Ms. Dynamite was born and raised in Archway, London, England, to a Scottish mother and a Jamaican father. She grew up listening to reggae and hip hop music. Though she wanted to become a schoolteacher or social worker, her biggest aspiration was to be a musician. She is the eldest of eleven siblings, one of whom is a grime artist known as Akala.
While working at the radio station RAW FM, Ms. Dynamite was discovered by Richard Forbes at a West End club. After working briefly with the garage act So Solid Crew, she released her debut album, A Little Deeper, in 2002, which won Britain's prestigious Mercury Prize for Album of the Year for 2002.
2001
Put Your Gun Away
Ms. Dynamite Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
new bag
And sat in the salon all day,
For some ignorant, wannabe bad, dumb mutha****a
To just come and shoot up the place
I never left my son at home to stand and screw-up my face
With all these bit**es that just came to fight,
I'm with my girls and my niggas
And just ease up your vibe tonight
Chorus:
Put yo gun away G,
Release the stress and just chill,
Put yo gun away B,
Ya dressed too damn good to kill
Put yo gun away pleeease,
Oohh, I don't wanna leave till 6 in the morning
Put yo gun away
At least till the break of dawn
See I been working hard all week long
I just came to release the strain,
Of the bullshit that we taking on
Husting and grinding every day,
I don't wanna drink and I don't need no drugs,
Gimme that bassline that's my high,
Brotha' stop your negativity
cause now your f***in with my vibe
Repeat Chorus
See I just really wanna get my party on and chill with my friends
And I just wanna hear the DJ play my songs until 6 AM
And I just wanna see the people up in here have yourself a good time
So, keep your gun up in yo waist my nigga everything will be just fine
Rapper's Verse:
Slide, Slide, Slide
Every time I'm in the club the pricks are exciting
Puling up gangstas and car bidders
Its not gangsta to start violence
Give it a break, every concert it happens again
Come on, cuss cuss, use your brain
You got beef leave it on the road
Better still leave your gun at home
And just have a laugh
Buy a bottle find a girl on fera glass
You might have some fun
She might wanna dance
I'm about sipping don tell I'm very drunk
You know why she's about that bubbles bust
No beef flying up, let the poe burn
Now looking in my face you don't know me cause
Little Sim says used need a hug
Scared of the real world so you need a gun
Putting tears in the eyes of another mum
Calm down be easy, it aint hard fam
To show respect if your a big boy then hold yo drink
A lot arms I see gripping the skin
Just tell the DJ to reload my rhythm again
You know
In "Put Your Gun Away," Ms. Dynamite is urging listeners to stay away from guns and violence, especially in social settings like clubs. She is talking about how she is not there to show off, but to have a good time with her friends, dancing and enjoying good music. She acknowledges the hard work people put in during the week, and going out is a way to relax and unwind. Ms. Dynamite encourages people to let go of their worries, put their guns away, and just chill. The song critiques the violent culture that exists within certain subcultures and warns of the consequences of violence.
The first verse of the song describes the singer's reluctance to get caught up in the violence and pettiness of club culture. She avoids the glamour associated with going out, such as buying new clothes, going to the salon and wearing her best shoes, and just enjoys being with her friends. Ms. Dynamite highlights the absurdity of people vandalizing and committing violence in clubs, asking them to acknowledge how ridiculous that behavior is.
The chorus encourages people to release their stress and stop relying on violence as a coping mechanism. Instead, the artist suggests that it is better to enjoy yourself, dance, and have a good time, and to put your guns away until you reach the break of dawn. The rapper's verse emphasizes that the things people really need for a good time are good company, music, and a positive attitude.
Line by Line Meaning
I never bought a new dress, new shoes, new bag
I haven't gone to great lengths to dress up for someone who might shoot up the place
And sat in the salon all day,
I haven't spent hours in the hair salon
For some ignorant, wannabe bad, dumb mutha****a
For some foolish and aggressive person
To just come and shoot up the place
To come and start firing guns for no reason
I never left my son at home to stand and screw up my face
I haven't left my child at home to come here and fight with other women
With all these bit**es that just came to fight,
With all these women who came here with the intention to fight
I'm with my girls and my niggas
I'm here with my female and male friends
So take your hand up off that trigger,
Don't fire your gun
And just ease up your vibe tonight
Just relax and enjoy the night without violence
Put yo gun away G,
Put away your gun, my friend
Release the stress and just chill,
Relax and have a good time
Put yo gun away B,
Put away your gun, brother
Ya dressed too damn good to kill
You look too nice to engage in violence
Put yo gun away pleeease,
Please put away your gun
Oohh, I don't wanna leave till 6 in the morning
I want to stay and enjoy the night until early morning
Put yo gun away
Put your gun away
At least till the break of dawn
At least until morning comes
See I been working hard all week long
I've been working hard all week
I just came to release the strain,
I just came here to relieve stress
Of the bullshit that we taking on
Of the pressure and negativity we face
Husting and grinding every day,
Working hard every day
I don't wanna drink and I don't need no drugs,
I don't want to drink or do drugs
Gimme that bassline that's my high,
I just want to dance and enjoy the music
Brotha' stop your negativity
Stop being negative
cause now your f***in with my vibe
Because your negativity is affecting my mood
See I just really wanna get my party on and chill with my friends
I just want to have a good time with my friends
And I just wanna hear the DJ play my songs until 6 AM
I want to hear the DJ play my favorite music until morning
And I just wanna see the people up in here have yourself a good time
I want to see everyone here having a good time
So, keep your gun up in yo waist my nigga everything will be just fine
If you keep your gun in your waistband, everything will be okay
Slide, Slide, Slide
A line from the rapper's verse
Every time I'm in the club the pricks are exciting
Whenever I'm in the club, people are looking for trouble
Puling up gangstas and car bidders
Bringing in gangsters and people who want to steal cars
Its not gangsta to start violence
Starting violence is not what a gangster does
Give it a break, every concert it happens again
Let's take a break from the violence that happens at every concert
Come on, cuss cuss, use your brain
Stop swearing and think logically
You got beef leave it on the road
If you have a problem with someone, don't bring it to the club
Better still leave your gun at home
It's even better if you leave your gun at home
And just have a laugh
Just enjoy yourself and have fun
Buy a bottle find a girl on fera glass
Buy a bottle and find a girl to have fun with
You might have some fun
You might have a good time
She might wanna dance
She might want to dance with you
I'm about sipping don tell I'm very drunk
I'm just here to drink and have fun
You know why she's about that bubbles bust
You know she's here to enjoy herself and have a good time
No beef flying up, let the poe burn
No fights or arguments, let everyone have a good time
Now looking in my face you don't know me cause
Don't judge me or my intentions just by looking at me
Little Sim says used need a hug
A reference to musician Little Simz
Scared of the real world so you need a gun
If you're afraid of the real world, you might carry a gun
Putting tears in the eyes of another mum
Causing pain to someone's mother
Calm down be easy, it aint hard fam
Just relax, it's not difficult
To show respect if your a big boy then hold yo drink
If you're a mature adult, show respect and control yourself
A lot arms I see gripping the skin
I see a lot of people holding onto their guns
Just tell the DJ to reload my rhythm again
Just ask the DJ to play my favorite song again
You know
A reference to the previous line
Contributed by Eliana M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.