Zen Scientist
Milo Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well there seem to be some misconceptions
There seem to, there seem
I don't think that you understand
There seem… seemingly a misconception here

It's him who wrote the Tao of the pessimist
As thespians maneuver through the now and its messiness
I've grown weary of their kindnesses
The addled Zen scientist with the inwardly infinite capacity for mindfulness
This is a kite shield to protect you from complacency
I stand adjacent to the vagrancy, no vacancy
Out in the street with palms and guns, the Argo of the ergonauts
It's enough to send kisses down your arm like Gomez
How he dazzled with bafflegab
Sisyphus surmounts the aggro crag
Cantillating grace and they can't keep my pace
(and they can't keep my pace)

The soul is fly
I'm in the new zone
I've decided my point of view
I have decided my point of view
This earth I respect, her subtle mood swings
Some are whispering far for you

At the back of a long line like always
In the recesses receding
This lawn chair creaks when I'm leaning
The microcosm between velour and velvet
When the ache becomes a Kaiser helmet
Cc me when you supersize your intentions
Ill be in the frozen food aisle until then
It's a lead lid on this pillbox
I plan on living until the bills stop
Budding curmudgeon with cudgel bludgeon the kerfuffle of the welterweight
That's understated

I stay indoors
I stay indoors
I stay indoors

We broke so its lawn chairs, long stairs
Gloomy, never forlorn
Learn the old forms; honor the old gods via iPod
Don't stop the body rock, I have decided in good faith to let my soul fly
Mr. Yuk lets his soul fly
Ken Saro-Wiwa let's his soul fly
Mister, uh, Kenford has been known to let his soul fly
I know DJ syndicate let's his soul fly
The Kleanerz are so fly
Guantanamo bosh lets his soul fly
Jacob Bluefinger well I bet he lets his soul fly
Dugan Nash been known to let his soul fly
Black Orpheus I'm sure he lets his soul fly
That boy, Scipio he lets his soul fly




Of course the wise owl himself, he lets his soul fly
Who was once called Flows-A-Million, yes he's so fly

Overall Meaning

"Zen Scientist" by Milo delves into the misconceptions that people have about life and the way that things work. The song begins by stating that there are misunderstandings and misconceptions that need to be addressed. Milo then goes on to draw attention to his tiredness with the way that things are done, particularly the way that thespians use the present moment and cope with its messiness. He then turns to the addled Zen scientist, who has an infinite capacity for mindfulness but is struggling to find peace amidst the constant chaos of life.


Milo then describes how he stands adjacent to the vagrancy, noting that he is out in the streets with his palms and guns, ready to fight against any obstacles. He mentions Sisyphus, the Greek mythological character who constantly had to push a rock uphill, only for it to roll back down again, highlighting the challenges that one faces in life. Milo then suggests that the soul is fly and that he has decided to let his soul fly, breaking free of the constraints of societal expectations and choosing his own path.


The song then goes on to mention various people who have also chosen to let their soul fly, from Mr. Yuk to Ken Saro-Wiwa and even DJ Syndicate. Milo ends the song by emphasizing the importance of allowing oneself to fly, to follow one's own path, and not to be controlled by anyone else's expectations.


Line by Line Meaning

Well there seem to be some misconceptions
There seem… seemingly a misconception here


It's him who wrote the Tao of the pessimist
He's the one who wrote the book on pessimism


As thespians maneuver through the now and its messiness
Actors navigate through the present, despite its messiness


I've grown weary of their kindnesses
I'm tired of their acts of kindness


The addled Zen scientist with the inwardly infinite capacity for mindfulness
The confused Zen practitioner who has an infinite capacity for mindfulness


This is a kite shield to protect you from complacency
This is a mechanism to protect you from becoming complacent


I stand adjacent to the vagrancy, no vacancy
I'm standing next to the homeless, there's no room left


Out in the street with palms and guns, the Argo of the ergonauts
In the street with our hands and guns, ready for battle


It's enough to send kisses down your arm like Gomez
It's enough to make you get goosebumps


How he dazzled with bafflegab
He impressed everyone with his nonsense


Sisyphus surmounts the aggro crag
Sisyphus overcomes his difficulties


Cantillating grace and they can't keep my pace
Singing gracefully, and they can't keep up with me


The soul is fly
The soul is amazing


I'm in the new zone
I'm in the right mindset


I've decided my point of view
I've made up my mind on what I believe


This earth I respect, her subtle mood swings
I have respect for the earth and its changing moods


Some are whispering far for you
Some people are talking about you far away


At the back of a long line like always
At the end of a long line as usual


In the recesses receding
In the fading corners


This lawn chair creaks when I'm leaning
This lawn chair makes noise when I lean back


The microcosm between velour and velvet
The small differences between velour and velvet


When the ache becomes a Kaiser helmet
When the pain becomes unbearable


Cc me when you supersize your intentions
Copy me when you make your plans bigger


Ill be in the frozen food aisle until then
I'll be in the frozen food section until then


It's a lead lid on this pillbox
It's a heavy burden to bear


I plan on living until the bills stop
I plan on living until I don't owe any more money


Budding curmudgeon with cudgel bludgeon the kerfuffle of the welterweight
The new grumpy person with a club beats up the chaos of the lightweight


That's understated
That's putting it mildly


I stay indoors
I stay inside


We broke so its lawn chairs, long stairs
We're broke, so we sit in lawn chairs and climb long stairs


Gloomy, never forlorn
Sad, but not hopeless


Learn the old forms; honor the old gods via iPod
Learn from the past and honor tradition through modern technology


Don't stop the body rock, I have decided in good faith to let my soul fly
Keep dancing, I've made the conscious decision to let my soul soar


Mr. Yuk lets his soul fly
Mr. Yuk allows his soul to take flight


Ken Saro-Wiwa let's his soul fly
Ken Saro-Wiwa lets his soul soar


Mister, uh, Kenford has been known to let his soul fly
Mr. Kenford has been known to let his soul fly


I know DJ syndicate let's his soul fly
I know DJ syndicate lets his soul soar


The Kleanerz are so fly
The Kleanerz are amazing


Guantanamo bosh lets his soul fly
Guantanamo bosh allows his soul to take flight


Jacob Bluefinger well I bet he lets his soul fly
I bet that Jacob Bluefinger lets his soul soar


Dugan Nash been known to let his soul fly
Dugan Nash has been known to let his soul soar


Black Orpheus I'm sure he lets his soul fly
I'm sure that Black Orpheus allows his soul to take flight


That boy, Scipio he lets his soul fly
That boy, Scipio allows his soul to soar


Of course the wise owl himself, he lets his soul fly
Of course the wise owl allows his soul to take flight


Who was once called Flows-A-Million, yes he's so fly
The person who was once called Flows-A-Million is amazing




Contributed by Maria P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@Juapro

Milo is quite possibly the best rapsmith who has ever walked the planet. I don't care who sold the most, he's a true artist. I can't wait for the whole album

@Jubanen12

+Jon Hiller "rapsmith" haha first I've heard any one use word like that...

@yetimalone2844

Check out Aesop Rock if you haven't. Not to be mistaken for asap Rocky

@totallyunoriginalusername

Lol was about to say that you should listen to Aesop Rock, looks like someone beat me to it though.

@eldano99

billy woods is the goat

@tyrannicalthesaurus4672

I'll agree that he's one of the best, and certainly one of the most undernoticed (even as a hip hop head, I'd never heard of him until recently). I woupd definitely put him with Aesop Rock, Kendrick Lamar, and Immortal Technique for the most concious rappers.

3 More Replies...

@magusincognito5241

Honestly some of the most legit wordplay you can't even deny it.

@krakowski_6237

I deny it just to spite you.


And then I take it back because it‘s a great song.

@rickb1830

honestly one of the best songs i've heard lately

@mufasa6272

Man, this is really good music

More Comments

More Versions