Born in Detroit in the late 80’s, Lizzo spent much of her formative years in the church, where she was raised on the gospel sounds of The Winans, The Clark Sisters, and Fred Hammond, along with mainstay secular artists such as Stevie Wonder and Elton John. At the age of 10 her family moved to Houston, TX, and Lizzo was exposed to a wide array of emerging Southern musical styles, from the trademark chopped and screwed rap tracks of the underground, to the progressive and polished R&B sounds of groups like Destiny’s Child that were raising the city’s national profile to new heights. In fact, it was after she stumbled across a Destiny’s Child performance at Wal-Mart that Lizzo—then a 5th grader-- was inspired to start writing music on her own. Over the next decade that decision would take her through the trenches of some of the most varied musical genres: R&B girl groups (I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S., Cornrow Clique), progressive rock bands (Elypseas), solo rap ventures, and electro-pop duos (Lizzo & The Larva Ink).
In 2011 she made the move to Minneapolis with Larva Ink in order to be a part of that city’s blossoming and collaborative musical community. Lizzo & The Larva Ink was well received there, and the group earned a few encouraging nods from the press. Lizzo was soon introduced to Sophia Eris and Claire de Lune, with whom she would form The Chalice, the three-piece all-female rap/R&B group that would elevate Lizzo’s profile and reputation. In 2012 The Chalice released We Are The Chalice, an album that would gain them instant local success amongst fans and critics alike, garnering City Pages’ prestigious Best New Band and Picked To Click accolades in the same year.
The success brought setbacks, though, and a falling out soon led to the demise of Lizzo & The Larva Ink. Feeling discontent with the loss of one group and the hurried blur of success of another, Lizzo was creatively drained from writing We Are The Chalice in two short months. She found herself in the throes of her first full-blown case of writer’s block. Unable to create music for herself, she began listening to several different local albums in hopes of finding inspiration. It was LAVA BANGERS, a 20-track instrumental mixtape from Doomtree producer and Minneapolis music vet Lazerbeak, that ultimately caught her ear. Beaks’ beats proved the fix for Lizzo’s problem. “I sat at home and listened to LAVA BANGERS, and when “Lift Every Voice” came on, my writer’s block was cured,” says Lizzo. “I think it revived my gospel roots. I wrote pages and pages of songs, and finally reached out to Lazerbeak, not thinking anything would come of it.”
Her timing could not have been better. Beak, impressed with Lizzo’s output with The Chalice, as well as her guest appearances on several other local releases, was looking for a change of pace from his daily Doomtree production and business responsibilities. He immediately signed on to work on some demos. Beat tapes were exchanged, songs were written, and mutual friend and musical collaborator Ryan Olson (Totally Gross National Product founder, Gayngs/Marijuana Deathsquads mastermind) was brought on board to creatively oversee the project. Olson recorded and edited all 15 tracks in his bedroom studio, bringing in laid back hype-man Cliff Rhymes along the way to add even more layers to Lizzo’s dynamic vocals.
LIZZOBANGERS is the culmination of that four-way collaboration, an album that manages to capture all of the varied musical influences of Lizzo’s upbringing and combine them with the forward-thinking experimental production style of Beak and Olson. The end result is a brave new project that encapsulates the best parts of both the familiar and the future.
New Eyes
Lizzo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I gather up my thoughts and questions
Could I ever be like you?
Could I ever be a person, so real and so true?
It seems implausible
I look at my reflection
If only I could say
The things I never mention
And I'd like to thank you for the human I've become
I'm sorry if I've let you down
I'm trying, I'm learning as I stumble along
To see this new world without your eyes
Once upon a time there was a girl who so much loved the world
She gave her only begotten sunshine
And dried her stained eyes on a neck tie
Took the best lies made 'em truths
And spit sad soliloquies in the booth
'Cause people think they know but they barely knew
The reality of what the other-siders do
But I've been there, I've learned that
Seen a whole bunch of world and done came back
Got a reckoning for wrecking in my knapsack
'Bout to journey on foot through the outback
GRRRL PRTY is the label on my snapback
Doin' worldwide shows in a black hat
'Bout to tell your ass a story so take that
Free prophecies from a black cat
Seen his demise with a pair of brand new eyes
It was sickening, guy
Never wanted to be stickin' it to thickening thighs
But now he deeper than the secrets that he keep with a lie
"Mm, tastes good!" baby say with a cry
Now wait
Thinkin' about it too much, too much
Deepen the profit sooner, sooner
He never wanted to be a loser
But the bruises of losing is oozing through his fingers
The tips that like to brush at my hips
Is now at the hilt of a sword, Lord
On the battlefield, torn, sworn
To never think about another lover
Hopin' he had time to recover but nothing's ever easy
Beware the sting of queen bee (Grr!)
And I'd like to thank you for the human I've become
I'm sorry if I've let you down
I'm trying, I'm learning as I stumble along
To see this new world without your eyes
So many things in he I would like to be
Wiser, more light on my feet
I could look up in the mirror and change me
Or right over my shoulder and save me
Thinkin' about back, back when, when I ain't have nothing
Not a thing or a ring to my name
Now my feet in the game, knee deep, don't speak
Feelin' like Gwen Stefani in this thing
But I can't complain 'cause we asked for this
Feelin' like a workaholic or a masochist
Don't call like I should like it's sacrilege
To make a dollar in a dream into packed venues
Take a second, put your shield down
Laying down my sword, getting off the battlefield now
Makin' bigger moves, bigger pictures in my view now
Get up out of my way I've got ammo for days, pow!
I can feel the weight of wars you've lost
They're victories in my eyes
Every swing you take brings me closer and closer
Open the gates and I'm poised to charge
You told me we'd never get this far
Now we at the final round
There's no way we'll escape battle scars
Battle scars
And I'd like to thank you for the human I've become
I'm sorry if I've let you down
I'm trying, I'm learning as I stumble along
To see this new world without your eyes
"New Eyes" is a powerful and introspective song by Lizzo that explores themes of self-discovery, growth, and reflection. The song begins in the quiet of Lizzo's room, where she is gathering her thoughts and questioning her own identity. She wonders if she could ever be like someone else and be a person that is real and true. These feelings are expressed in the lyrics, "Could I ever be like you? Could I ever be a person, so real and so true? It seems implausible. I look at my reflection. If only I could say the things I never mention. The things you never knew."
The song's chorus is a message of gratitude and self-awareness as Lizzo reflects on the person she has become. While acknowledging that she has made mistakes and apologized for letting someone else down, she is also proud of who she has become. Lizzo sings, "And I'd like to thank you for the human I've become. I'm sorry if I've let you down. I'm trying, I'm learning as I stumble along, to see this new world without your eyes."
The second half of "New Eyes" shifts to a narrative about a man who is struggling with his own identity and relationships. Lizzo offers an empathetic perspective as she sings, "He never wanted to be a loser, but the bruises of losing are oozing through his fingers." The song concludes with a final message of hope and resilience as Lizzo takes charge and charges forward. The lyrics "I can feel the weight of wars you've lost. They're victories in my eyes. Every swing you take brings me closer and closer. Open the gates and I'm poised to charge" expresses the song's underlying message that the struggles and challenges we face make us stronger.
Line by Line Meaning
In the quiet of my room
Reflecting on my life
I gather up my thoughts and questions
Trying to figure out who I am
Could I ever be like you?
Can I be a real and genuine person
Could I ever be a person, so real and so true?
Can I be a true and authentic person
It seems implausible
Unlikely to happen
I look at my reflection
Thinking about myself
If only I could say
Wishing I could express myself
The things I never mention
The things I never talk about
The things you never knew
The things you don't know about me
And I'd like to thank you for the human I've become
Grateful for my growth
I'm sorry if I've let you down
Apologizing for disappointments
I'm trying, I'm learning as I stumble along
Learning from my mistakes
To see this new world without your eyes
Trying to see things differently
Once upon a time there was a girl who so much loved the world
Talking about a girl who loved the world
She gave her only begotten sunshine
She gave her best every day
And dried her stained eyes on a neck tie
Trying to be strong
Took the best lies made 'em truths
Believed the lies were true
And spit sad soliloquies in the booth
Expressing sadness in music
'Cause people think they know but they barely knew
People don't really understand
The reality of what the other-siders do
The truth about what others do
But I've been there, I've learned that
I've experienced and learned
Seen a whole bunch of world and done came back
Traveled and returned
Got a reckoning for wrecking in my knapsack
Dealing with my mistakes
'Bout to journey on foot through the outback
Going on a personal journey
GRRRL PRTY is the label on my snapback
My music group
Doin' worldwide shows in a black hat
Performing all over the world
'Bout to tell your ass a story so take that
Sharing my story
Free prophecies from a black cat
Sharing my insights
Seen his demise with a pair of brand new eyes
Seeing his downfall from a new perspective
It was sickening, guy
It was disgusting
Never wanted to be stickin' it to thickening thighs
Didn't want to cause harm
But now he deeper than the secrets that he keep with a lie
Caught up in lies
"Mm, tastes good!" baby say with a cry
Taking pleasure in bad behavior
Now wait
Thinking carefully
Thinkin' about it too much, too much
Overthinking it
Deepen the profit sooner, sooner
Getting money quickly
He never wanted to be a loser
Not wanting to fail
But the bruises of losing is oozing through his fingers
Feeling the pain of loss
The tips that like to brush at my hips
The touches I used to enjoy
Is now at the hilt of a sword, Lord
Now hurting me
On the battlefield, torn, sworn
Fighting and struggling
To never think about another lover
Not wanting to love again
Hopin' he had time to recover but nothing's ever easy
Struggling to recover
Beware the sting of queen bee (Grr!)
Watch out for powerful people
So many things in he I would like to be
I want to be better
Wiser, more light on my feet
Smarter and more agile
I could look up in the mirror and change me
I can change myself
Or right over my shoulder and save me
Someone else can help me
Thinkin' about back, back when, when I ain't have nothing
Reflecting on poverty
Not a thing or a ring to my name
Having nothing
Now my feet in the game, knee deep, don't speak
Now I'm succeeding, but can't speak out of fear
Feelin' like Gwen Stefani in this thing
Confident and successful
But I can't complain 'cause we asked for this
Can't complain about our success
Feelin' like a workaholic or a masochist
It's hard work but worth it
Don't call like I should like it's sacrilege
Don't call too much
To make a dollar in a dream into packed venues
Turning dreams into success
Take a second, put your shield down
Take a break from being defensive
Laying down my sword, getting off the battlefield now
Stopping the fight
Makin' bigger moves, bigger pictures in my view now
Making progress
Get up out of my way I've got ammo for days, pow!
Ready for anything
I can feel the weight of wars you've lost
Feeling the pain of your losses
They're victories in my eyes
They are lessons for me
Every swing you take brings me closer and closer
Your failures bring me closer to success
Open the gates and I'm poised to charge
Ready to go for my goals
You told me we'd never get this far
You didn't believe in my success
Now we at the final round
Now I've made it
There's no way we'll escape battle scars
There will be challenges, but I'm ready
And I'd like to thank you for the human I've become
Grateful for my growth
I'm sorry if I've let you down
Apologizing for disappointments
I'm trying, I'm learning as I stumble along
Learning from my mistakes
To see this new world without your eyes
Trying to see things differently
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jack Robert Patterson, Grace Chatto, Melissa Jefferson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Doja Cat
on Pink
Whoa that’s a lot of work to do and my restless