The song’s title comes from a lyric of ZZ Hill’s “That Ain’t The Way You Make Love” which was sampled for this song.
DOOM: Yeah I’m used to working like that so it wasn’t hard for me to work with him and the spontaneity. For instance, Fancy Clown, I love that song. Now the beat was already arranged like that so I had to write around what he had there, so he had the chorus and kind of everything in there and I had to make up a concept around it, like ‘what is this gonna’ mean?’ And I wrote Fancy Clown around that, based on the original record; I’m not sure where it was from?
Madlib: Oh, you’re taking about the loop? The loop was ZZ Hill.
D: ZZ Hill? That shit is ill. So the chorus is already there, so I wrote the whole story around the arrangement. The beat was already in the middle, the verses space were there, you left the spaces there for me, it’s almost like the instrumental was made first and it was already as it is. So yeah, spontaneity I learned from this guy, to really hone in on that. I was doing it before but he reminded me.
Source: Bonafide Magazine
Fancy Clown
Madvillain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Playing all innocent and hoeing since the foundation
Don't make me have to pound his tin crown face in
And risk being jammed up like traffic inbound from spacing
There's been a place for you in my heart since we first met
A teenage love that didn't feel no hurt yet
My boys warned me you was poison like BBD first cassette
And still I put all my chips on the worst bet
How dare you drag my name in the dirt and cheat
You could've broke it off and ended it and dip
And if you spoke soft we could've still preserved the friendship
Now you apologize, that's what they all say
You wasn't sorry when you sucked him off in the hallway
But have it your way, raw, no foreplay
That's you if you want a dude who wear a mask all day
And just to think I used to be proud of you
And you had some real good power
Probably kissed me later that evening, I should be hurling
Matter of fact, gimme back my bracelet and my Shearling
I rather waste it or give it to your girlfriend
She did let me stab it last week while you was workin'
Remember our vacation out to Maryland
I dooked the maid Carolyn, she made me throw the towel in
Like all foul men the time I hit your moms off
I told her knock it off but she had to set the rocket off
Ain't enough room in this fucking town
When you see tin head tell him be ducking down
I'm not romping around
He better be ready and prepared to be stomped in the ground
The song "Fancy Clown" by Madvillain is a melancholic tale of infidelity, heartbreak, and betrayal. The rapper, MF Doom, tells the story of a relationship gone sour after he discovers his lover has been cheating with someone else. He confronts her about it, but she apologizes and tries to make amends, which only further enrages him as he taunts her for her actions. The lyrics are full of bitterness and anger as Doom expresses his disappointment and disillusionment with love.
The song relies heavily on metaphors and imagery to convey its message, such as references to BBD's "Poison" and the "tin crown face" of the other man involved. The lyrics are also laced with profanity and veiled threats, adding to the intensity and raw emotion of the track. The chorus, which repeats the line "Just remember ALL CAPS when you spell the man name," adds to the defiant and aggressive tone of the song.
This track is a standout on Madvillain's album, "Madvillainy," which is regarded as a classic in underground hip-hop circles. The album was produced by Madlib, who is known for his eclectic beats and unconventional sampling techniques. The album's focus on abstract and avant-garde production values, coupled with Doom's introspective and often bleak lyrics, made it a critical and commercial success.
Line by Line Meaning
I knew you was fucking around
I suspected that you were cheating on me
Playing all innocent and hoeing since the foundation
You were acting innocent and pretending to be faithful from the beginning
Don't make me have to pound his tin crown face in
Don't make me have to physically harm the person you cheated on me with
And risk being jammed up like traffic inbound from spacing
And risk getting in trouble with the law like being stuck in traffic
There's been a place for you in my heart since we first met
I have had feelings for you since we first met
A teenage love that didn't feel no hurt yet
A young love that wasn't hurt yet
My boys warned me you was poison like BBD first cassette
My friends warned me that you were dangerous like the first cassette of the music group BBD
And still I put all my chips on the worst bet
And still I took the biggest risk by being with you
Gave up the skirt, now I gotta hear it from the street
I sacrificed my reputation for you and now people are talking about me
How dare you drag my name in the dirt and cheat
How could you ruin my reputation and cheat on me?
You could've broke it off and ended it and dip
You could have ended our relationship before cheating on me
And if you spoke soft we could've still preserved the friendship
If you had been honest with me, we could have still remained friends
Now you apologize, that's what they all say
Now you apologize, but that's what everyone says
You wasn't sorry when you sucked him off in the hallway
You were not sorry when you gave him oral sex in the hallway
But have it your way, raw, no foreplay
Do what you want, have sex without any preparation or affection
That's you if you want a dude who wear a mask all day
That's what you get if you want to be with someone who hides his true identity all the time
And just to think I used to be proud of you
And to think that I used to be proud of you
And you had some real good power
And you had some real power and influence
Probably kissed me later that evening, I should be hurling
You probably kissed me later that evening, but I feel like throwing up
Matter of fact, gimme back my bracelet and my Shearling
In fact, return my bracelet and Shearling jacket to me
I rather waste it or give it to your girlfriend
I would rather throw it away or give it to your girlfriend
She did let me stab it last week while you was workin'
She let me have sex with her last week while you were at work
Remember our vacation out to Maryland
Do you remember the vacation we took to Maryland?
I dooked the maid Carolyn, she made me throw the towel in
I had sex with the maid Carolyn and she was so good that I gave up
Like all foul men the time I hit your moms off
Like all bad men, I had sex with your mother
I told her knock it off but she had to set the rocket off
I asked her to stop, but she wanted to continue having sex
Ain't enough room in this fucking town
There is not enough space in this town
When you see tin head tell him be ducking down
When you see the person I am angry with, tell him to hide
I'm not romping around
I am not playing or fooling around
He better be ready and prepared to be stomped in the ground
He better be prepared for me to physically harm him
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DANIEL DUMILE THOMPSON, OTIS JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mczappa4229
Holy shit this is literally perfection for several reasons
1. First of all, the beat is fucking bananas by itself
2. Almost every time the chopped sample goes "---'in ---ound", DOOM lays a homophone right over it. Genius.
3. That moment when he uses the sample to complete his sentence, which is a Five Percenter reference "Power---you" = "PU" (Supreme Alphabet) = "Pussy"
4. If you listen to the lyrics closely within the context of his mythology, you'll see that Viktor is rapping about having his girl stolen by MF DOOM. This mf really rapped about stealing his girl from himself. Damn!
This song is one of the best.
@petermorales-gomez1162
[Verse 1]
I knew you was fucking around
Playing all innocent and hoeing since the foundation
Don't make me have to pound his tin crown face in
And risk being jammed up like traffic inbound from spacing
There's been a place for you in my heart since we first met
A teenage love that didn't feel no hurt yet
My boys warned me you was poison like BBD first cassette
And still I put all my chips on the worst bet
Gave up the skirt, now I gotta hear it from the street
How dare you drag my name in the dirt and cheat
You could've broke it off and ended it and dip
And if you spoke soft we could've still preserved the friendship
Now you apologize, that's what they all say
You wasn't sorry when you sucked him off in the hallway
But have it your way, raw, no foreplay
That's you if you want a dude who wear a mask all day
And just to think I used to be proud of you
And you had some real good power...
[Verse 2]
Probably kissed me later that evening, I should be hurling
Matter of fact, gimme back my bracelet and my Shearling
I rather waste it or give it to your girlfriend
She did let me stab it last week while you was workin'
Remember our vacation out to Maryland
I dooked the maid Carolyn, she made me throw the towel in
Like all foul men the time I hit your moms off
I told her knock it off but she had to set the rocket off
Ain't enough room in this fucking town
When you see tin head tell him be ducking down
I'm not romping around
He better be ready and prepared to be stomped in the ground
@Ghoast.
[Intro: Sample]
I hear you in the background
Whenever I phone
Tellin' your brother
To say you're gone
[Hook]
[Sample]
You've been trippin' around, uptown
Wooin' some fancy clown
[Girl and Viktor Vaughn]
Put your sister on the phone
Yo, it's Viktor
[Verse 1: Viktor Vaughn]
I knew you was ----ing around
Playing all innocent and ho'ing since the foundation
Don't make me have to pound his tin crown face in
And risk being jammed up like traffic, inbound from spacing
There's been a place for you in my heart since we first met
A teenage love that didn't feel no hurt yet
My boys warned me you was poison like BBD first cassette
And still I put my chips on the worse bet
Gave up the skirt, now I gotta hear it from the street
How dare you drag my name in the dirt and cheat
You could've broke it off, ended it and dipped
And if you spoke soft we could've still preserved the friendship
Now you apologize, that's what they all say
You wasn't sorry when you sucked him off in the hallway
But have it your way, raw— no foreplay
That's you if you want a dude who wear a mask all day
And just to think, I used to be proud of you
And you had some real good power...
[Hook]
[Sample]
You've been trippin' around, uptown
Wooin' some fancy clown
[Girl]
No, it wasn't- it wasn't nothing like that
Well, my brother, you didn't tell me you had called
I wasn't at home
[Verse 2: Viktor Vaughn]
Probably kissed her later that evening, I should be hurling
Matter fact, gimme back my bracelet and my Shearling
I rather waste it or give it to your girlfriend
She did let me stab it last week while you was workin'
Remember, our vacation out to Maryland?
I dooked the maid Carolyn, she made me throw the towel in
Like all foul men the time I hit your moms off
I told her knock it off, but she had to set the rocket off
Ain't enough room in this ----ing town
When you see tin head tell him "be ducking down"
I'm not rompin' around, he better be
Ready and prepared to be stomped in the ground
[Outro: Samples]
Well, I thought you [?]
And now subscriber, we've got to punch you up
So, please stand by
@anomalous_dota2034
Doom the only nigga that can make a diss track about himself and make it hard as fuck
@Michael-Rosen
its paradox, u cant beat doom, so therefore dooms is always a winner, even against himself
@room___
Chris Tunstall no trick spellin
@oo7dudejoe
Tru af
@Relithraxas
room slap a fan' hand down, tell 'em "no yellin" (@Chris Tunstall)
@nueonetwo
+Michael Rosen only universe that earth survives is the one ruled by DOOM
@_DL77_
It's great that DOOM will do songs with unknown people like Victor Vaughn, dudes career probably skyrocketed after this.
@_DL77_
+TheHypoCrip oh look in the sky! There goes the joke, right over your head
@botyears
Viktor*
Remember one 'k' when you spell the man name
@SYMShutYoMouth
+c3h8O The joke went over your head too. Jesus. You must be shitty at decoding MF DOOM lines