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".

Mean Street
Roots Manuva Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

At night I walk this stinkin' street past the crazies on my block
And I see the same old faces and I hear that same old talk
And I'm searching for the latest thing, a break in this routine
I'm talkin' some new kicks, ones like you ain't never seen
This is home, this is Mean Street
(This is) Yes-ah home, the only one I know

An' we don't worry 'bout tomorrow 'cause we're sick of these four walls

Now what you think is nothin' might be somethin' after all
Now you know this ain't no through street, the end is dead ahead
The poor folks play for keeps down here, they're the living dead

Come on down, (Huh! Ow!) down (This is) to Mean Street
They're dancin' now, look! Out on Mean Street
Dance baby!

(Guitar Solo)

It's always here and now my friend, it ain't once upon a time
It's all over but the shouting, I come to take what's mine
We're searchin' for the latest thing, a break in this routine
Talkin' some new kicks, ones like you ain't never seen

This is home, (Ooh) this is Mean Street
(This is) Yes-ah home, only one I know

(This is home) See, a gun is real easy
(This is Mean Street) in this desperate part of town
(This is home) Turns you from hunted into hunter (Yeah)
(This is Mean Street) You go an' hunt somebody down

Wait a minute, ah (This is home) Somebody said "Fair warning", Lord
(This is Mean Street) Lord, strike that poor boy down!

Overall Meaning

The song "Mean Street" by Roots Manuva conveys a sense of frustration, monotony, and desperation experienced by people living in poverty-stricken areas. The opening lines of the song indicate that the singer is walking on "stinkin' street" surrounded by "crazies" with no escape from the same old faces and talk. He seeks something new, a break from the routine in the form of new shoes. Despite the drudgery and hopelessness, this street is home, and the only one the singer knows.

The second verse describes the state of mind of people living in poverty. They are not worried about tomorrow as they are sick of their limited and miserable lives. The third verse shows how the end of the street is not the end of the misery, as the people living in this area are "the living dead." The chorus repeats "Mean Street" indicating the dire and vicious realities of the rough parts of town.

The song's message highlights the plight of people who are victims of their socioeconomic status. Life in the rough parts of town is a bleak, vicious cycle with no apparent escape or opportunity for a better future. In addition, the song advocates for these people through its portrayal of their relentless struggle, which many people overlook.

Interesting Facts:

Line by Line Meaning

At night I walk this stinkin' street past the crazies on my block
I walk down this street late at night and I see a lot of strange people around my neighborhood

And I see the same old faces and I hear that same old talk
I see the same people and hear them talk about the same things every night.

And I'm searching for the latest thing, a break in this routine
I'm looking for something new and exciting to break away from my monotonous daily routine.

I'm talkin' some new kicks, ones like you ain't never seen
I'm talking about getting new shoes that are unique and no one has ever seen before.

This is home, this is Mean Street
This is where I live and it's called Mean Street

(This is) Yes-ah home, the only one I know
Yes, this is my home, and it's the only one I know

An' we don't worry 'bout tomorrow 'cause we're sick of these four walls
We don't worry about the future because we are bored of staying within these four walls

Now what you think is nothin' might be somethin' after all
What you think is unimportant may actually be significant

Now you know this ain't no through street, the end is dead ahead
This is not a through street, it's a dead end

The poor folks play for keeps down here, they're the living dead
The poor people who live here are desperate and take risks, they seem to have lost their vitality and enthusiasm for life.

Come on down, (Huh! Ow!) down (This is) to Mean Street
Come down to Mean Street!

They're dancin' now, look! Out on Mean Street
People are dancing on Mean Street!

It's always here and now my friend, it ain't once upon a time
What is important is the present--it's not a fairytale from the past, my friend.

It's all over but the shouting, I come to take what's mine
It's almost over, but I'm going to take what is rightfully mine

See, a gun is real easy in this desperate part of town
Carrying a gun is simple in this part of town, and desperation drives people's actions

Turns you from hunted into hunter (Yeah)
Having a gun makes you the one pursuing others, rather than being the pursued

You go an' hunt somebody down
You go out looking for someone to harm or kill

Somebody said "Fair warning", Lord
Someone warned you about the danger in this place!

(This is Mean Street) Lord, strike that poor boy down!
This place is Mean Street--God, punish the boy who is in danger!

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALEX VAN HALEN, EDWARD VAN HALEN, DAVID ROTH, MICHAEL ANTHONY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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