In February 2009, she officially changed her stage name to Santigold as a result of infomercial jeweller Santo Gold threatening legal action against White and her label Downtown Records.
White was lead singer of the Philadelphia-based punk rock band Stiffed, but while in the band, she was offered a solo contract. Working with fellow Stiffed member John Hill as co-producer, she recorded her debut album, Santogold, which was released in April 2008. Upon the change of her stage name, her label Downtown Records issued this press release:
"Change the graffiti on the bathroom wall, get your tattoo fixed, get your T-shirt airbrushed and change the name on your year-end list: Santogold is now Santigold. She's not telling you why, that's just how it is."
The Riot's Gone
Santigold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All the trouble that I know
Trying to lose the wild inside
But it's got no place to go
Oh I'm armed and dangerous
At the whim of my command
I been searching for an angle
For a cause I can't defend
Oh take me on
Let me go all day
Just beat it 'til I know
'Til I, I know that
The riot's gone
The riot's gone away
I've been haunted all my life
On the brink of something close
People know that I ain't right
Know I'm grappling with a ghost
Oh I'm armed and dangerous
And I'm deafened by the fray
Waiting for the day I'm able
And I set it on it's way
Oh take me on
Let me go all day
Just beat it 'til I know
'Til I, I know that
The riot's gone
The riot's gone away
Turn it on, turn it on
Now blow for blow
I want to make up now
For all the things I swallow
That I can't control
Get it out, get it out
Where does it go? So
One day we wake up
Someone we wish to God
We could say we don't know
Oh take me on
Let me go all day
Just beat it 'til I know
'Til I, I know that
The riot's gone
The riot's gone away
Hey, I heard it for a moment, now hey
I hear it coming in, be quiet, hey
I heard it for a moment now
The riot's gone, the riot's gone
In “The Riot’s Gone,” Santigold sings about the internal struggle of battling with oneself. The lyrics suggest that the singer has been searching for an opportunity to channel her aggression and let go of her wild side. She has fought with this inner demon throughout her life and cannot seem to shake it off. She admits that she is "armed and dangerous," which is a metaphorical representation of her thoughts and behavior, which can lead her to a destructive path. Despite her efforts to contain this aggression within herself, she acknowledges that it is waiting to be unleashed. The line "I'm deafened by the fray" emphasizes how overwhelmed she feels in the presence of her inner demon's voice.
The chorus of the song, "take me on, let me go all day, just beat it 'til I know, 'til I, I know that the riot's gone, the riot's gone away," implies that the singer is searching for a release or an outlet for her frustrations. She admits that she needs a violent activity, such as a fight or riot, to let go of her emotions. The lyrics paint a relatable picture of an individual who struggles to keep her emotions in check while yearning for an opportunity to let it all out.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been looking for a fight
I have been actively seeking out conflict
All the trouble that I know
I am familiar with chaos and instability
Trying to lose the wild inside
I am attempting to control my inner turmoil
But it's got no place to go
My inner wildness cannot be contained
Oh I'm armed and dangerous
I am equipped to cause harm
At the whim of my command
I have the power to act on my impulses
I been searching for an angle
I am looking for a reason to cause trouble
For a cause I can't defend
I cannot justify my actions
Oh take me on
Challenge me
Let me go all day
Fight me for an extended period of time
Just beat it 'til I know
Continue the fight until I am certain
'Til I, I know that
Until I am positive
The riot's gone
The chaos within me has dissipated
The riot's gone away
I am no longer looking for trouble
I've been haunted all my life
I have been plagued by something intangible for as long as I can remember
On the brink of something close
I am on the edge of something significant
People know that I ain't right
Others can sense that something is off about me
Know I'm grappling with a ghost
I am struggling to overcome something that is intangible
And I'm deafened by the fray
I am overwhelmed by the noise and confusion around me
Waiting for the day I'm able
I am hoping for a time when I am capable of overcoming my struggle
And I set it on it's way
And I take charge of my situation
Turn it on, turn it on
Activate something
Now blow for blow
Exchange blows
I want to make up now
I want to make amends
For all the things I swallow
For all of the negative experiences I have endured
That I can't control
That are out of my hands
Get it out, get it out
I want to rid myself of this burden
Where does it go? So
Where does it all end up?
One day we wake up
One day we realize
Someone we wish to God
Someone we desperately hope
We could say we don't know
We could claim our innocence
Hey, I heard it for a moment, now hey
I was briefly aware of my inner turmoil
I hear it coming in, be quiet, hey
But now it's becoming overwhelming again
The riot's gone, the riot's gone
I have finally overcome the chaos within me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Santi White, Dave Taylor, Gregory Kurstin, Nick Zinner, Greg Kurstin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Chris21Taylor
I've been looking for a fight
All the trouble that I know
Trying to loose the wild inside
But it's got no place to go
Oh, I'm armed and dangerous
[Hook]
Oh take me home
Let me go all day
Just beat it 'til I know
'Til I, know that
The riot's gone,
The riot's gone away
I've been haunted all my life
On the brink of something close
People know that I ain't right
Know I'm grappling with a ghost
Oh, I'm armed dangerous
And I'm deafened by the fray
Waiting for the day I'm able
And I set it on its way
[Hook]
Oh take me home
Let me go all day
Just beat it 'til I know
'Til I, know that
The riot's gone,
The riot's gone away
Turn it on, turn it on,
Now blow for blow
I wanna to make up, now
For all the things I swallow, that I can't control
Get it out, get it out,
Where it does go
So, one day we wake up
Someone we wish to God, we could say we don't know
[Hook]
Oh take me home
Let me go all day
Just beat it 'til I know
'Til I, know that
The riot's gone,
The riot's gone away
Hey, I heard it for a moment now
Hey, I hear you coming at me quiet
Hey, I heard it for a moment now
The riot's gone, the riot's gone
Anatomychant
Some day this album will be remembered as the masterpiece it truly is.
Noemí Mendoza
so be it!
Nafia Khanom Tanha
i have this on repeat since the last week when i first heard it. good job santigold
love from Bangladesh
Enrique Hossain
same from BD. i guess u know her a lot earlier than me. anyway i found santigold too. love her songs.
Daniel M
I remember when I first heard her on MySpace and fell in love right away, so talented!
Jenny Linvog
OMG! Me too, babe! It was 14 years ago this coming August! Cheers...xxxx 💋
Charmaine P
Heard this for the first time today and I can't stop listening to it! I call myself a Santigold fan but I must have been living under a rock to not have found this earlier.....
Chris21Taylor
I've been looking for a fight
All the trouble that I know
Trying to loose the wild inside
But it's got no place to go
Oh, I'm armed and dangerous
[Hook]
Oh take me home
Let me go all day
Just beat it 'til I know
'Til I, know that
The riot's gone,
The riot's gone away
I've been haunted all my life
On the brink of something close
People know that I ain't right
Know I'm grappling with a ghost
Oh, I'm armed dangerous
And I'm deafened by the fray
Waiting for the day I'm able
And I set it on its way
[Hook]
Oh take me home
Let me go all day
Just beat it 'til I know
'Til I, know that
The riot's gone,
The riot's gone away
Turn it on, turn it on,
Now blow for blow
I wanna to make up, now
For all the things I swallow, that I can't control
Get it out, get it out,
Where it does go
So, one day we wake up
Someone we wish to God, we could say we don't know
[Hook]
Oh take me home
Let me go all day
Just beat it 'til I know
'Til I, know that
The riot's gone,
The riot's gone away
Hey, I heard it for a moment now
Hey, I hear you coming at me quiet
Hey, I heard it for a moment now
The riot's gone, the riot's gone
Marcos F. Maciel
wrong lyrics, official lyrics are on the video's description
Chris21Taylor
@Marcos F. Maciel No, the ones I posted are correct -- They're identical to what she uploaded to her FB. The lyrics in the description came from Genius and whoever copied and pasted them didn't read to see those were wrong, even the (?) in the final lines show the transcriber wasn't sure what they were hearing.
Read mine and their's with the song and see which makes more sense