Born and raised in Minneapolis, Prince signed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records at the age of 19, soon releasing the albums For You (1978) and Prince (1979). He went on to achieve critical success with the influential albums Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (1982). His sixth album, Purple Rain (1984), was recorded with his new backing band the Revolution, and was also the soundtrack to the film of the same name in which he starred. Purple Rain garnered continued success for Prince and was a major commercial achievement, spending six consecutive months atop the Billboard 200 chart. The soundtrack also won Prince the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. After disbanding the Revolution, Prince released the album Sign o' the Times (1987), widely hailed by critics as the greatest work of his career. In the midst of a contractual dispute with Warner Bros. in 1993, he changed his stage name to the unpronounceable symbol logo. Hollow circle above downward arrow crossed with a curlicued horn-shaped symbol and then a short bar (known to fans as the "Love Symbol") and was often referred to as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (or TAFKAP) or simply The Artist.
After signing with Arista Records in 1998, Prince reverted to his original name in 2000. Over the next decade, six of his albums entered the U.S. top 10 charts. In April 2016, at the age of 57, Prince died after accidentally overdosing on fentanyl at his Paisley Park home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. He was a prolific musician who released 39 albums during his life, with a vast array of unreleased material left in a custom-built bank vault underneath his home after his death, including fully completed albums and over 50 finished music videos. He also released songs under multiple pseudonyms during his life, as well as writing songs that were made popular after being covered by other musicians, most notably "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor and "Manic Monday" by the Bangles. Estimates of the complete number of songs written by Prince range anywhere from 500 to well over 1,000. Released posthumously, his demo albums Piano and a Microphone 1983 (2018) and Originals (2019) both received critical acclaim.
Prince sold over 100 million records worldwide, ranking him among the best-selling music artists of all time. His awards included the Grammy President's Merit Award, the American Music Awards for Achievement and of Merit, the Billboard Icon Award, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016, and was inducted twice into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2022.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician)
Studio albums
For You (1978)
Prince (1979)
Dirty Mind (1980)
Controversy (1981)
1999 (1982)
Purple Rain (1984)
Around the World in a Day (1985)
Parade (1986)
Sign o' the Times (1987)
Lovesexy (1988)
Batman (1989)
Graffiti Bridge (1990)
Diamonds and Pearls (1991)
Love Symbol (1992)
Come (1994)
The Black Album (1994)
The Gold Experience (1995)
Chaos and Disorder (1996)
Emancipation (1996)
Crystal Ball (1998)
The Truth (1998)
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale (1999)
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999)
The Rainbow Children (2001)
One Nite Alone... (2002)
Xpectation (2003)
N·E·W·S (2003)
The Chocolate Invasion (2004)
The Slaughterhouse (2004)
Musicology (2004)
3121 (2006)
Planet Earth (2007)
Lotusflow3r (2009)
MPLSound (2009)
20Ten (2010)
Plectrumelectrum (2014)
Art Official Age (2014)
HITnRUN Phase One (2015)
HITnRUN Phase Two (2015)
Posthumous releases:
Piano and a Microphone 1983 (2018)
Originals (2019)
Welcome 2 America (2021)
Prince also released two albums credited to Madhouse, three albums credited to the New Power Generation, and one credited to the N.P.G. Orchestra:
Madhouse:
8 (1987)
16 (1987)
The New Power Generation:
Goldnigga (1993)
Exodus (1995)
Newpower Soul (1998)
The N.P.G. Orchestra:
Kamasutra (1997)
For Serbian singer Princ, please use Princ.
The Undertaker
Prince Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Put away the guns 4 future's sake
Don't U be another number 4 the undertaker
Put away the guns 4 future's sake
Don't U be another number 4 the undertaker
Mercy
Turn off the violence, there's children watching
Listen 2 the silence, it's a better box 2 be in
Turn off the violence, there's children watching
Listen 2 the silence, it's a better box 2 be in
Mercy (Mercy)
Calling mercy
Don't go with the crack (No)
U might never come back
I believe I'll say that again
Don't go with the crack (Don't go with the crack)
U might never come back (Might never come back)
(Mercy) Hey mercy
(Mercy, mercy)
Mercy now (Mercy)
Mercy (Oh Lord, have mercy)
Don't matter (Don't matter, don't matter)
The color of your face (The color of your face)
The undertaker (The undertaker)
Don't care about race (Don't care about race)
on't matter (Don't matter, don't matter)
The color of your face (The color of your face)
The undertaker (The undertaker)
He don't care about race (Don't care about race)
Mercy (Mercy)
Calling mercy (Mercy)
Hey mercy
(Calling mercy) {x2}
Mercy, mercy, mercy
Don't let the devil make U
Dance with the undertaker
Put away the guns 4 future's sake
(Put away the guns 4 future's sake)
Don't U be another number 4 the undertaker
(Don't be another number 4 the undertaker)
Put away the guns 4 future's sake
(Put away the guns 4 future's sake)
Don't U be another number 4 the undertaker
(Don't be another number 4 the undertaker)
4 the undertaker (4 the undertaker)
4 the undertaker (4 the undertaker)
Undertaker (Undertaker)
I'm talkin' 'bout the undertaker (Talkin' 'bout the undertaker)
Only the brave can cope
Don't U give up hope (Don't give up hope)
The undertaker
Here come the undertaker
Mercy
I'm calling mercy
Hey mercy
Mercy
Mercy early in the morning
Sho'nuff (Mercy)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, mercy
Mercy in the morning
Mercy in the noon day hour
In the evening
Don't let the devil make U (Don't let the devil make U)
Dance with the undertaker (Dance with the undertaker)
Don't do it (Don't do it)
No no (Don't do it)
Don't do that y'all
Uh-huh
Only the brave can cope
U see here, U can't give up hope
(Don't give up, don't give up hope)
No, mercy (Mercy)
Mercy, mercy, mercy (Mercy, yeah) {fade out}
No
Put away the guns 4 future's sake
Mercy (Mercy)
In the song "The Undertaker," Prince calls for the end of violence and hatred. The song begins with a plea to put away guns and not let oneself become one more victim for the undertaker, referring to death. Prince also advises against using drugs, specifically crack cocaine, which he warns might make you "dance with the undertaker." He urges listeners to listen to the silence and turn off violence because children are watching. Prince stresses that it doesn't matter what the color of your face is; the undertaker doesn't differentiate. The track ends with Prince calling for mercy and hoping that people won't lose hope.
Overall, the song is a warning against the destructive forces of violence, drugs, and hatred. Prince implores people to think about the consequences of their actions, especially since it might lead them to become just another number for the undertaker.
Line by Line Meaning
Put away the guns 4 future's sake
Stop using guns for the sake of your future
Don't U be another number 4 the undertaker
Don't become another death for the undertaker
Listen 2 the silence, it's a better box 2 be in
Avoid violence and find solace in silence
Don't go with the crack (Don't go with the crack)
Don't get involved with drugs like crack
U might never come back (Might never come back)
Drug addiction can be life-threatening and fatal
Don't matter (Don't matter, don't matter)
It doesn't matter
The color of your face (The color of your face)
What race you belong to doesn't matter
The undertaker (The undertaker)
The undertaker is a symbol of death
He don't care about race (Don't care about race)
Death doesn't discriminate based on race
Don't let the devil make U Dance with the undertaker
Avoid falling prey to the devil's temptations that can lead to death
Only the brave can cope
Dealing with tough situations requires courage and bravery
Don't give up hope (Don't give up hope)
Never lose hope
Here come the undertaker
Death is imminent
Mercy
Asking for compassion and forgiveness
Contributed by Ryan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jay Skywalker
THIS IS PROF!!!!!THAT THIS DUDE WAS A TRUE GUITAR!GOD!!! HOW IS HE NOT IN THE TOP 5 IS BAFFLING
Tra Mark
He is
Reynate65
How have I never heard/seen this?!?!?!?!
ᚱ ᚮ ᛒ ᚧ ᚾ ᛤ ᛂ ᚣ ᛎ ᛂ ᚱ
Same!
Bernice Copeland
Love this one
Pamela Capozzoli
I have the hole reel to reel tape to this but mine last about 15 minutes longer bc at the end she gets up an starts dancing after she throws up again.
I was there while they were recording this. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜
Donna Laney
Thanks for such a clean cut. The other version I saw had a lot of cuts in it. I live for his guitar 🎸 playing. The musical God 4ever
PennyDay Treasures
Honesty this is a brilliant album and video to go with it. Kinda hits you in the feels.
Don’t let the Devil
Let you dance
With the
Undertaker
Dino rivera
I wanna be rock star!
Dee Dandridge
Thank you for this 💕💕