The debut Massive Attack album Blue Lines was released in 1991, with the single "Unfinished Sympathy" reaching the charts and later being voted the 63rd greatest song of all time in a poll by NME. 1998's Mezzanine (containing the top 10 single "Teardrop") and 2003's 100th Window charted in the UK at number one. Both Blue Lines and Mezzanine feature in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
The group has won numerous music awards throughout their career, including a Brit Award—winning Best British Dance Act, two MTV Europe Music Awards and two Q Awards. They have released five studio albums that have sold over 13 million copies worldwide. Throughout their history, Massive Attack have been supporters and activists for political, human rights and environmental causes.
Future Proof
Massive Attack Lyrics
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Reinforced glass
Absent friends
Passport photos an elastic past
Empty pocket, they think it's all
They think it's soul
All wrapped up on a swollen lip?
Chemicals
Chemicals
Captured in winter's grip
Turn us on
Separate the leper
Hungry ghosts, hungry ghosts
Another imprint
In borrowed clothes
We can be numb
We can be numb
Passin' through
Borderline case
Future proof
Real thin air
Real thin air
Real thin air
The lyrics of Massive Attack's "Future Proof" contain a great deal of ambiguity, which allows different interpretations to be developed. The song may appear to address addiction as the lyrics' use of imagery of drugs and an "elastic past" could suggest. This could be seen in the lines "Empty pocket, they think it's all / They think it's soul / All wrapped up on a swollen lip? / He draws the warm pipe." The line "Border line case" is ambiguous and could mean a number of things. It has a particular application in medicine to someone who is showing signs of a particular condition, but not quite meeting all the criteria to be diagnosed with it. Another interpretation could be that the persona is on the brink of something, perhaps of falling into addiction.
There is also a feeling of detachment throughout the song that suggests a sense of numbness. Emotionless states are suggested through lines like "We can be numb / We can be numb / Passin' through." The song seems an invitation to disengage and detach oneself from feeling a full range of emotions. This could tie into the lyrics that speak of "borderline" cases or "hungry ghosts," conjuring up images of people dealing with inner turmoil.
Line by Line Meaning
Borderline case
Situation is ambiguous and difficult to determine
Reinforced glass
Something made stronger to resist outside forces
Absent friends
Friends who are no longer in contact or present in the moment
Passport photos an elastic past
Images of people from previous times in life, but can still be flexible in memory
Empty pocket, they think it's all
Having nothing physically, but society deems wealth as everything
They think it's soul
Society perceives material goods as a symbol of one's spiritual or emotional well-being
All wrapped up on a swollen lip?
The physical manifestation of pain and struggle
He draws the warm pipe
The act of self-medicating to ease pain temporarily
Chemicals
Substances that change one's physiological state
Chemicals
Referring to both the physical and emotional addiction to drugs
Captured in winter's grip
Feeling trapped and powerless in a difficult situation or circumstance
Turn us on
The positive effects that drugs have on us, leading to addiction
Separate the leper
Society rejects those who are struggling or suffering from addiction, pushing them further away
Hungry ghosts, hungry ghosts
A reference to the Buddhist concept of a hungry ghost, representing an unsatisfied need - in this case, addiction
Another imprint
Leaving behind more evidence of past struggles and addiction
In borrowed clothes
Existing in a state of inauthenticity, using outside substances or circumstances to cope with struggles
We can be numb
Acknowledging the desire to temporarily escape or ignore pain
We can be numb
Repeating the phrase emphasizes the power that numbness can have in ease pain, even if it's temporary
Passin' through
Conveying the idea that this struggle is temporary and will pass
Borderline case
Repeating the phrase towards the end may refer to the idea that this struggle against addiction is ambiguous and difficult to determine what the future holds
Future proof
Expressing a desire for a future that is guaranteed and stable in the face of current struggles
Real thin air
Feeling as though there's no support or foundation in the current struggle
Real thin air
Repeating the phrase emphasizes the feeling of instability and lack of support during times of addiction
Real thin air
Also possibly referencing the idea that drug abuse can lead to a sense of detachment from reality
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Grantley Evan Marshall, Neil Davidge, Robert Del Naja
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind