think that's the best line in the song.
@laurynh.603
Oh um ok..I thought that was a woman singing..my life has been a lie
@jimisawesome123
+Lauryn H. Me too!
@lukedodson3855
+Lauryn H. IKR!
@ying7784
yeah I thought it was one of the HAIM girls!!!