The Sign
Nujabes Lyrics


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You wanna watch it fall apart
Every time I walk I watch
I look, I notice, I observe
I read the signs
And the signs are pointing in the wrong direction
The signs are not naming the streets
or leading you to the highways
the signs are naming names
tombstones to mark the death of children not even born
and I don't mean abortion I mean what is to come

The signs are telling me to turn back around
the signs are telling me to research my past
the signs are telling me to learn from my mistakes
the signs are asking me questions
Do you wanna watch it all fall apart?
Do you have any control?
Is there anything that you can do?

Time is not a nice person
I know because the sign said it
time can be generous but ultimately time is indifferent
time does not give two damns or a fuck

So what will you do?
What will we do?

So I'm in the middle of the street talkin' to the signs
and people are lookin' at me pointing and laughing
like, "This mothafucker's crazy!"

But do they not see the signs?
Do you not see the signs?

If there is one thing in this world
that you can depend on
that you can bet your last dollar on
it's the ignorance of the American people

But still I have faith
But still I read the signs
They are indeed there

Some of us are lost
and will not find our way
no matter what the signs say

Some of us do not see the signs because
we are too busy shopping.
Some of us do not see the signs because
we can't help but stop and look at the accidents and stare
We are in a daze
We are amazed by the world's displays

Some of us do not see the signs because
we are giving spare change to the homeless
we are getting gas
we are volunteering for duty
and we are watching television

We are driving around in circles on spinners
and we are working eight to six

We are on our way to the club
we are high, we are drunk, and we are sober
and we do not see the signs

We are listening to a moron babble
we are listening to tongues that lie
we give them an ear
we give them a hand
we give them both eyes
so we cannot see the signs

There are children playing in the streets
and they cannot read the signs
They are only children

Stop.
Stop!

I fear there is no U-turn
and that this road dead-ends
because we cannot read the signs

Do you not see the signs?
We must read the signs
and we must turn around
we must turn around
we gotta turn this shit around
and we gotta read the signs

we must read the signs...
we must read the signs...
we must read the signs...
we gotta read the signs...




we gotta turn this shit around...
we must turn this shit around...

Overall Meaning

In "The Signs," Nujabes and Pase Rock paint a bleak but honest picture of the world we live in. The song's overarching theme revolves around the signs we see in our daily lives and how they point in the wrong direction. The signs, in this case, are not the kind that lead us to our destination, but those that indicate the decay of our society. The signs are pointing to a future where children don't even have a chance to be born, where time is indifferent, and where people are too busy shopping and chasing material gains to notice what's happening around them.


The song's lyrics talk about observing and interpreting the signs around us. It's about reading between the lines and seeing what's really happening in the world. The signs are telling us to turn around, to learn from our past, to stop chasing our own tails, and to start paying attention. The signs are asking us whether we want to watch it all fall apart, whether we have any control, and whether there is anything we can do.


The song is a call to action, a wake-up call to all of us. It's a reminder that we need to be attentive to our surroundings and pay attention to the signs around us. We need to turn this thing around before it's too late.


Line by Line Meaning

You wanna watch it fall apart
You want to witness everything falling apart


Every time I walk I watch
Every time I walk, I observe


I look, I notice, I observe
I closely examine my surroundings


I read the signs
I analyze the signs


And the signs are pointing in the wrong direction
The signs are indicating that things are headed in the wrong direction


The signs are not naming the streets or leading you to the highways the signs are naming names tombstones to mark the death of children not even born and I don't mean abortion I mean what is to come
The signs are not providing directions or guidance, but instead pointing towards a bleak future where children are dying before being born


The signs are telling me to turn back around
The signs are indicating that I need to turn around and go back


the signs are telling me to research my past
The signs are indicating that I need to examine my past


the signs are telling me to learn from my mistakes
The signs are indicating that I need to learn from my previous errors


the signs are asking me questions
The signs are posing questions to me


Do you wanna watch it all fall apart?
Do you want to witness everything falling apart?


Do you have any control?
Do you have any power over the situation?


Is there anything that you can do?
Is there anything that you can do to bring about change?


Time is not a nice person I know because the sign said it time can be generous but ultimately time is indifferent time does not give two damns or a fuck
Time is not a compassionate entity and is indifferent to our plights


So what will you do? What will we do?
What actions will you take? What actions will we take?


So I'm in the middle of the street talkin' to the signs and people are lookin' at me pointing and laughing like, "This mothafucker's crazy!"
I am conversing with the signs in the middle of the street, and people are mocking me and considering me to be insane


But do they not see the signs? Do you not see the signs?
Do they not observe the signs? Do you not observe the signs?


If there is one thing in this world that you can depend on that you can bet your last dollar on it's the ignorance of the American people
One thing that can always be counted on is the ignorance of the American populace


But still I have faith But still I read the signs They are indeed there
Nevertheless, I have faith and continue to observe the signs that are present


Some of us are lost and will not find our way no matter what the signs say
Some of us are lost and unable to find our way, despite the signs indicating the proper path


Some of us do not see the signs because we are too busy shopping.
Some of us are too occupied with shopping to recognize the signs


Some of us do not see the signs because we can't help but stop and look at the accidents and stare We are in a daze We are amazed by the world's displays
Some of us are distracted by accidents and impressed by the world's offerings, causing us to overlook the signs


Some of us do not see the signs because we are giving spare change to the homeless we are getting gas we are volunteering for duty and we are watching television
Some of us are performing everyday activities, such as giving change to the homeless, pumping gas, volunteering, and watching television, which causes us to miss the signs


We are driving around in circles on spinners and we are working eight to six
We are driving aimlessly with rims and working long hours without any direction


We are on our way to the club we are high, we are drunk, and we are sober and we do not see the signs
We are headed to a nightclub in various inebriated states and are not perceiving the signs


We are listening to a moron babble we are listening to tongues that lie we give them an ear we give them a hand we give them both eyes so we cannot see the signs
We are listening to foolish people talk and making their lies our own, which causes us to overlook the signs


There are children playing in the streets and they cannot read the signs They are only children
Children are playing in the streets, but they are unable to understand the signs due to their young age


Stop. Stop!
Halt. Halt immediately.


I fear there is no U-turn and that this road dead-ends because we cannot read the signs
The absence of a U-turn and the road ending in a dead end may occur due to the unobservant nature of people towards the signs


Do you not see the signs? We must read the signs and we must turn around we must turn around we gotta turn this shit around and we gotta read the signs
You must observe the signs. We must acknowledge the signs and make a sudden change, which helps us to overcome our present situation


we must read the signs... we must read the signs... we must read the signs... we gotta read the signs... we gotta turn this shit around... we must turn this shit around...
It is essential to read the signs, read the signs, and read the signs again in order to make a significant change for the betterment of the current situation.




Contributed by Nathaniel W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@bocajonamas1474

You wanna watch it all fall apart?
Every time I walk I watch
I look, I notice, I observe
I read the signs
And the signs are pointing in the wrong direction
The signs are not naming the streets
Or leading you to the highways
The signs are naming names
Tombstones to mark the death of children not even born
And I don't mean abortion I mean what is to come

The signs are telling me to turn back around
The signs are telling me to research my past
The signs are telling me to learn from my mistakes
The signs are asking me questions
Do you wanna watch it all fall apart?
Do you have any control?
Is there anything that you can do?

Time is not a nice person
I know because the sign said it
Time can be generous but ultimately time is indifferent
Time does not give two damns or a fuck

So what will you do?
What will we do?


So I'm in the middle of the street talkin' to the signs
And people are lookin' at me pointing and laughing
Like, "This mothafucker's crazy!"

But do they not see the signs?
Do you not see the signs?

If there is one thing in this world
That you can depend on
That you can bet your last dollar on
It's the ignorance of the American people

But still I have faith
But still I read the signs
They are indeed there

Some of us are lost
And will not find our way
No matter what the signs say

Some of us do not see the signs because
We are too busy shopping
Some of us do not see the signs because
We can't help but stop and look at the accidents and stare
We are in a daze
We are amazed by the world's displays

Some of us do not see the signs because
We are giving spare change to the homeless
We are getting gas
We are volunteering for duty
And we are watching television

We are driving around in circles on spinners
And we are working eight to six

We are on our way to the club
We are high, we are drunk, and we are sober
And we do not see the signs

We are listening to a moron babble
We are listening to tongues that lie
We give them an ear
We give them a hand
We give them both eyes
So we cannot see the signs

There are children playing in the streets
And they cannot read the signs
They are only children

Stop
Stop!

I fear there is no U-turn
And that this road dead-ends
Because we cannot read the signs

Do you not see the signs?
We must read the signs
And we must turn around
We must turn around
We gotta turn this shit around
And we gotta read the signs

We must read the signs...
We must read the signs...
We must read the signs...
We gotta read the signs...
We gotta turn this shit around...
We must turn this shit around...



All comments from YouTube:

@ilovecereza1246

Everytime I walk I watch, I look, I notice, I observe, I read the signs.

@user-bn7rc9uv1m

But i mostly do it when i drive

@anniethdesign

@@user-bn7rc9uv1m lmao

@Uriel.982

Rest in peace legend, the emotions you transmitted through ur music will live on forever in our hearts

@kuressentokei8904

This song resonate with me as I grow older.

@moonsets-on_you

when people say rap is poetry this song is the perfect example. paints a vivid picture and has that call to action english literature teachers won't shut up abt lol.

@tja9212

i would say "hip hop is peotry" instead of "rap" and i would count this style more to spoken word, what is somewhat the spiritual predecessor to rap. but yes, totally agree to your point.

@moonsets-on_you

listening to this album for the first time rn: and fuck i love the lyrics. so raw and down to earth. And Nujabes' beats complements the elegancy of teaching someone life lessons without putting them down.

@silencemonkk

it is swinging so hard 🔥hiphop surely shares the same spirirt of jazz

@OLDMANWAFFLES

I’ve been listening to this track since 2009, and I had to come back to this album and this song in particular. What a wonderful, raw, poetic piece of music. Who would’ve thought that by me watching adult swim at 2am on school nights would’ve led me to such great music for the rest of my life?

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