The group formed in 1999 as a side project combining members of Curse ov Dialect and Pan.
Members include Joelistics, Countbounce, Pasobionic and Yeroc.
They are known for live shows with significant crowd involvement where they will often involve local MCs, and have been known to invite the entire audience on stage.
TZU differs from typical hip hop groups because they use instruments in their performances. Joelistics & Countbounce have played guitars and have had Keyboards and Drums also used giving them a rock infused vibe.
All Fall Down
TZU Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Twin towers, new police powers, petrol in the bowsers
we all fall down
Big liars, new world messiahs, political survivors
we all fall down from
new concern, bird flu's and phantoms strike back at random
we all fall down like
idea's and pop stars careers and fear of the fact that we all fall down like
we all feel pain and we all fall down like
Rodeo riders or lovers intertwined
We all climb high then we all fall down
How long do we have to wait
before we realise it's too late
How long most we sing this song
Before we know something is wrong.
Joelistics verse 2
Flag waving, chest pounding, war waging
we all fall down
Race riots, proud violence, big silence
we all fall down
Old hatreds, drunk celebrations, confrontation
we all fall down like
Mark Latham, Pauline Hanson or Skase in his mansion
we all fall down
Misused authority, refused apology's, world wide economy's
We all fall down
Resource robbery, third world poverty, hushed up atrocity
We all fall down
How long do we have to wait
before we realise it's too late
How long most we sing this song
Before we know something is wrong.
How long do we have to wait
before we realise it's too late
How long most we sing this song
Before we know something is wrong.
The song "All Fall Down" by Australian hip-hop group TZU, featuring rapper Joelistics, is a powerful commentary on the inevitable downfall of individuals and society as a whole. Joelistics' verses vividly describe various types of people and situations - from politicians and terrorists to rodeo riders and drug addicts - all of whom experience a similar fate of falling down. The chorus poses the urgent question of how long we can continue to ignore the signs of impending doom before it's too late.
The lyrics present a bleak and provocative view of the world, highlighting themes of political corruption, inequality, and injustice. The reference to the twin towers and new police powers suggests the aftermath of 9/11 and the curtailing of civil liberties in the name of security. The mention of bird flu and phantoms striking back at random creates a sense of paranoia and danger. The list of fallen figures - from Mark Latham and Pauline Hanson to Christopher Skase - serves as a reminder that even the most powerful and celebrated can come crashing down.
The ultimate message of the song is one of urgency and accountability. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the need to take action, rather than continue to sing the same old song. The song's powerful social commentary and infectious hip-hop beats have made it a favorite among fans and critics alike.
Line by Line Meaning
Twin towers, new police powers, petrol in the bowsers we all fall down
The events of 9/11, along with increased government surveillance and rising fuel prices, will ultimately lead to the downfall of society.
Big liars, new world messiahs, political survivors we all fall down from
World leaders and politicians who deceive the public with their own agendas and false promises will inevitably lead to the decline of society.
new concern, bird flu's and phantoms strike back at random we all fall down like
New diseases and unexplained events that occur randomly will contribute to the eventual downfall of society.
idea's and pop stars careers and fear of the fact that we all fall down like
Society's dependence on fleeting trends and celebrities, coupled with the fear that everything will eventually fall apart, will lead to its eventual collapse.
Kids playing games, smacked up veins we all feel pain and we all fall down like
Even those who are innocent and naive, as well as those who struggle with addiction, will ultimately suffer and contribute to the decline of society.
Rodeo riders or lovers intertwined We all climb high then we all fall down
Everyone, regardless of their background or status, will eventually reach their peak and then experience a downfall.
Flag waving, chest pounding, war waging we all fall down
The perpetuation of war and nationalism will ultimately lead to the collapse of society.
Race riots, proud violence, big silence we all fall down
Racial tensions and violence, as well as the failure to address these issues, will contribute to the downfall of society.
Old hatreds, drunk celebrations, confrontation we all fall down like
Societal problems such as deep-seated hatred and excessive partying, together with the refusal to confront them, will lead to society's eventual collapse.
Mark Latham, Pauline Hanson or Skase in his mansion we all fall down
The actions of corrupt, self-serving individuals in positions of power will contribute to the eventual downfall of society.
Misused authority, refused apology's, world wide economy's We all fall down
The misuse of power, lack of accountability, and global economic instability will lead to the eventual collapse of society.
Resource robbery, third world poverty, hushed up atrocity We all fall down
The exploitation of resources, poverty in developing countries, and the failure to acknowledge human rights violations will contribute to the decline of society.
How long do we have to wait before we realise it's too late
The song questions how much time must pass before society realizes it is already too late to prevent its eventual collapse.
How long most we sing this song Before we know something is wrong.
The song wonders how long society will have to continue repeating the same mistakes before it realizes that something is truly wrong.
Contributed by William B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ZettXXII
Thank you very much for all the eastern philosophy videos! :-)
Can you make a video about Sun Tzu?
He was a high-ranking military general and a philosopher, best known for his book "The Art of War". It's partly a guide on practical warfare, but also one that tries to avoid conflict as effectively as possible.
"To fight and conquer in all our battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." - Sun Tzu
I think the core concept of the book is that there will always be war between humans and Sun Tzu tries to figure out how it should be dealt with.
(You probably know all about this, but I wanted to give other viewers a hint on what they can expect, if you choose to cover this topic.)
@FlorenceFox
Of all the most famous Eastern Philosophers, Confucius is the one I'm least fond of. He had some good ideas, but I can't agree with the idea that a parent is worthy of respect simply by virtue of being a parent. Certainly, if your parents were good to you, if they sacrificed for you, took care of you, loved you and put you before themselves, you should most certainly be thankful, you should certainly respect them for it, and be kind to them because of it. But that respect should come from their actions, not simply by virtue of being your parent.
Conversely, there are horrible, neglectful, abusive, and cruel parents, who are worthy of no respect or special treatment. In particularly horrid cases, it may even be best to cut them out of your life as entirely as you can.
My mother, to be clear, lays somewhere in the middle, as I suspect most do. She sacrificed a lot for me, and I try to be respectful of that, and I do love her. On the other hand, she has many flaws, and we disagree on some very fundamental matters of philosophy, and I find it hard to be genuinely... 'respectful' of her in the way traditional Confucian teachings would dictate.
That said, I tend to find there's at least a little wisdom of value in most of the famous philosopher's of history. I'm of the mind that true wisdom comes from learning from as many sources as you can and learning to weed out the useless from the insightful.
... and dear god, all of that made me sound like a pretentious Philosophy 101 student, didn't it?
@CypherDVoid
+Florence MacKenna I think it pays to remember that any philosopher is, at the end of the day, just one person with their one opinion, and you shouldn't necessarily follow absolutely everything they say to the letter.
That being said, I do understand the logic of Confucian filial piety. For starters, Confucius seems to have taken the optimistic idea of 'parenthood', which is to assume that (most) parents generally care for their children, it's just that they don't always know the best way to be a parent. Why we should respect our parents isn't so much because "they're our parents therefore respect", but because our parents are probably trying much harder for us than we realise and we should show appreciation for these things.
For example, children are breastfed by their mothers long before they can even remember anything. The mother could have easily just left the child to starve to death and went off to drink at a bar or something, but instead she takes the time to feed you because you are her child and it's the right thing to do. All these things build up over the course of a person's life, and many things we get from our parents are things we'll never be able to repay in full, which is why we have to revere our parents.
My opinion comes mostly from being from a fairly old-fashioned (although not 100% old fashioned... my mother regularly says Confucius is a hypocritical ***hole) so to me the idea that the child reveres the parent is the number one requirement of a sustainable society (as opposed to a group of self-centred individuals).
Feel free to ignore/disagree. Just my two cents.
@ricsta7660
Thank you for sharing Spiritual
Insight. Of Vietnam era born, I continue to experience West vs East
perceptions of many aspects. My inner essence relates better with
Shinto.Confucius philosophy also I relate to as positive. Yet raised
on the opposite HemiSphere, many here may lack understanding of. When
my Father visited, we compare and contrast teachings of Buddha and
Jesus. Similar, yet not perceived as such. Last physical visit by my
Father (rip 2018年01月21日),
he suggested we study Tao path 道.
Way more confusing than Confucius!
@edyongbao
Opinion of a Chinese Malaysian who studied Confucianism (involuntarily and later voluntarily)
Confucian qualities sound strange and old-fashioned to " Western " modern society.
Filial piety - it sounds amazing in theory but it's very frequently abused by parents. It always induce otherwise unjustified guilt among the children sometimes. Moderation of filial piety is really not easy. it also gives a sense of superiority to parents. The formality and courtesy create distant the children from the parents.
礼 doesn't mean "ritual" exclusively. It also means etiquette and politeness. ISocial gestures and polite behaviour were a huge thing and were very elaborate. Much has been abandoned now, thankfully but some still exist in Chinese culture like no physical contact (traditionally,we don't shake hands. Malaysian Chinese only do it for business), circumlocution, extreme euphemism, (in Malaysian Mandarin, sex and genitalia of both sex are all called "that thing" except in cursing.), many taboos..etc.
let me introduce to you another great concept of confucianism (by Mengzi)
反求诸己 (always blame and ask from yourself) I used to be (or try to) an adherent of this philosophy. I wouldn't recommend it to any pessimistic overthinker like me. It's a terrible thing to always find faults in yourself for everything and urge yourself to contribute to everything.
@kazuoyoshioka4690
When Confucius said about ceremony, he is talking about constitution, the meaning of word change over time, in ancient time, ceremony, religion, constitution, are really close in relationship, like theocracy, so basically when he said he love ceremony, he is saying he love law and order, or harmony, constitution. also he didn’t get angry at kings, he got angry at subordinate of king, they are disloyal and disrespecting the tradition and law, the reader must be aware that Confucius’s writings are written 2500 years ago, meaning of word, way of life is so much different, in book, Confucius is criticizing subject of king are making 50 or so dancer dance in party, it was only kings are allowed to dance in such number, it like people ignores the constitution and have disrespected toward government and random guy start to doing the inauguration of president in middle of nowhere, if that happens, people lost respect to constitution and to law, therefore society will go into chaos, that what Confucius was angry about, if we let someone do that no one will respect the law, society will be full of criminals and that what happened in Confucius’s time, he wanted to salvage China from this chaotic miserable state, he devout his entire life to save his country, when most people are doing evil thing, he refused to do the evil and fight to the end.
also Confucius believed that punishing criminals with strict law is not effective but harmful, just like communist Soviet Union used secret police and filled their country with jail Island, he thinks that you only make hypocrites who is doing legal but immoral thing, instead he thinks it better to educate people to be righteous, it will makes society better. better education and more education to people will save the society from Crime, Japan is successful in doing that, they interpret Confucius saying that education is the most important thing to the society and tried to give good education to all the members of society, China in other hand they interpret it differently, they thought education is for elite members of society, not for everybody, I think that what made big difference in modern era of Asia.
@Luboman411
The narrator didn't mention that Confucius also heavily emphasized that the ruler also has grave responsibilities toward his subjects. Rulers were just as constricted in their actions as their subjects--they were to be paragons of morality and just behavior. Implicit in this is the notion that if the ruler acts in ways unjust or improper toward his/her subjects, the subjects have grounds then to overthrow the ruler and replace him/her with someone more just and moral. This notion of keeping the ruler accountable ("the Mandate of Heaven" in the olden days) is still deeply embedded in East Asian political philosophy and tradition. It's part of the reason why the Chinese Communist Party is so afraid of opening up its political system, and of any whiff of sedition or rebellious behavior towards the Party.
@devendersehrawat2947
+Luboman411 Tis ruler, slave thing has to go , do not agree with Confucius at all.
@benopoly0000
Damn son
@yangli6112
I have to point out that the emphasis of moderate ruling is derived from Mencius,a spiritual follower of Confucius,but not Confucius himself.
@grogdizzy5814
There's a big difference between "ruler and slave" and "leader and follower". Most of the world adheres the latter. There will always be leaders and followers no matter what philosophy the world implements.
@jaaksavat7916
No storming of the Bastille, no French revolution, no democracy
@alextang7462
Actually the video is a bit misleading. For example , filial piety is more about mutual respect and both cooperation. Confucius once said, 父慈子孝, which literally means father kind and sons respect. If the father is not kind enough its not a responsibility for the son to respect. Confucius also listed down how should a father behave. For example, 養不教,父之過, which means if a father only feed a child but not educate him, its the father's fault. Therefore , Confucius's idea is more about a interpersonal relationship, how the people in society should behave to achieve a Utopia.
@washedtoohot
I agree with everything except your last line. I don't think he preached Utopia, just a way to achieve a better society.
@shirleyz.4506
Alex Tang totally agree, to add to your point of 父慈子孝 (father kind, son respect), Confucius also said 君仁臣忠， meaning a ruler must have benevolence then his subject will be loyal. Confucian philosophy is about interpersonal relationship and each person plays his own role, but Chinese emperors intentionally put much emphasizes on the son and subject's duty and lightens the duty of the father and ruler for the sake of their ruling, thus creating the illusion that Confucian philosophy is serving the ruling class and Confucius is preaching one sided duty, which is not true
@alextang7462
So true and the first emperor doing this is the emperor wu of han