He was signed to The Beats, a record label run by Mike Skinner and Ted Mayhem from 2006 until 12 February 2008, when the label terminated. He rose to success upon winning the inaugural JumpOff MySpace £50,000 battle rap tournament in July 2008. Following this in 2009, Manderson worked with Lily Allen on her 2009 concert tour.
Growing up on the Northwold estate in Upper Clapton, Green's familial situation saw him being raised by his grandmother while he traded up school attendance for just hanging on the estate, like kids do. The Read All About It Songfacts reports that he had a turbulent relationship with his father, who was rarely around during Manderson's childhood and committed suicide in 2008. In his hit single, Read All About It, Green responds to accusations made by his stepmother that his debut album, Alive Till I'm Dead, was "cashing-in" on his death.
While the usual nefarious stories of low budget living played a part in his life, Green's formative years were also characterised by fun: skating was big on the estate, etc. He also had an early inkling that the art of verbal sparring would somehow play a part in his life, confessing how, he always wanted to be a barrister or a lawyer. "I like debates and I've always been argumentative, I think that's helped me in battles a lot."
However, while becoming obsessed with hip-hop at the age of nine "Biggie [[artist]The Notorious B.I.G.] is my greatest hip-hop influence", Green only switched up from passive fan to active participant at a relatively late stage. After turning 18 years old, he coined his first rhyme completely off-the-cuff when put on the spot at an impromptu freestyle jam session round a friends house. Passing the test with aplomb and impressing his music making peers, the underground rap battle scene suddenly opened up before him.
After seeing a poster advertising a rap battle at the Lyric Pad night in London, Green turned up and won. From that he graduated to competing at the prestigious Jump Off events, performing at venues like The Scala and Sound in Leicester Square, and becoming the first ever contestant to win six straight weekly finals in a row. While his seventh showdown ended in defeat, he returned undeterred, put together a second run of consecutive victories and became the first string seven wins together. Throw in a further series of seven straight wins and a dalliance with pay battles, and Green became a man to fear on the battle circuit.
Cue a change of scene and a flight to the exotic climes of the Bahamas to spar for $50,000.
Entering the Power Summit battle against America's finest freestyle icons (think 8 Mile but with no holds barred), the crowd may have first viewed Green as this white English kid who's not going to do anything, but his gift of gab and ability to coin scathing punchlines saw him through to the final where he faced Jin, a member of DMXs much amped Ruff Ryders camp. The judges decided in Jin's favour, although with the Ruff Ryder man having been given a bye to the final and Green having already been through seven prior knockout bouts (including taking out representatives from Eminem's Shady Records camp), by his own admission it was "more a case of me losing it as opposed to Jin winning it."
Still, with a crowd featuring US big rap guns like Busta Rhymes and Saigon, Green made a name for himself and in September went off to Hawaii to compete in the battle again.
A performance at the B-Boy Championships last summer ultimately paid greater dividends and opened him up to a new audience in Mike Skinner of The Streets fame.
"Mike approached me after the B-Boy Championships and wanted to bring me on tour with The Streets" he recalls. I ended up doing an opening battle on the tour and we formed a great relationship from that. At first it wasn't about me looking for a record deal though it was more a case of us deciding to lay down some tracks and seeing where it went.
At the end of April 2006 he signed on the dotted line to release his debut album on Skinner's The Beats label. And while UK hip-hop's profile is certainly in the ascendancy thanks to acts like Skinnyman, Sway and Kano, Green has his eyes on breaking out beyond the usual urban tag affixed to British rappers.
Name-checking Portishead, Radiohead, Tracy Chapman and Suzanne Vega as song-writing influences, Green is well aware of the importance of adapting his lyrics from the immediacy of the live battle circuit to cater to the depth of the album format.
"The thing with hip-hop is if you take a lot of rap songs outside of rap then they aren't great songs, whereas with something like country if you take them outside of the genre then the song-writing skills are still incredible, he rationalises. And I'd like to take those skills into rap."
So while never completely leaving behind the entertaining punchlines that have characterised his battle persona, the album will take in everything from songs about his estranged parents to wish lists of things to do before he passes away and the plight of the average stereotypical man in the eyes of the average stereotypical female (see Stereotypical Man, complete with the catchphrase "'Til my breathings done I'll be reading page three of The Sun").
As Green concludes of his new goals "I wouldn't be happy to sell just 30,000 copies of my album. I don't think that there's anything wrong with aiming above that, giving people an album they can relate to, and wanting to be successful."
Goodnight
Professor Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I shift po to get dough, lust P's.
If you ain't ever been broke? For you to judge me's an insult.
It's my life an' I'm living it, agreed we all have choices but mine limited mostly by my decisions.
If I new then what I new now, I'd a lived life different, I'd be a different me, but I didn't so this is me.
Me, in my position what would you have done? Would you of done what I did? Am I what you would of become?
The decision was mine, but I was too young an' I picked the wrong path, I went the wrong way.
Left school then got the grade, banged it out, got my pape's.
Stacked my p's copped a cake, I'm holding weight now, made a brick of a ounce an' ain't been in the
jail house.
I intend on staying free, free for me don't mean free from stress.
Lay in bed but I ain't asleep, from I need rest I just blaze the trees.
Drift off hearing my Nan say to me...
[Chorus]
Goodnight God bless I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight God bless I'll see you in the morning.
I'm a dreamer but can only dream as long as I'm asleep,. I've been having trouble sleeping.
See Nanny Edie aint here to say goodnight no more, I had to say goodbye to her, inside is where resides the hurt.
Now all I feel is pain, after that nothingness. After that? Nothing since, after that there's nothing left.
Some of her last words were, I cant fight forever. Like she wanted to give up an' of life she was fed up.
She had to go, but I wanted her to stay, 'cause ever since she left things haven't been the same.
I need a new shelter from the rain, my face looking weathered, a facety looking bredder I'm fed up.
I know not what to do, see I'd love to say that I don't give a fuck but I do.
The gift an' curse that I'm blessed with, the pressures on road ain't nothing to the emotions that I wrestle with.
Stress got me in a figure four, raw is what I'm thinking, I wonder what I'm living for?
Is it only to hurt? First my Great Nan, now I gotta put my dad in the dirt.
Back in the earth, I wished we could have patched it up first, I was so angry though I just
couldn't handle the hurt.
Now your in the back of a hearse. It hurts more than it ever did.
Sometimes I wish that I had never lived. Feels as if it would be better if if never did, live.
I don't know how I'm ever gonna get through this, shit.
I swear down blud I'm running on empty, My life ain't nothing to be envied.
So Goodnight
The lyrics of Professor Green's song "Goodnight" describe the struggles and challenges that the artist faced in his life, particularly related to his decisions and their consequences. The first verse highlights the contrast between his professional success as a rapper and his personal struggles with poverty and crime, which he pursued to make money. The artist questions the judgement of those who have never experienced poverty, implying that they may not understand the difficult choices that he had to make. He acknowledges that he could have made different choices, but also asserts that his options were limited. The chorus of the song, which repeats the phrase "Goodnight God bless I'll see you in the morning," suggests the artist's desire for a better future and the comfort of a higher power.
The second verse of the song focuses on the artist's emotional struggles, particularly related to the loss of his grandmother ("Nanny Edie"). He describes his difficulty sleeping and his pain, and reflects on his grandmother's decision to stop fighting for her life. He expresses his sadness and frustration at not being able to do anything to help her, and feeling lost in the aftermath of her passing. The verse ends with the artist lamenting the loss of his father and the anger he felt towards him, indicating that his pain and trauma have continued to accumulate.
Overall, the lyrics of "Goodnight" provide an insight into the life and struggles of Professor Green, and evoke the emotions of grief, loss, and regret. The artist reflects on various aspects of his life, including his childhood experiences, his pursuit of wealth through illegal means, and the pain of losing loved ones. The song portrays a complex and nuanced portrayal of the artist's life and emotions, and showcases his lyrical talent and introspection.
Line by Line Meaning
I kick flows, rips shows, think it switched though. Shit no, it aint any different when I get home.
I perform well on stage, but my lifestyle hasn't really changed. There's no difference in what I do on stage and what I do at home.
I shift po to get dough, lust P's.
I sell drugs to earn money and I crave money.
If you ain't ever been broke? For you to judge me's an insult.
If you've never experienced poverty, it's rude to criticize me for my choices made due to limited resources.
It's my life an' I'm living it, agreed we all have choices but mine limited mostly by my decisions.
I am responsible for my own life and decisions, although I have fewer choices due to the circumstances I grew up in.
If I new then what I new now, I'd a lived life different, I'd be a different me, but I didn't so this is me.
If I had known what I know now, I would have done things differently and become a different person, but since I can't change the past, this is who I am now.
Me, in my position what would you have done? Would you of done what I did? Am I what you would of become?
If you were in my place, would you have made the same choices as me? Would you have ended up like me?
My guess, my guess is you would of succumb like I did.
I believe you would have made the same choices as me and ended up in the same situation as me.
The decision was mine, but I was too young an' I picked the wrong path, I went the wrong way.
I made my own choices, but I was young and I took the wrong path in life.
Left school then got the grade, banged it out, got my pape's.
I dropped out of school, but I still managed to earn money and support myself.
Stacked my p's copped a cake, I'm holding weight now, made a brick of a ounce an' ain't been in the jail house.
I saved up my money and bought drugs, and now I'm a successful drug dealer without getting caught.
I intend on staying free, free for me don't mean free from stress.
I plan on staying out of jail, but just because I'm free doesn't mean I'm stress-free.
Lay in bed but I ain't asleep, from I need rest I just blaze the trees.
I'm in bed but I can't sleep, so I smoke weed to try to relax.
Drift off hearing my Nan say to me...
I fall asleep while hearing my grandmother's voice in my head.
Goodnight God bless I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight God bless I'll see you in the morning.
This is my grandmother's goodnight message to me, which I still remember and cherish.
I'm a dreamer but can only dream as long as I'm asleep,. I've been having trouble sleeping.
I have aspirations and dreams, but I can only think about them while I'm asleep. Unfortunately, I've been having difficulty sleeping lately.
See Nanny Edie aint here to say goodnight no more, I had to say goodbye to her, inside is where resides the hurt.
My grandmother Edie passed away, and I miss her goodnight message. The pain of losing her is deep inside me.
Now all I feel is pain, after that nothingness. After that? Nothing since, after that there's nothing left.
After the pain of losing my grandmother, I feel nothing. There's nothing left for me to feel.
Some of her last words were, I cant fight forever. Like she wanted to give up an' of life she was fed up.
My grandmother's last words were 'I can't fight forever,' implying she was ready to give up on life.
She had to go, but I wanted her to stay, 'cause ever since she left things haven't been the same.
My grandmother had to pass away, but I wish she could have stayed with me, since things have not been the same since she's gone.
I need a new shelter from the rain, my face looking weathered, a facety looking bredder I'm fed up.
I need a new place to stay and escape from my troubles. My face looks worn out and I'm tired of being looked at like I'm in trouble.
I know not what to do, see I'd love to say that I don't give a fuck but I do.
I don't know what to do to relieve my pain, and I wish I could say I don't care, but I do.
The gift an' curse that I'm blessed with, the pressures on road ain't nothing to the emotions that I wrestle with.
The talent and success I have are both a blessing and a curse. The pressures of my life on the road are nothing compared to the emotional struggles I have.
Stress got me in a figure four, raw is what I'm thinking, I wonder what I'm living for?
I'm stressed out and feel trapped like I'm in a wrestling hold. I feel vulnerable and I question the purpose of my life.
Is it only to hurt? First my Great Nan, now I gotta put my dad in the dirt.
Is the purpose of my life only to experience pain? First, I lost my great-grandmother, and now I have to bury my father.
Back in the earth, I wished we could have patched it up first, I was so angry though I just couldn't handle the hurt.
Now my father is being buried in the ground, and I regret that we didn't have a chance to reconcile before he passed. I was too angry to deal with the pain.
Now your in the back of a hearse. It hurts more than it ever did.
Now my father is in the back of the hearse, and the pain from his death hurts more than ever.
Sometimes I wish that I had never lived. Feels as if it would be better if if never did, live.
Sometimes I wish I was never born, since it feels like it would be better if I didn't have to experience this pain.
I don't know how I'm ever gonna get through this, shit.
I don't know how I'm going to overcome this pain and move forward with my life.
I swear down blud I'm running on empty, My life ain't nothing to be envied.
I'm completely exhausted and drained. My life is nothing to aspire to and envy.
So Goodnight
I say goodnight, as I try to find some peace and rest amidst my struggles.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: HAYES ALEXANDER, STEPHEN MANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DamSyko
Never before have i seen such heart, soul, emotion and feeling in a rap song. Professor Green you are incredible!! Takes balls to say how you truly feel to people nowadays! Keep up the work!! Dont give in to the material culture!!
Sam Fanson
Jeez 2021 and this still give me goosebumps and takes me back in time 10 years💙
kissiman
such an under rated song
mysticcam
Not many songs can give me goosebumps but Goodnight never fails to
Josh Leadbetter
hits me in a lot of ways this song since losing my grandma and my dad
Sky Opening
Hang In There…
Joshua De Koning
Such a fresh beat. Can't wait to hear more from Pro' Green.
Natalie Fielding
very underated song. Love it
Amy Mitchell
Fucking love this song, can relate to it so much, the man is a living legend, no matter what anyone else thinks.
James Hampton
The most under-rated artist in the business. Fact.