Little Death
Lupe Fiasco Lyrics

Now bring it out
Let's reveal the truth.

Like a finger in the back of your mouth
Uncomfortable, but necessary for the truth to come out.

Cherubs and cerebellum, Tara at Sarah's wedding
An apparently random mix of words representing the chaos of life.

Sam marrying Sam
Love knows no gender.

Band pushed upon the finger of Sam's hairiest hand
A symbol of society's discomfort with non-conventional relationships.

If that sickens you, you a bigot
If you are disgusted by love, you are prejudiced.

If it doesn't well then you wicked
If you are not disgusted by love, you are not evil, but you have a higher understanding of love.

Such is life
This is what life is like - complicated and unpredictable.

Odd as Egg McMuffins at night
As strange as breakfast food at an unusual time.

No answers, so let us watch these dancers
When we don't know the answers, a spectator's perspective is often the best option.

Structure reformed gracefully being born
Change can be graceful, even when it's uncomfortable, like a birth.

On the pallet of dark greys, concaves and spirals
The palette of life is full of dark emotions and complex shapes.

Kaleidoscope into a Eiffel
Life is intricate and full of surprises.

It ripples then it tidals
Change can be unpredictable, with highs and lows.

Vacillates then it virals
Change can be hesitant before it takes off, like a virus.

Babylons then it Bibles and others
Change can take on many forms over time.

And tell me of the spinning mothers
The world is full of complex relationships, including motherhood.

And today's mathematics for beloved
The current state of affairs in the world of love and relationships.

And beasts' bellies covered like the cummerbunds of butlers
The world is full of contradictory imagery - like a beast's belly being compared to a butler's cummerbund.

How was your day, can I make what you say
Small talk that doubles as an attempt to understand someone.

What I wanna hear, cause I want you here
A desire to understand and connect with someone we care about.

The hell that we raised to the heavens do anything for
The chaos we cause in the world is often for a greater good.

La petite mort, la petite mort
A reference to the small death, or orgasm.

They keep the bottles just to make glass houses
People hold onto things that they don't need, creating their own problems.

Then climb up to the second floors and throw rocks out it
People often neglect the consequences of their actions.

Then expect not a volley in reply
People are often surprised when their actions have consequences.

Some place vulnerable like prolly in the eye
The vulnerabilities we hide can be the most painful, like an eye injury.

What of the chicken? what is it missin', is it dry?
A metaphor for the mistreatment of animals and the degradation of our food supply.

Did it die in some inhumane conditions so it didn't go relaxed
A reference to the cruel conditions in which animals are often raised and slaughtered.

And attention from its demise pulled all of the flavor from the fat
A commentary on how cruelty can diminish the quality of life and death.

And made it flat and rather lifeless
A commentary on how poor treatment can reduce the quality of our food.

Well there's a place that has a stunning (?)
A reference to a possible solution, like a more humane method of food production.

And more mercifully murdered Pisces
A reference to the killing of fish, which can be done more humanely.

But barbaric are still the prices
Even in a more humane world, we can still be cruel and unjust.

It's rather niceless, apricot in dices and fromage slices
A commentary on how our search for luxury can lead to a lack of real joy in life.

My son will call risotto rices
A humorous commentary on how traditions change over time.

If and when he's left to his own devices, well
A commentary on how life changes when we're on our own.

How is your memory?
An attempt to understand someone's state of mind and emotions.

Is it returning like a lemon tree
Asking if someone is recovering after a memory lapse.

To bear bitter fruit of what you meant to me
Reflecting on the bad memories that arise when someone you love leaves you.

Or was it slippin' like permission am I trippin' like Phil
Asking if someone is struggling with their memory like Phil Connors in the movie Groundhog Day.

I feel I'm grippin' but maybe the transmission
A metaphor for how our thoughts and feelings can be muddled and unclear.

Still left out the life, also left out the will, grief
When our clarity is lacking, we can feel lost and empty.

Will cheese never touch your teeth
A humorous question about someone's dietary restrictions.

Maybe like kosher beef
A possible explanation for the dietary restrictions.

Is it real, is it real, is it real
A question about the authenticity of someone's beliefs or experiences.

Ha, hah!
An expression of amusement or surprise.

How at the date can I make you my break
An awkward attempt to ask someone out.

Cause I want you dear, ooh, I want you dear
An expression of desire for someone.

The hell that we raised to the heavens make (?) for
A commentary on how some of the problems we create can lead to positive change.

Our petite mort, our petite mort
A reference to the small death, or orgasm.

So glad you're back, but not glad at that you're glad
An expression of conflicting emotions when someone returns after a time away.

Where is the glamor in collapse?
A question about the lack of beauty in destruction and chaos.

Where in the shatter of the facts shoves one back to a pattern of stab wounds
A commentary on how traumatic events can repeat and cause further pain.

Swoon ridden goons consumed and driven mad soon
A reference to how we can be controlled by our emotions and desires.

The attended years slowly fills with baboons
A metaphor for how our lives can be wasted on trivial pursuits.

That other monkey business
A pun on the idiom 'monkey business,' or mischievous activities.

Where killers go free cause a junkie's a funky witness
A commentary on how the justice system can be flawed and let criminals go free.

Runny mascaras from the cunning mask wearers of death
A metaphor for how our outward appearances can conceal our inner emotions and agendas.

Bygone errors, sittin' like two oil derricks
A commentary on how our mistakes can loom over us like two massive structures.

Separated by a sea of cooling num nums
A humorous way of describing the distance and apathy that can exist between people.

Reminiscing of an every day playing hum drum
A nostalgia for the simplicity of everyday life.

Where recognition went unnoticed
A commentary on how we can fail to appreciate the good things in life.

And then solidified till it was stoic
A commentary on how our apathy can turn to coldness and numbness.

We should've been poets
A statement about how our lives could have been more creative and meaningful.

Somewhere between amateurs and grandmasters of iambic pentameter
A reference to the different levels of proficiency in poetry.

How are your chains, do they make you behave
A commentary on how social norms and expectations can constrain us.

Keep you over here, by your overseer
A commentary on how power structures can limit our freedom and choices.

Fallen from grace down from heaven to memories (?)
A commentary on how we can feel like we've lost something precious in life when we're no longer free or innocent.