Roots Manuva, born Rodney Smith is a British hip-hop artist, who mixes hip … Read Full Bio ↴Roots Manuva, born Rodney Smith is a British hip-hop artist, who mixes hip hop with reggae and dub as well as electronica, and even some gospel. He grew up around Stockwell in South London. His parents were from a small village in Jamaica called Banana Hole where his father was a preacher and tailor. Spending much of his early years in poverty, this and his strict Pentecostal upbringing clearly had an influence on his music as can be seen in many of his tracks such as "Sinny Sin Sins" and "Colossal Insight".

Smith made his recorded debut in 1994 as part of IQ Procedure through Suburban Base’s short-lived hip hop imprint Bluntly Speaking Vinyl. He debuted as Roots Manuva the same year on Blak Twang's "Queen’s Head” single, before releasing his own single, “Next Type of Motion” the following year. 1996 saw the release of his collaborations with Skitz (“Where My Mind Is At”/”Blessed Be the Manner”). The release of “Feva” followed in 1997; this was also the year that saw the first releases from Big Dada, a collaboration between Coldcut’s Ninja Tune label and hip hop journalist Will Ashon.

Releasing for Coldcut's renowned experimental/hip-hop label Ninja Tune in 1998, some of his music may be seen as a predecessor of grime. The following year he released his fearsome debut album, “Brand New Second Hand”. Manuva was rewarded for his breakthrough with a MOBO as Best Hip Hop Act that year. He has also relesed 2001's “Run Come Save Me”, followed the next year by “Dub Come Save Me” in, which features dub remixes of five songs from the previous album alongside new work. This was followed up with the release of “Awfully Deep” in 2005 and “Alternately Deep” in 2006.

The lyrics of his songs are usually known to take a distinctly British edge, with many critics highlighting his references of eating cheese on toast and drinking bitter as examples of this. His warm and easily recognizable voice can be heard on many songs he performed with other artists such as Chali 2na (of Jurassic 5 & Ozomatli), DJ Shadow, U.N.K.L.E., Nightmares on Wax, The Cinematic Orchestra, Beth Orton and Leftfield. He also made an appearance on the Gorillaz album, Demon Days, lending his distinctive vocals to the track, "All Alone".

Here We Go Again
Roots Manuva Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Here we go again
Run into me when you find out you got no friends
I'm sick of your pretense
A pose upon man say you big dog upon your rates
That's a lie, ay?
It's funny how life comes and scolds a dude
Certain people don't wanna learn but he shows a 'tude
And those blokes never used to go to school

Now they wanna come and push up with some playground moves
And a grown man should put down those childish things
And let the knowledge of one's self resonate within
But something in his life isn't right with him
He's caught up in the hype and it bites within
And I hear him say he closer to the pirating
There ain't no business of my own and that's his private ting
And these days I really can't be tight with him
Back in the days we used to raise, we used to blaze the wing
That was then, now is now
We flex a little different
We more significant, we more eloquent,
We more relevant, hypnotic element
Set for the betterment, and now we're telling them
Here we go again
Run into me when you find out you got no friends
I'm sick of your pretense
I pose upon man say you big dog upon your rates
That's a lie, ay?
I told the boy that it's best that he knows his self
Take time with his study and he grows his self
Be aware of the mimicry of prankster life
There's truly few on the road that lead a gangster life
Best we motivate and give thanks for life
Or wind up paying at a costly price
Big our minds up, quick to be hypnotized
Fighting for monetary crumbs, and fable prize
Judge it, blessed we are
And people with a small mind, stretched with nah
Power with the paranoid, putrid debaters
Lonely patriots, trapped in the matrix
Blind to the sacred,
Nature of the sufferer, to reinvent
And heal thy self with the wealth and the know-how
Power to pursue, shall get through
Rebel on the hurt now, Rebel know truth
Here we go again
Run into me when you find out you got no friends
I'm sick of your pretense
I push up on man say you big dog upon your rates
That's a lie, ay?
Here we go again
Run into me when you find out you got no friends
I???m sick of your pretense

I push up on man say you big dog upon your rates
That's a lie, ay?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Roots Manuva's song Here We Go Again are a critique of pretense, false bravado, and the superficiality of certain aspects of modern culture. The opening line, "Here we go again, run into me when you find out you got no friends", highlights the fleeting nature of popularity and how people tend to only associate with those who are deemed "cool" at the moment. The song goes on to criticize those who present themselves as "big dogs" but have little substance or authenticity to back it up. The line, "And a grown man should put down those childish things and let the knowledge of one's self resonate within", urges the listener to focus on personal growth and development instead of chasing after shallow forms of validation.

Roots Manuva's lyrics also touch on the themes of self-awareness and the pursuit of knowledge. He advises the listener to take time to study and know oneself, to be aware of the pitfalls of mimicking a "gangster life" and instead focus on gratitude and personal empowerment. The lines, "Heal thy self with the wealth and the know-how, power to pursue shall get through, rebel on the hurt now, rebel know truth", encourage the listener to take control of their own life and to seek out knowledge and wisdom as a means of breaking free from negative patterns of behavior and thinking.

Overall, Roots Manuva's Here We Go Again is a powerful and thought-provoking critique of modern culture and the pursuit of superficial validation. Through his insightful lyrics, he urges the listener to focus on personal growth, self-awareness, and the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom.

Line by Line Meaning

Here we go again
Starting a conversation about repetitive behavior

Run into me when you find out you got no friends
Approaching me when you need something and have no real friends around you

I'm sick of your pretense
I'm tired of the fake façade you put up

I pose upon man say you big dog upon your rates / That's a lie, ay?
You claim to have a high status and influence, but that's far from the truth

I told the boy that it's best that he knows his self / Take time with his study and he grows his self
I advised a young man to focus on self-knowledge and personal growth

Be aware of the mimicry of prankster life / There's truly few on the road that lead a gangster life
Be cautious of imitating the lifestyle of those who claim to be gangsters, as they are a rare few

Best we motivate and give thanks for life / Or wind up paying at a costly price
It would be best to inspire and be grateful in life, or else face the consequences

Big our minds up, quick to be hypnotized / Fighting for monetary crumbs, and fable prize
We need to expand our minds and avoid being easily influenced by petty gains and false goals

Judge it, blessed we are / And people with a small mind, stretched with nah
We should appreciate our blessings, while others with limited perspectives are stuck in their ways

Power with the paranoid, putrid debaters / Lonely patriots, trapped in the matrix
Certain individuals hold onto destructive beliefs and are isolated in their ways

Blind to the sacred, / Nature of the sufferer, to reinvent / And heal thy self with the wealth and the know-how
They are unaware of the value in reinventing themselves, and need to heal by gaining knowledge and implementing positive changes

Power to pursue, shall get through / Rebel on the hurt now, Rebel know truth
We have the power to succeed as long as we persevere and seek truth, even when faced with pain and obstacles

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Lena Joanne Fiagbe, Michael Graves

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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