Bring The Noise
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 Soundtrack/Public Enemy Lyrics


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Bass! How low can you go?
Death row, what a brother knows
Once again, back is the incredible
The rhyme animal
The uncannable D, Public Enemy Number One
Five-O said, "Freeze!" and I got numb
Can I tell 'em that I never really had a gun?
But it's the wax that the Terminator X spun
Now they got me in a cell cause my records, they sell
Cause a brother like me said, "Well
Farrakhan's a prophet and I think you ought to listen to
What he can say to you, what you wanna do is follow for now"
Power of the people, say
"Make a miracle, D, pump the lyrical"
Black is back, all in, we're gonna win
Check it out, yeah y'all, here we go again

Turn it up! Bring the noise!
Turn it up! Bring the noise!

Never badder than bad cause the brother is madder than mad
At the fact that's corrupt as a senator
Soul on a roll, but you treat it like soap on a rope
Cause the beats and the lines are so dope
Listen for lessons I'm saying inside
Music that the critics are blasting me for
They'll never care for the brothers and sisters
Mow, cause the country has us up for the war
We got to demonstrate, come on now, they're gonna have to wait
Till we get it right
Radio stations I question their blackness
They call themselves black, but we'll see if they'll play this

Turn it up! Bring the noise!
Turn it up! Bring the noise!

Get from in front of me, the crowd runs to me
My deejay is warm, he's X, I call him Norm, ya know
He can cut a record from side to side
So what, the ride, the glide should be much safer than a suicide
Soul control, beat is the father of your rock'n'roll
Music for whatcha, for whichin', you call a band, man
Making a music, abuse it, but you can't do it, ya know
You call 'em demos, but we ride limos, too
Whatcha gonna do? Rap is not afraid of you
Beat is for Sonny Bono, beat is for Yoko Ono
Run-DMC first said a deejay could be a band
Stand on its feet, get you out your seat
Beat is for Eric B. and LL as well, hell
Wax is for Anthrax, still it can rock bells
Ever forever, universal, it will sell
Time for me to exit, Terminator X-it

Turn it up! Bring the noise!
Turn it up! Bring the noise!

From coast to coast, so you can stop being like a comatose
"Stand, my man? The beat's the same with a boast toast"
Rock with some pizzazz, it will last. Why you ask?
Roll with the rock stars, still never get accepted as
We got to plead the Fifth, we can investigate
Don't need to wait, get the record straight
Hey, posse's in effect, got the Flavor, Terminator
X to sign checks, play to get paid
We got to check it out down on the avenue




A magazine or two is dissing me and dissing you
Yeah, I'm telling you

Overall Meaning

The song "Bring the Noise" by Public Enemy, which was featured in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 soundtrack, is a powerful political commentary on the state of the world. The opening verse talks about the police, with the lyrics "Five-O said, 'Freeze!' and I got numb" highlighting the brutality of law enforcement. The following lines express frustration at being judged based on the content of music, with the artist claiming that he never had a gun, but his records sell because of his message. The song then turns to the power of the people, with the chorus imploring listeners to "Turn it up!" and "Bring the noise!" to show their support for the cause.


The next verse condemns corruption in politics, comparing it to soap on a rope. The artist emphasizes the importance of learning from the music, despite being criticized by critics who don't care about social justice. The final verse takes on the music industry itself, with a reference to "posse's in effect" and the need to "get the record straight". Throughout the song, the artists position themselves in opposition to the status quo, promoting unity and the power of music to bring about change.


Line by Line Meaning

Bass! How low can you go?
Starting with a bass-heavy tone, how deep does one's message go?


Death row, what a brother knows
An allusion to being on the verge of dying, as a brother knows important things.


Once again, back is the incredible
Public Enemy's back with their incredible power.


The rhyme animal
The artist is a master of rhyming, an animal at it.


The uncannable D, Public Enemy Number One
A reference to Chuck D's superiority as an unbeatable force in Public Enemy, number one in their game.


Five-O said, "Freeze!" and I got numb
The singer was stopped by the police and became numb.


Can I tell 'em that I never really had a gun?
The singer did not have a gun to begin with.


But it's the wax that the Terminator X spun
Terminator X's DJ skills are so good that he spun a mix using just wax records (no computers, no MP3s).


Now they got me in a cell cause my records, they sell
The authorities arrested the artist because they believe his music's income is illegal.


Cause a brother like me said, "Well
The artist's music and personality are the reason for his arrest.


Farrakhan's a prophet and I think you ought to listen to
Farrakhan is an important figure and people should pay attention to him.


What he can say to you, what you wanna do is follow for now"
People should follow Farrakhan's message for now.


Power of the people, say
The people's collective power and voice is important.


"Make a miracle, D, pump the lyrical"
People are calling for Chuck D to make something amazing with his music.


Black is back, all in, we're gonna win
A declaration that black culture is making a comeback and will prevail.


Check it out, yeah y'all, here we go again
The artist is calling for their audience to check out the new music and for everyone to get ready for more.


Turn it up! Bring the noise!
Suggestion to turn up the volume with passion and create a raucous atmosphere.


Never badder than bad cause the brother is madder than mad
The singer is angrier than ever before and is unbeatable in his rage.


At the fact that's corrupt as a senator
The singer is angry at an issue that is as corrupt as a senator (an institution known to be corrupt).


Soul on a roll, but you treat it like soap on a rope
People undervalue soul music's worth, setting it up for failure.


Cause the beats and the lines are so dope
Though popular culture does not recognize soul, the beats and vocals are still outstanding.


Listen for lessons I'm saying inside
The artist wants the audience to listen to the important messages in the music.


Music that the critics are blasting me for
The singer's music is commonly criticized by music critics.


They'll never care for the brothers and sisters
Critics do not care about the brothers and sisters in the community.


Mow, cause the country has us up for the war
The country is at war, causing skepticism and distrust for various communities.


We got to demonstrate, come on now, they're gonna have to wait
Protests and demonstrations are necessary, so people will have to be patient.


Till we get it right
The singer believes that it is essential to keep fighting until they get the issue right.


Radio stations I question their blackness
The artist doubts radio stations' support for the black community and culture.


They call themselves black, but we'll see if they'll play this
The artist is calling out hypocritical radio stations who identify as black, but don't support the community.


Get from in front of me, the crowd runs to me
The singer wants people to get out of the way so the audience can come to him.


My deejay is warm, he's X, I call him Norm, ya know
Terminator X is a warm person, and the singer calls him Norm.


He can cut a record from side to side
Terminator X can manipulate a record on a turntable like no other.


So what, the ride, the glide should be much safer than a suicide
It is safer to ride and glide than attempt suicide.


Soul control, beat is the father of your rock'n'roll
Soul music is the root of rock and roll music.


Music for whatcha, for whichin', you call a band, man
This powerful music is what you call a band.


Making a music, abuse it, but you can't do it, ya know
Although this amazing music is overused and abused, nobody can replicate it.


You call 'em demos, but we ride limos, too
Although their music may be called demos, they are still riding limousines and finding success.


Whatcha gonna do? Rap is not afraid of you
This is a declaration that the rap community is not afraid and will continue to fight.


Beat is for Sonny Bono, beat is for Yoko Ono
Music of all kinds is appreciated, demonstrated by Sonny Bono and Yoko Ono's music.


Run-DMC first said a deejay could be a band
Run-DMC recognized the deejay can be considered a band member and is part of the music creation process.


Stand on its feet, get you out your seat
The music is incredible, and it will get you dancing and moving.


Beat is for Eric B. and LL as well, hell
Eric B. and LL Cool J, among others, benefited from the incredible beat the singer talks about.


Wax is for Anthrax, still it can rock bells
The beat is so powerful that even Anthrax can rock along with it.


Ever forever, universal, it will sell
This amazing music will live on forever, it has universal appeal, and will always sell.


Time for me to exit, Terminator X-it
It's time for the artist to end the performance and Terminator X to exit the stage.


From coast to coast, so you can stop being like a comatose
Let your inner self wake up so we can go from coast to coast and celebrate together.


"Stand, my man? The beat's the same with a boast toast"
The singer is suggesting that the audience stand up, feel the amazing beat, and celebrate!


Rock with some pizzazz, it will last. Why you ask?
The artist wants to rock in style, so it will be remembered. The artist asks why not do it with style and panache?


Roll with the rock stars, still never get accepted as
Public Enemy rolls with rock stars but still does not get accepted in mainstream culture.


We got to plead the Fifth, we can investigate
The singer mentions the fifth amendment in reference to their rights to avoid self-incriminating. We can investigate the issue further.


Don't need to wait, get the record straight
Act now to fix the issue and clear the path for future success.


Hey, posse's in effect, got the Flavor, Terminator
The team is ready to act, they have the energy and attitude to make a difference, with Flavor and Terminator X leading the way.


X to sign checks, play to get paid
Terminator X is not just a performer, but he is also managing finances, and they deserve to be paid for their work.


We got to check it out down on the avenue
The singer suggests checking out what's going on in the neighborhood or street.


A magazine or two is dissing me and dissing you
The singer refers to magazines that are portraying them in a negative light and how this can affect the audience as well.


Yeah, I'm telling you
The artist concludes the song by leaving the audience with an important message.




Lyrics Š Universal Music Publishing Group, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CARLTON RIDENHOUR, CARLTON DOUGLAS RIDENHOUR, ERIC T. SADLER, JAMES HENRY BOXLEY III

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Bence Linder

just doesn't sound the same without the sound of a skateboard rolling on concrete...

Tarsha Anderson

Riiiiiiite! lol

King Caliph

Or the metal clink noises (from ledges grabs, etc), rail grinds, and jump/Ollie noises. Such a memorable game

Morenito716

Lmaooooooo 😂😂😂😂

Därk Cløud

Everytime I hear this song I just think about how many hours I poured into this as a kid in the 90's

life is good!

It was released in 2000, but yeah, same! Haha

rude` lechture

90's?

Edward Parkes

My first skating game. The Hangar was great fun.

Blyxx Black

when this song kicked in my lines went from dull to amazing

Chris Huergo

Who's excited about the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 & 2 remaster?!?

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