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.
Poems
Tricky Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So I have to hide from everything.
Everybody wants a piece of me.
Rinse the origin and cease to be
Sit back and let it happen,
Let us take your time away
I don't understand you.
I don't want your time of day.
Always walk the whole ways,
Forget the punk, I pack the funk.
I'm gonna take a piece of you.
Making money for good health, but first I learn to see myself
Making money for good health, but first I learn to see myself
You've promised me poems
You've promised me poems
You've promised me poems
I rue the day that I ever met you,
And deeply regret you getting close to me.
I cannot wait to deeply neglect you,
Deeply forget you, Jesus believe me,
You promised me poems.
You might have been my reason for livin'
I gave up ungivin', gave up everything.
We were a right pair of believers
A couple of dreamers, so how come
You hate me?
You promised me poems
You promised me poems
You promised me poems
You promised me poems
Dreamed of ringing voices,
They contemplated choices.
Taste like a rare kiss,
To heighten my awareness.
With all fairness, greatness, with gratitude.
And simply rhymes with attitude
Now do promotion and TV, and ya still can't see. We
Down the hill cascade
And keep away the masquerade,
Dreamed of ringing voices,
And you promised me poems
And you promised me poems
And you promised me poems
And you promised me poems
The first verse of Tricky feat. Terry Hall & Martina Topley Bird's song Poems seems to convey a sense of paranoia and a desire for privacy. The singer confesses that they confide in anything, but they have to hide from everything. It appears as though everyone wants something from the singer, and they need to protect themselves by hiding away. Despite wanting to be alone and not wanting anyone's time, the singer still seems to be struggling with their own identity, as they mention taking a piece of someone else. The second verse seems to be directed towards someone who has betrayed the singer in some way. The singer regrets ever getting close to this person and can't wait to forget them.
The lines "You promised me poems" are repeated throughout the song, adding to the sense of betrayal and disappointment that the singer is feeling. They were promised something, but they did not receive it, and this seems to have caused a deep pain. The chorus is delivered in a haunting way by Terry Hall, adding to the melancholy tone of the song. The last verse seems to talk about a desire for escapism and a yearning for greatness. The singer dreams of ringing voices and contemplates choices, leading them to a heightened awareness. Despite this, they are still longing for the thing that they were promised but did not receive.
Overall, the song seems to be about the struggle for self-identity, dealing with betrayal and disappointment, and a desire for something greater.
Line by Line Meaning
I confide to anything
I trust anyone with my secrets
So I have to hide from everything.
Because of my lack of discretion, I must keep myself hidden.
Everybody wants a piece of me.
Everyone is trying to take advantage of me in some way.
Rinse the origin and cease to be
Forget the past and start over.
Sit back and let it happen,
Relax and let things unfold naturally.
Let us take your time away
Allow us to take control and guide you.
I don't understand you.
I can't comprehend your behavior or intentions.
I don't want your time of day.
I have no interest in interacting with you.
If you're gonna walk, might as well walk your way,
If you're going to do something, do it in a way that's true to yourself.
Always walk the whole ways,
Always put in the extra effort to go the distance.
Forget the punk, I pack the funk.
Ignore those who are fake and embrace what's authentic.
I'm gonna take a piece of you.
I'm going to gain something valuable from you.
Making money for good health, but first I learn to see myself
Before I can achieve anything, I need to have a clear understanding of who I am.
You've promised me poems
You've made a commitment to me that you haven't followed through on.
I rue the day that I ever met you,
I regret ever having crossed paths with you.
And deeply regret you getting close to me.
I'm sorry that I allowed you to become a significant part of my life.
I cannot wait to deeply neglect you,
I can't wait to leave you behind and forget all about you.
Deeply forget you, Jesus believe me,
I want to erase you from my mind entirely.
You promised me poems.
You're not following through on what you've said you would do.
You might have been my reason for livin'
At one point, you may have been the person who gave me purpose.
I gave up ungivin', gave up everything.
I was willing to sacrifice everything for you.
We were a right pair of believers
We were united in our beliefs and goals.
A couple of dreamers, so how come
We were both idealistic and hopeful, so why did things fall apart?
You hate me?
You have animosity towards me for some reason.
Dreamed of ringing voices,
I had high hopes and aspirations for myself.
They contemplated choices.
I thought about my options and the paths I could take.
Taste like a rare kiss,
The feeling is intense and unforgettable, like a special kind of kiss.
To heighten my awareness.
To make me more attuned to the world around me.
With all fairness, greatness, with gratitude.
Everything should be approached with fairness and a sense of appreciation for what we have.
And simply rhymes with attitude
It's important to approach things with a positive and determined attitude.
Now do promotion and TV, and ya still can't see. We
Even with all the attention and media coverage, there are still things that people can't see or understand.
Down the hill cascade
The situation is quickly spiraling downwards.
And keep away the masquerade,
We need to avoid the superficial or insincere aspects of things.
Dreamed of ringing voices,
I had high hopes and aspirations for myself.
And you promised me poems
You made me a promise that you haven't kept.
And you promised me poems
You made me a promise that you haven't kept.
And you promised me poems
You made me a promise that you haven't kept.
And you promised me poems
You made me a promise that you haven't kept.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADRIAN NICHOLAS MATTHEW THAWS, TERRY HALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@n1c98
God bless Tricky and his family from the loss of his daughter. I've been listening to this guy for more than a decade. When I was a kid and I discovered Massive, they became easily my favorite including Tricky. Sometimes Tricky is too dark for me because I know I am just as dark as him or darker and trying to move to better realms of positivity. I don't care however if Tricky never changes or he does reflect more positive thinking. He is an absolutely amazing person, artist, and hero in my life and influence in my past writing.
@kdmiranda
That darkness is why I love him!!!
@willowatnight
That's exactly how I feel about his music..
@the2ndcoming135
💐
@orchidcut
I love this song and so glad I decided to look through his discography after listening to Maxinquaye. I wish this album was on streaming services!!!
@Stefanzizovv
You can always rip it :D
@TodaysRemedy
Listening to this masterpiece in memory of Terry Hall, truly missed.
@ShinkasaLian
This is actually one of the greatest tracks of modern music!
@kdmiranda
I have loved this song for decades, i'm 30 and I remember the first time I heard it....it was pure Magic!!! Tricky rules!!!
He's my male Bjork :)
@eileenstubington8592
They use to date back during pre millennium tension