Williams has published four books of poetry: "The Seventh Octave", "S/he", ",said the shotgun to the head." and "The Dead Emcee Scrolls"; and released six albums: Amethyst Rock Star, the self titled Saul Williams, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation Of Niggy Tardust, Volcanic Sunlight, MartyrLoserKing and most recently, Encrypted & Vulnerable.
Lalala
Saul Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before you pluck the strings of my violin
My life is orchestrated, like London symphony
Concentrated, niggas waited and waited
I'm birthday whistles, belated
Blow out the candles, I wait in the darkness like a vandal
The silhouette of set in the mirror on the mantle
'Round the island of desiring where most primitives stalk
Sacrificing their daughters, these primordial waters
Carry a feminine agenda that no man ever taught us
True they captured and caught us, transported, sold us and bought us
Constituted and lawed us, distorted truths that they taught us
We rebelled, then fought us, we conformed, then they formed us
Now y'all niggas rhyming 'bout material possessions
My Adidas are three years old like my daughter, niggas
Rhyme 'bout Alize and need to rhyme about water
But out of chaos comes order
Out of chaos comes order, out of chaos comes order
Out of chaos comes order, out of chaos comes order
Out of chaos comes order, out of chaos comes order
Fake niggas run for the border
La la la la, la la la la
La la la la, la la la la
In a past life I was a woodcarver's knife
The sharpened blade of a woodcutter
The eldest son of the chief's brother
A maker of drums
We scraped the insides of goat hides
And seek the hollows where sound resides
Offering the parts we did not use
To invoke the muse
Music of the ghettos, the cosmos
The Negroes, the necros
Overcomers of death, disciples of breath
Dissection of drumbeats like Osirus by Seth
Break beats into fourteen pieces
Dissembled chaos, organized noise
A patchwork of heartbeats to resurrect
True b-boys, be men
Let's mend the broken heart of Isis
Age of Aquarius, mother nature is furious
While you rhyme about being hardcore, be heartcore
What is it that we do art for?
Metaphor, metasin, it's an age of healing
Why not rhyme about what you're feeling or not be felt
Deal with the cards you're dealt
Calling on tarot readers and sparrow feeders
To cancel the Apocalypse
Metaphorically speaking, metaphorically speaking
In the song "Lalala" by Saul Williams, the lyrics speak of rebellion, the distortion of truth, and the power of music. Williams uses powerful and poetic language to express his thoughts on society and the music industry. The opening lines set the tone for rebellion and the idea that the singer's life is orchestrated, but not by conventional means. Rather, it is orchestrated like a symphony, which sets him apart from others. He mentions that he is concentrated and waited for, showing that he is important and perhaps powerful.
Williams then speaks of sacrifice and the exploitation of women, specifically young girls. He believes that society and the music industry have distorted the truth and that people need to wake up to the truth. He goes on to talk about the power of music in bringing people together and creating order out of chaos. He believes that artists need to focus on deeper themes such as healing and feelings, rather than material possessions.
The final lines of the song call on tarot readers and sparrow feeders to "cancel the Apocalypse" metaphorically. Williams seems to be calling on those in society who have a connection to nature and spirituality to take action and bring about healing and change.
Line by Line Meaning
Nigga, you betta drink half a gallon of Shaolin
Before you pluck the strings of my violin
My talent is so great that you need to prepare yourself to hear me perform.
My life is orchestrated, like London symphony
Concentrated, niggas waited and waited
I'm birthday whistles, belated
My life is so crafted and planned that people have been waiting a long time for me to make an impact.
Blow out the candles, I wait in the darkness like a vandal
The silhouette of set in the mirror on the mantle
Fire place is in the heart, water places the art
'Round the island of desiring where most primitives stalk
I am waiting patiently for my moment to shine, surrounded by images of fire and water, in a place where people are always looking for something more.
Sacrificing their daughters, these primordial waters
Carry a feminine agenda that no man ever taught us
True they captured and caught us, transported, sold us and bought us
Constituted and lawed us, distorted truths that they taught us
Our history is full of violence and oppression, with women bearing the brunt of it, and the powers that be have distorted the truth of our past.
We rebelled, then fought us, we conformed, then they formed us
Now y'all niggas rhyming 'bout material possessions
My Adidas are three years old like my daughter, niggas
Rhyme 'bout Alize and need to rhyme about water
We have struggled against our oppressors, but have also fallen into conformity, leading to today's obsession with materialism instead of focusing on important issues like the environment.
But out of chaos comes order
Out of chaos comes order, out of chaos comes order
Out of chaos comes order, out of chaos comes order
Out of chaos comes order, out of chaos comes order
Fake niggas run for the border
Even in the face of chaos and unrest, we have the ability to find order and meaning, while those who are fake or insincere will always try to run away.
La la la la, la la la la
La la la la, la la la la
A refrain of nonsense syllables, showing the importance of music regardless of lyrics or content.
In a past life I was a woodcarver's knife
The sharpened blade of a woodcutter
The eldest son of the chief's brother
A maker of drums
In a different life or culture, I might have been part of the creation of beautiful and meaningful instruments.
We scraped the insides of goat hides
And seek the hollows where sound resides
Offering the parts we did not use
To invoke the muse
In creating instruments, we were respectful of the animal and sought to use all parts, and we did it in the service of the creative inspiration.
Music of the ghettos, the cosmos
The Negroes, the necros
Overcomers of death, disciples of breath
Dissection of drumbeats like Osirus by Seth
A celebration of music that transcends cultures and histories, with a particular focus on the resilience of Black and marginalized communities, and the importance of the breath and the rhythm.
Break beats into fourteen pieces
Dissembled chaos, organized noise
A patchwork of heartbeats to resurrect
True b-boys, be men
The transformative power of rhythm and music is highlighted, where seemingly chaotic noise can be organized into beautiful creations, and a call to those who dance to find strength in their art.
Let's mend the broken heart of Isis
Age of Aquarius, mother nature is furious
While you rhyme about being hardcore, be heartcore
What is it that we do art for?
A call for people to use their art as a means of healing and addressing environmental damage, rather than focusing only on surface-level toughness.
Metaphor, metasin, it's an age of healing
Why not rhyme about what you're feeling or not be felt
Deal with the cards you're dealt
Calling on tarot readers and sparrow feeders
To cancel the Apocalypse
Metaphorically speaking, metaphorically speaking
In this age of healing, people should use their art to express emotions and experiences, rather than hiding them away. A call to action for spiritual or holistic healers to use their skills to stop the impending apocalypse.
Contributed by Leo W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.