Parks grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, US, where she "messed around with instruments in the house" and took up violin in the fourth grade, eventually teaching herself how to play the instrument by ear. When she discovered the violin playing style of Northeast Africa, her eyes opened to the possibilities of the instrument. "The way they played it was different from classical music. I resonated with the style, and I was like, 'Maybe I can use this style with electronic music,'" she says. She has released two projects to date, including the self-titled Sudan Archives in July 2017, and Sink in 2018, both on Stones Throw Records.
Do Your Thing
Sudan Archives Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The other musicians are not playing by music either
Just, you know, people just play by ear
Get up there and just listen to your note
Find the note that you hear in your ear
And just ad-lib off of that
You know, just do your runs and stuff like you do
You know how you, you just play for everybody else
Get up there and do your thing
The lyrics of Sudan Archives's song Do Your Thing are empowering and encouraging. The song starts with a voice that tells Britt, the artist, to get up on stage and play her music the way she feels it. The voice tells Britt that other musicians are not playing by the music either and that she should just listen to her note and ad-lib off of that. By telling Britt to do her thing and play for the glory of God, the message of the song becomes clear. It is about being confident in yourself and your abilities and being unafraid to express yourself through music.
The concept that other musicians don't play by music either suggests that it is not always necessary to follow the rules or stick to a certain format when creating music. Instead, it is about being authentic and true to oneself. The line, "just find the note that you hear in your ear and ad-lib off of that," emphasizes the importance of trusting your intuition and inner voice.
The lyrics in Do Your Thing were inspired by a conversation that Sudan Archives had with a group of young musicians in Ghana about the power of music and being true to oneself. The song itself is a blend of classical violin, R&B rhythms, and African beats.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, so, Britt, just get up there
The singer is addressing Britt, telling her to go up on stage.
The other musicians are not playing by music either
The singer is saying that the other musicians are not following a strict structure, but are playing by ear.
Just, you know, people just play by ear
The singer is reiterating that most people are playing according to what they hear, rather than following established patterns.
Get up there and just listen to your note
The artist is telling Britt to focus on finding the note she hears in her head.
Find the note that you hear in your ear
The artist is encouraging Britt to trust her own sense of pitch.
And just ad-lib off of that
The singer is suggesting that Britt should improvise based on the note she hears.
You know, just do your runs and stuff like you do
The singer is reminding Britt of her usual performance style and encouraging her to stick to it.
You know how you, you just play for everybody else
The artist is recognizing Britt's tendency to perform for others, rather than for herself.
Just play for the glory of God
The artist is encouraging Britt to perform for a higher purpose, rather than just to please others.
Get up there and do your thing
The artist is giving Britt the final push to go on stage and do what she does best.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Brittney Denise Parks, Richard Lawrence
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Star Light
Amazing❤
Marcelo Romero
wow! que lindo :)
Primitive In The Extreme
🎧▶🎶✨
Yaazzyy8
I wonder if thats her mom, Its beautiful❣