Her classic, critically acclaimed debut album Miseducation of Lauryn Hill went outside of the box for female rappers of her kind, making listeners think about greater causes in their community and how to be a powerful female without selling yourself short. The album also proved to be a huge landmark in rap, as it combined rap, r&b and neo-soul into a unique and beautiful mixture, full of different religious stories and concepts.
Although she retired after the success of her debut, mostly due to her child, Lauryn continued to make appearances at different shows (including at a concert with Drake in 2014). Shortly after announcing her official retirement, Lauryn returned to the scene to release MTV Unplugged 2.0, a live album where she explored with folk, departing from her rap/neo-soul style. Hill is also set to perform tracks from Miseducation in 2018 on its 20th Anniversary.
In a world where sex sells, Lauryn proved that her brand of empowering and soulful music is everlasting.
Neurotic Society
Ms. Lauryn Hill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Commerce and guru men, run the whole world man
Old drunken debauchery, old world brutality
Cold world kills softly, whole world runs savagely
Reading into prior things, program TV screens
Quick scam and drag queens, real likely to blast fiends
Think twice and past dreams, crime if you ask clean
Quick fast, the poison has entered the blood stream
Mythological characters, men and women is parody
Superficial vanity, borderline insanity
Out of order humanity, crime committed so passively
Desperados and casualties, corporations want batteries
Explanations of strategies, domination and mastery
Own Jones in the bankrupt, grown people so corrupt
Light swords and yellow men, junkies in popularity
Culture so independent, vultures scavenge reality
Past feeling depravity to kings social cavity
Prey on human ignorance, popular immorality
Sympathy disease head, population misled
Self indulgent past dead, absence of the God head
Pimps, pushers and harlotry
Nepotism, no artistry
Despotism and privacy
Desperation, dishonesty
Physicist is your policy, more money, less equality
Inflated global ego, imitating reality
Fuel cycle pharaoh, poisonous poison arrows
Hypocritics on salary, idle hands that was agency
Predisposed to complacency, jealousy, and audacity
Contagious social gluttony, stages of mass malignancy
Effort to make conception, generation in atrophy
Glam life in debt, scam life in editors
Byproducts of neglect children hiding from creditors
Absence of self respect, fully scared of competitors
Lifestyle of luxury at someone's expense
Sensitive children, used up and sacrificed
Blind to the consequence, smoked up on dope pipes
Ecstasy, fast life, recklessly past life
Narcotics and cash fight, just neurotic society
Benefactors turned actors, addictions triple captors
Experience manufactures just neurotic toxic society
It's like post-war, they're looking for the Communists or who the Marxists is
Ten thousand pictures on Facebook, it's like the pot calling the kettle narcissist
Come on really, saying it's the devil, but you're the chief arsonist
Hypocrites can't even see their own part in this
No reflection, vampire paradigm
No introspect, this star track, star rant break down
Three months before pure obsession, picture can't take down
Children, this a shake down, they just looking for a sacrifice
They've been doing this since before Bobby Darin sang Mack the Knife
Before James Dean's car did a jackknife
Perhaps it's because they lack life or lack guts
Never confuse the head with the butt
Opinions are like assholes and most of 'em stink
I was told by a woman, so rethink
Don't ever let them ever lead you to drink
Leave you to doubt
Lead you to fall, get up, stand up, pass Lucifer out
Shake it up baby, watch them twist it and shout
Insecure assholes looking for a ticket
To ride on somebody like the picket
It's fucking wicked, shame on 'em
This neurotic toxic society
Sick cycle psychology in desperate need of psychiatry
Exorcism, sobriety, forcing social lobotomies
People stuck in dichotomies, pseudo-sicko anxieties
Serial criminals dressed in variety
Social transvestisms, subliminal dressed up as piety
Transforms projections like Cartesian images
Robbing innocence, stealing inheritance
Quiet victims with no defense portrayed over dollars and cents
Maladjusted ignorant malediction and dissonance
Too much addiction, no consciousness
Don't trust it, this cosmology is busted
Broken returns to the dusted, stems of corruption
Oppression, deceit, abuse and repeat
They don't feel complete unless they're robbing the sheep
Man is not a product if you call it that then stop it
In this neurotic godless society
In her song Neurotic Society, Ms. Lauryn Hill offers a scathing critique of society's current state, condemning everything from communal narcissism to corporations and government entities that prioritize profit over human well-being. Hill laments that the world has become a "joke time," referring to the way that trends and social media often dictate the direction of culture instead of genuine expressions of creativity and free thought. The metaphorical coke time points to our addiction to materialism and consumerism which often fuel our choices and expectations.
In the second verse, Hill highlights the hypocrisy and lack of self-awareness displayed by some individuals, calling them out for their unfounded claims about morality and integrity when their own actions say otherwise. She describes how people are too focused on projecting their images as opposed to genuine self-reflection, yet they will feign outrage at others for doing the same thing. As the song continues, Hill criticizes cultural vultures who consume and profit off the suffering of others, such as the corporate entities who manipulate individuals into buying products or services they do not need or representative of the nuclear family persona.
The final verse turns more existential, exploring the ways people have been conditioned to desire distraction, addiction, and subservience. Hill examines how these factors, along with corporate greed, government control, and societal pressure, demoralize individuals to the point where they end up feeling hopeless and powerless to enact change in the world. Overall, Neurotic Society posits a dark, cautionary tale about society's current trajectory, which seems to put materialism and selfish interests above the well-being of individuals and the world as a whole.
Line by Line Meaning
We're living in a joke time, metaphorical coke time
We are living in a time when everything seems like a joke, where the unreal has become more important than reality itself.
Commerce and guru men, run the whole world man
The world is run by wealthy businessmen and so-called spiritual leaders.
Old drunken debauchery, old world brutality
The horrors of the past are still present in our society today.
Cold world kills softly, whole world runs savagely
The world is a cold, harsh place that is constantly causing harm to people.
Reading into prior things, program TV screens
We are too focused on entertainment and the past instead of addressing the problems in our society.
Quick scam and drag queens, real likely to blast fiends
People are quick to deceive others for their own gain, and violence is all too common.
Think twice and past dreams, crime if you ask clean
We have to be cautious and think deeply about our actions, but even then, being honest and ethical can lead to being punished.
Quick fast, the poison has entered the blood stream
The toxic nature of our society has already affected us.
Psychological master, consequences of tragedy
Mental health issues and trauma can have long-lasting effects.
Mythological characters, men and women in parody
Our society idealizes and mythologizes people, but in reality, they are far from perfect.
Superficial vanity, borderline insanity
Our obsession with appearances and material possessions is driving many people to madness.
Out of order humanity, crime committed so passively
People are committing horrible crimes without even realizing the gravity of their actions.
Desperados and casualties, corporations want batteries
People are sacrificing their own well-being for the sake of corporate profits.
Explanations of strategies, domination and mastery
Those in power are constantly trying to maintain and expand their influence.
Own Jones in the bankrupt, grown people so corrupt
Individualism and greed have driven us to moral bankruptcy.
Light swords and yellow men, junkies in popularity
We are too focused on shallow entertainment and popular trends.
Culture so independent, vultures scavenge reality
We value our independence so much that we are ignoring the harsh reality around us.
Past feeling depravity to kings social cavity
Our society is numb to depravity and is creating a void in our social structure.
Prey on human ignorance, popular immorality
People in power are exploiting our ignorance and encouraging immoral behavior.
Sympathy disease head, population misled
We are suffering from a lack of empathy and awareness, leading to societal issues.
Self indulgent past dead, absence of the God head
People are too focused on their own selfish interests and not considering a higher power.
Pimps, pushers and harlotry
People are exploiting others for their own gain.
Nepotism, no artistry
People are getting ahead based on their connections rather than their talent.
Despotism and privacy
Our leaders are becoming tyrannical and privacy is becoming a rare commodity.
Desperation, dishonesty
People are stooping to desperate and dishonest measures to get ahead.
Physicist is your policy, more money, less equality
Our policies prioritize wealth and power over equality.
Inflated global ego, imitating reality
We are too concerned with appearances rather than addressing the real problems.
Fuel cycle pharaoh, poisonous poison arrows
Our leaders are fueling the cycle of greed and corruption.
Hypocritics on salary, idle hands that was agency
People are hypocritical and not making use of their power and influence.
Predisposed to complacency, jealousy, and audacity
We are inclined towards complacency, jealousy, and recklessness.
Contagious social gluttony, stages of mass malignancy
Our society is addicted to excess and is deteriorating rapidly.
Effort to make conception, generation in atrophy
We are failing to create a better future for the next generation.
Glam life in debt, scam life in editors
Our obsession with a glamorous lifestyle is driving us into debt.
Byproducts of neglect children hiding from creditors
Children are being neglected and suffering due to our society's priorities.
Absence of self-respect, fully scared of competitors
We do not respect ourselves and are constantly afraid of losing to our rivals.
Lifestyle of luxury at someone's expense
We are living a luxurious lifestyle at the expense of others.
Sensitive children, used up and sacrificed
Children are being exploited and used for our benefit.
Blind to the consequence, smoked up on dope pipes
We are not considering the consequences of our actions and are living recklessly.
Ecstasy, fast life, recklessly past life
We are living for the moment and disregarding the future.
Narcotics and cash fight, just neurotic society
Our society is obsessed with drugs and money, leading to a state of neurosis.
Benefactors turned actors, addictions triple captors
Those who seek to help us are instead exploiting us and addicting us to their aid.
Experience manufactures just neurotic toxic society
Our experiences are leading us to become neurotic and toxic.
It's like post-war, they're looking for the Communists or who the Marxists is
Our society is becoming paranoid and looking for scapegoats to blame our problems on.
Ten thousand pictures on Facebook, it's like the pot calling the kettle narcissist
We are too obsessed with ourselves and our online image.
Come on really, saying it's the devil, but you're the chief arsonist
We are blaming external forces for our problems, but we are the ones causing them.
Hypocrites can't even see their own part in this
We are hypocritical and cannot even acknowledge our part in our society's problems.
No reflection, vampire paradigm
We are not reflecting on our actions and are instead acting like vampires, feeding off of each other.
No introspect, this star track, star rant break down
We are not taking a step back to introspect and are instead rapidly deteriorating.
Three months before pure obsession, picture can't take down
We are becoming obsessed with superficial things, and even the slightest critique can cause a breakdown.
Children, this a shake down, they just looking for a sacrifice
Children are being used as scapegoats and sacrifices to cover up our societal issues.
They've been doing this since before Bobby Darin sang Mack the Knife
Our scapegoating and exploitation of others is nothing new.
Before James Dean's car did a jackknife
Our societal problems have been present for a very long time.
Perhaps it's because they lack life or lack guts
Those in power lack the courage and compassion to address and solve our society's issues.
Never confuse the head with the butt
We need to keep our priorities straight and focus on what really matters.
Opinions are like assholes and most of 'em stink
People have many bad opinions that are worthless and harmful.
I was told by a woman, so rethink
We need to reconsider our biases and listen to others.
Don't ever let them ever lead you to drink
We need to be cautious and not let others manipulate us.
Leave you to doubt, lead you to fall, get up, stand up, pass Lucifer out
We need to resist the temptation to doubt and fall into vices, and instead stand up to those who are exploiting us.
Shake it up baby, watch them twist it and shout
We need to disrupt the status quo and challenge those in power.
Insecure assholes looking for a ticket
Those in power are driven by insecurity and greed.
To ride on somebody like the picket
They are exploiting others for their own gain.
It's fucking wicked, shame on 'em
Their behavior is immoral and shameful.
Sick cycle psychology in desperate need of psychiatry
Our societal issues require professional attention and care.
Exorcism, sobriety, forcing social lobotomies
We need to purge ourselves of our toxic behavior and become more sober and conscientious.
People stuck in dichotomies, pseudo-sicko anxieties
We are trapped in binary thinking and are suffering from delusional anxieties.
Serial criminals dressed in variety
Those who commit crimes are wearing different masks and disguises.
Social transvestisms, subliminal dressed up as piety
Our society is disguising immoral behavior as something virtuous.
Transforms projections like Cartesian images
Our projections of ourselves are becoming more like unrealistic images.
Robbing innocence, stealing inheritance
We are exploiting the innocence of others and robbing future generations of their inheritance.
Quiet victims with no defense portrayed over dollars and cents
Victims of exploitation are powerless and are being used for the sake of money.
Maladjusted ignorant malediction and dissonance
Our societal problems are caused by a lack of education and understanding, leading to discord.
Too much addiction, no consciousness
Our society is too preoccupied with addiction and is losing sight of our consciousness.
Don't trust it, this cosmology is busted
We cannot trust our current system and worldview.
Broken returns to the dusted, stems of corruption
Our societal issues stem from deep-seated corruption and rot.
Oppression, deceit, abuse and repeat
Our societal issues are perpetuated by oppression, deceit, and abuse.
They don't feel complete unless they're robbing the sheep
Those in power feel incomplete unless they are exploiting others.
Man is not a product if you call it that then stop it
We cannot treat people like products and must end this dehumanizing behavior.
In this neurotic godless society
Our society has become neurotic and godless.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LAURYN HILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind