Produced by OutKast for Earthtone

While George Clinton oodles verbal… Read Full Bio ↴Produced by OutKast for Earthtone

While George Clinton oodles verbal noodles at virtual reality ("Said she'd lap dance on your laptop while your laptop's in your lap"), Dre paints a vivid picture of humankind's crippling addiction to technology over a synth-heavy track and organic finger snaps - thereby proving all things futuristic ain't always funky.

Andre 3000: I remember some image of you being able to put a helmet on and go places that you couldn't before. It was just crazy that things that were fiction had really become science-faction, like they could really happen. I guess [the song] was a warning. I was just putting it out there.

Was that the first song I sung on? I don't know if it was that song or another where my voice was auto-pitched. The first time I did it, [Big] kinda pulled me to the side and said, 'I just wanna let you know niggas in the street, they don't be liking when you do your voice like that.' But to me, in my head, I was like it sounds cool. Maybe I'm not transmitting it right but this is cool. So that really kinda gave me a push and I think my songwriting abilities were pushed in that way.

Mr. DJ: I can remember George Clinton being in the same studio and being in the booth. Getting to the funk. He'd go into his world and just get down. It sounds like he doesn't know what he's talking about, but if you listen back he totally understands what he's saying and its meaning. That's another song that I just really started to understand, including the George Clinton parts.

Andre 3000: Sometimes I'm just as surprised by some of this stuff as other people are. I'm not that talented. That shit was just meant to be. That's why music is real religious in that sense to me. 'Cause I get that feeling like when I used to go to church and people would start to jumping and acting crazy - at least the churches I went to - and when I get that feeling, that's when I know God is in the house.

Neal H. Pogue: That was way before its time. Just the whole vibe of "Synthesizer," the sound of the song, like it was almost into electronica in a way. 'Cause at that time I thought it was way different. I didn't understand it at first, but after awhile I was like, 'Ok, this is cool.'

Andre 3000: I'm so not in the world that I didn't know Vincent Price had passed. I was going to have him on there. But that may have been too "Thriller." [George Clinton] came in and it took him awhile to get into his zone, but he put it down. And that's what I'm talking about when I say God is in the building.

Synthesizer
OutKast Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Everybody's got opinions
On the way you're livin'
But see they can't fill your shoes
Life is made of half illusion (illusion)
Forty percent confusion (confusion)
Whatever's left I'm usin' to keep myself from losin', yeah
You don't know what I've been through (ooh)
Hell I might go through you (ghetto boy that, won't eat, tonight)

Uh-oh, oh no-oh (that little boy just wanna eat tonight)
Hey hey (he scuffles with her booty and her face) hey hey
And mm-mm (mom, I'm seekin' that sir tea and some soup, yeah)
All in all it's all in my head

You know it's that high guy, from East PI
Spittin' the realness of reality, you mad at me
Boi how you gonna handle me?
You want me to lollygag and talk that bullshit?
I refuse to play so I'm gon' speak that Southern good shit
That harder than yo' hood shit, lil' shit
That make y'all niggas think about the trigger
Before you pull it, on liquor stores and banks
Them folks got more than enough bullets to put that ass
Off in the slang, don't claim no gang, we the niggas
That did that "Ain't No Thang But a Chicken Wang"
But still though, how you gonna play a nigga like dildo
We OutKast 'til it's over, barbeque and never mildo
For real bro

"In tonight's news, 20th century technology
Has the computer age, scientists, and doctors gone too far?
Einstein or Frankenstein?
Dr. Scholl's, or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?
Are we diggin' into new ground
Or diggin' our own graves? Story at eleven"

Valley girls are horny tonight (synthesizer)
Fuzzy logic, their pubic virginity (synthesizer)
Ooh ooh ooh (synthesizer)
Ooh ooh ooh (synthesizer)

Conceived under the influence of toxic wasted doctors
Computer buggin' debuggin' device-a and vice versa
And various viruses
Performin' with laser light precision and verbal incision
For a lin'uistic ballistic lobotomy
Mind-fuckin' you, a psycho-sodomy
Of the medula oblongata
Accept your mind down your spine and out your behind
Fuck you

Synthesizer, microwave me
Give me a drug so I can make seven babies
Pump my breasts up, can you suck the fat up
Please make my life appear
Like ain't no such thin' as bad luck
My, nose ain't right
Like I need a new one
Just take your pick, a yellow red
A black or a blue one
Virtual reality, virtual, bullshit!
Synthesizer preachers can reach you up in the pulpit
Who a bitch?
Give me my gat so I can smoke this nigga
Tell his mamma not to cry
Because they can clone him quicker
Than it took his daddy to make him
Niggas bitin' verbatim
Thought provokin' records radio never played dem
Instant, quick grits, new, improved
Hurry hurry, rush rush, world on the move
Marijuana illegal but cigarettes cool
I might look! Kinda funny but I ain't no fool
Now if you wanna synthesize I empathize
Now if you wanna synthesize I empathize
But if you synthesize I will understand
Your synthesizer man

Ghetto boy horny tonight
Scsi with a booty in a cage
Problem sinkin' down and stretchin' out
So sleepy, playin' safe in cyberspace (synthesizer)
Cybersexy Wendy (synthesizer)
Web walkin' in the nude
Digital good time, digital good time
Said she'd lap dance on your laptop
While your laptop's in your lap
Digital good time, digital good time
Cybersexy Wendy
Web walkin' in the nude
Digital good time, digital good time
Said she'd tap dance on your laptop
While your laptop's in your lap
Digital good time, digital good time
Digital good time, digital good time
Cybersexy Wendy
Web walkin' in the nude
Digital good time, digital good time
Fuzzy logic, it's groovy

Wassup, man?
Wassup player, wassup, wassup? What'chu need? What'chu need?
Shit, tryin' to smoke good like you
Shit, I ain't smokin' good, I'm just out here tryin' to pay these bills, my nigga
What it look like for the Oskie-Wowskie?
Shit, for you? Cause you my nigga, shit, sixty-five
Sixty-five?
Yup, yeah
You don' charged me fifty the other day
It's some of that goddamn LA, some of that west coast
So it must've had a fifteen-dollar plane ticket added on to the motherfucker
Aye, shit, aye, I ain't the one who put the tag on it, my nigga
I just sell to you just like I get it know what I'm sayin'?
Stem seeds and everythin', huh?
Shit, you know how it go, playa
Well, I'ma tell it like this, I can't even smoke like that so you can go on and keep that
Well shit, I holla at you later then
I'll holler at you too then nigga, don't holler at me no more

Shit, holla at you
Bye, nigga, yeah

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to OutKast's Synthesizer talk about how people often have opinions about how others live their lives, but they do not fully understand each individual's personal struggles. Andre 3000 speaks about his own personal experiences of living in the ghetto and how he is using whatever is left to keep himself from losing; a reflection of how life can be made up of confusion and illusions. He acknowledges that people who are not familiar with his struggles cannot relate to what he has been through. The human race is at an age where computer technology and scientific experimentation have taken over, but the question arises of whether or not this has gone too far, leading to the suggestion that we are digging our way into our own graves.

Through a combination of rap and funk, the lyrics touch on the corrupting nature of technology, cybersex, and drug use in various corners of society. Virtual reality, synthesizers, and preachers who use their digital assets to reach people are highlighted, leaving the listener with a narrative that alludes to chaos and moral destruction towards the end. The question of whether we, as a society, are losing our grip on our morality and ethics is a constant theme throughout the song.

Line by Line Meaning

Everybody's got opinions
Everyone has their own opinions

On the way you're livin'
On how you live your life

But see they can't fill your shoes
But they can't fully understand your experiences

Life is made of half illusion (illusion)
Life is partly an illusion

Forty percent confusion (confusion)
And forty percent confusion

Whatever's left I'm usin' to keep myself from losin', yeah
I'm using whatever is left to avoid losing myself

You don't know what I've been through (ooh)
You don't know the challenges I've faced

Hell I might go through you (ghetto boy that, won't eat, tonight)
I might even overcome obstacles you couldn't imagine

Uh-oh, oh no-oh (that little boy just wanna eat tonight)
Oh no, that little boy just wants to have a meal tonight

Hey hey (he scuffles with her booty and her face) hey hey
He fights with her over her physical appearance

And mm-mm (mom, I'm seekin' that sir tea and some soup, yeah)
And mom, I'm asking for some tea and soup

All in all it's all in my head
In the end, it's all in my mind

You know it's that high guy, from East PI
You know it's that talented guy from East PI

Spittin' the realness of reality, you mad at me
Speaking the truth about reality, and you're upset with me

Boi how you gonna handle me?
How are you going to deal with me?

You want me to lollygag and talk that bullshit?
You want me to waste time and talk nonsense?

I refuse to play so I'm gon' speak that Southern good shit
I refuse to conform, so I'll speak the truth from the South

That harder than yo' hood shit, lil' shit
That's tougher than what you're used to, kid

That make y'all niggas think about the trigger
That makes you guys contemplate using a gun

Before you pull it, on liquor stores and banks
Before you rob liquor stores and banks

Them folks got more than enough bullets to put that ass
The authorities have plenty of bullets to take you down

Off in the slang, don't claim no gang, we the niggas
Caught up in the slang, don't claim any gang affiliation, we're the ones

That did that 'Ain't No Thang But a Chicken Wang'
That created the song 'Ain't No Thang But a Chicken Wang'

But still though, how you gonna play a nigga like dildo
But seriously, how are you going to disrespect someone like that

We OutKast 'til it's over, barbeque and never mildo
We're OutKast until the end, always going big and never mediocre

For real bro
Seriously, man

"In tonight's news, 20th century technology
"In today's news, the advancements in 20th-century technology

Has the computer age, scientists, and doctors gone too far?
Have we reached a point where computers, scientists, and doctors have gone too far?

Einstein or Frankenstein?
Are we advancing like Einstein or creating monsters like Frankenstein?

Dr. Scholl's, or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?
Are we creating useful things like Dr. Scholl's shoes or dangerous dual personalities like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?

Are we diggin' into new ground
Are we exploring new territory

Or diggin' our own graves? Story at eleven"
Or are we just digging ourselves closer to destruction? Details at eleven"

Valley girls are horny tonight (synthesizer)
Promiscuous valley girls are sexually aroused tonight

Fuzzy logic, their pubic virginity (synthesizer)
Confusing logic surrounding their sexual innocence

Ooh ooh ooh (synthesizer)
Expressing excitement or arousal

Conceived under the influence of toxic wasted doctors
Born as a result of doctors under the influence of toxic substances

Computer buggin' debuggin' device-a and vice versa
Computers malfunctioning and being fixed, back and forth

And various viruses
And various computer viruses

Performin' with laser light precision and verbal incision
Executing actions or speech with extreme precision

For a lin'uistic ballistic lobotomy
For a linguistic surgical procedure on the brain

Mind-fuckin' you, a psycho-sodomy
Messing with your mind, a form of psychological abuse

Of the medula oblongata
Of the part of the brain responsible for certain functions

Accept your mind down your spine and out your behind
Letting your thoughts travel from your mind, down your spine, and out through your actions

Fuck you
Expression of frustration or defiance

Synthesizer, microwave me
Synthesize me, make me something new

Give me a drug so I can make seven babies
Give me a powerful drug to increase my fertility

Pump my breasts up, can you suck the fat up
Enhance the size of my breasts, can you remove the excess fat

Please make my life appear
Please make my life seem perfect

Like ain't no such thin' as bad luck
As if there is no such thing as bad luck

My, nose ain't right
Something's wrong with my nose

Like I need a new one
As if I need a new nose

Just take your pick, a yellow red
Just choose, a yellow or red one

A black or a blue one
Or a black or blue one

Virtual reality, virtual, bullshit!
Virtual reality is just bullshit

Synthesizer preachers can reach you up in the pulpit
Even synthetic preachers can speak to you in the church

Who a bitch?
Who's a coward?

Give me my gat so I can smoke this nigga
Give me my gun so I can kill this guy

Tell his mamma not to cry
Tell his mother not to mourn

Because they can clone him quicker
Because they can create a clone of him faster

Than it took his daddy to make him
In less time than it took his father to conceive him

Niggas bitin' verbatim
People are copying our words exactly

Thought provokin' records radio never played dem
Records with deep thoughts that radio never played

Instant, quick grits, new, improved
Fast, easy grits, new and improved

Hurry hurry, rush rush, world on the move
Everything is moving quickly and urgently

Marijuana illegal but cigarettes cool
Marijuana is illegal but cigarettes are socially accepted

I might look! Kinda funny but I ain't no fool
I might appear strange, but I'm not stupid

Now if you wanna synthesize I empathize
Now if you want to create something new, I understand

But if you synthesize I will understand
But if you create something inauthentic, I won't support it

Your synthesizer man
The person who creates synthetic music for you

Ghetto boy horny tonight
A boy from the ghetto in a sexually aroused state tonight

Scsi with a booty in a cage
With a girl with a nice behind trapped or confined

Problem sinkin' down and stretchin' out
Issues sinking in and becoming more complicated

So sleepy, playin' safe in cyberspace (synthesizer)
Feeling tired and engaging in safe activities online

Cybersexy Wendy (synthesizer)
Wendy, who embodies cybersexuality

Web walkin' in the nude
Navigating the internet without any clothes on