Adrian Thaws (born 27 January 1968), better known as Tricky, is a rapper an… Read Full Bio ↴Adrian Thaws (born 27 January 1968), better known as Tricky, is a rapper and musician from Knowle West, Bristol, England who is important in the trip-hop scene (despite loathing the tag) and remains influential on the British scene more generally.

He is noted for an asthmatic whispering lyrical style that is half-rapped, half-sung. As a producer and a musician he is known for having an aversion to perfection preferring to build up a dark, rich and layered sound. Culturally, Tricky bridges white and black Britain particularly in his fusion of rock and hip-hop, high art and pop culture. He drew his influences from rap (Public Enemy) to post-punk (he covered a Siouxsie and the Banshees's song Tattoo).

Throughout his work, Tricky blurs the normally clear sexual definitions found within hip hop. Despite the heavy influence he drew from American hip hop in his debut album, Maxinquaye, he fights against typical sexual representations by, for example, dressing as a woman on the side sleeve of his album cover. Within many of his tracks he blends elements of varying types of music, and use his lyrics to create a much more ambiguous and blurry reality of sexuality.

Maxinquaye remains his most commercially and critically successful album to date. About it, Tricky originally said in an interview with Raygun in October 1996 that he wanted to make an 'out-an-out punk record' and that "I thought it was going be heavier. I thought it was just going to be an out-an-out punk record. But you end up straying. What I wanted to do was a total fast album. Some of the tracks are fast and hard, but they didn't come out like that." He also said that he hated being stuck with the trip-hop tag so "That's why I did Nearly God, and that's why I did Pre-Millennium Tension. You can't see them as trip-hop albums. So I just keep running away from it. But the farther you run, it's still there. They'll find you." Ever since, Tricky' style has evolved away from obscure, sample-based textures to a more contemporary, electronic sound.

Tricky was in Massive Attack and appeared in the movie The Fifth Element as well as the music video for Parabola by Tool. He has collaborated extensively with other artists on tracks on his various releases, including Bjork, Alanis Morissette, Cyndi Lauper, Anthony Kiedis , John Frusciante and Flea (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers), Martina Topley-Bird, and Alison Goldfrapp of Goldfrapp also many others.

After his initial success in the latter 1990's, he started his own label called Durban Poison. Currently he is heading a new imprint called Brown Punk.

Feed Me
Tricky Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Tricky raps in the background throughout
Hey you, so what cha gonna do
Palpable, searable, popular demand
From cradle to grave, the simple diary of man)

How things are together we'll destroy
And then we can destroy what we are
Together we can build what we are when we dream the spirit free

We don't give praise, we take praise
So why are we?

How things are together we'll destroy
And then we can destroy what we are
Together we can build what we are when we dream the spirit free
We don't give praise, we take praise
So why are we?

Feed me when I'm hungry
Drink me till I'm dry
The dream of yesterday becomes another lie
You feed me lies--distortion--the english disaster
No ones free from love for one master (one lord for one master)

We found a new place to live where we're taught to grow strong
And strongly sensitive, it always sets the scenery
Colors leave only beauty, words and wine amongst the greenery
See how it is (tastes)
See how it is (tastes)
We only let you teach us wrong and right
Give us priority
Seniority
Seniority
Seniority
We only let you teach us wrong and right
Give us priority
Seniority
Seniority
Seniority

Extract from crystal though nothing is clear
I despise you, damn you, dream you
I love you
But still nothings clear
I think of when I found you
Keep on singin while I'm drowning
Down into that two-tone vision
I've been raised (maze) in this place
And now concrete is my religion

See how it is (tastes)
See how it is (tastes)
See how it is (tastes)
See how it is (tastes)

We only let you teach us wrong and right
Give us priority
Seniority
Seniority
Seniority

We only let you teach us wrong and right
Give us priority
Seniority
Seniority
Seniority

We only let you teach us wrong and right
Give us priority
Seniority
Seniority
Seniority

The only lesson you teach us ?
They ask my origin,

The only lesson you teach us ?
They ask my origin, it's a moral sin.

Overall Meaning

Tricky's song "Feed Me" contains a lot of themes around power, control and submission. The opening lines, "Hey you, so what cha gonna do, Palpable, searable, popular demand, From cradle to grave, the simple diary of man" suggest that human beings are ruled by a set of societal norms that dictate what is expected of them from birth until death. These norms are arbitrary and can be easily destroyed, but to do so would require people to work together.

The chorus, "Feed me when I'm hungry, Drink me till I'm dry, The dream of yesterday becomes another lie" suggests that people are always seeking something - whether it be physical nourishment, spiritual fulfillment, or something else entirely - and that this quest is ultimately futile. The dream of a better tomorrow will always be shattered by reality.

The lines "We found a new place to live where we're taught to grow strong, And strongly sensitive, it always sets the scenery, Colors leave only beauty, words and wine amongst the greenery" imply that there is a better way of being, but this path can only be found by rebelling against the status quo. The singer has found a new community where people can become strong and sensitive at the same time, where beauty and creativity are valued. However, this utopia is quickly overturned by the next verse which embodies capitalism and the power of the state that molds us into our present self.

Overall, "Feed Me" is a complex commentary on the human experience, and the forces that shape us into who we are. Tricky highlights the forces which shape and allow us to operate, giving us a glimpse into the power dynamics at play in society.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey you, so what cha gonna do
Addressing the listener, asking what they plan to do.

Palpable, searable, popular demand
The demand for something that can be easily experienced and is widely known.

From cradle to grave, the simple diary of man
Referencing the human life cycle that goes from birth to death and is immortalized through simple documents.

How things are together we'll destroy And then we can destroy what we are Together we can build what we are when we dream the spirit free We don't give praise, we take praise So why are we?
We are destructive and seek destruction, but in that destruction, we can build and create. We do not give praise, only take it, but why are we like this?

Feed me when I'm hungry Drink me till I'm dry The dream of yesterday becomes another lie You feed me lies--distortion--the english disaster No ones free from love for one master (one lord for one master)
As a society, we're hungry and thirsty for fulfillment, and in that desperate search, we swallow lies. These distortions create a disaster, and we are all subservient to one master.

We found a new place to live where we're taught to grow strong And strongly sensitive, it always sets the scenery Colors leave only beauty, words and wine amongst the greenery See how it is (tastes) See how it is (tastes) We only let you teach us wrong and right Give us priority Seniority Seniority Seniority We only let you teach us wrong and right Give us priority Seniority Seniority Seniority
We discovered a new land, where we're taught to toughen up and be empathetic. The beauty of the surrounding nature is contrasted by the prejudice instilled in us by our leaders. We let them show the wrong and the right, never questioning.

Extract from crystal though nothing is clear I despise you, damn you, dream you I love you But still nothings clear I think of when I found you Keep on singin while I'm drowning Down into that two-tone vision I've been raised (maze) in this place And now concrete is my religion See how it is (tastes) See how it is (tastes) See how it is (tastes) See how it is (tastes)
Referring to a confusing situation, where everything is blurry, yet there's love and hate. The singer reminisces about their introduction to this situation while drowning in it, down a spiraling path. Concrete, symbolizing the foundation, is their religion.

We only let you teach us wrong and right Give us priority Seniority Seniority Seniority We only let you teach us wrong and right Give us priority Seniority Seniority Seniority We only let you teach us wrong and right Give us priority Seniority Seniority Seniority
We abide by the instruction of our superiors, blindly following their version of right and wrong. Ideally, they give us priority and favor, displaying seniority.

The only lesson you teach us ? They ask my origin, The only lesson you teach us ? They ask my origin, it's a moral sin.
Our origins are often questioned, and while the expectation is to learn morals, it's only a justification for moral sin.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADRIAN NICHOLAS MATTHEW THAWS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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