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.

Singin' the Blues
Tricky Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've been working so hard
Just came home from my job
I look down in my wallet
Goddamit I been robbed
Where can my money be now
[five of a???] a week's long work
What can I do now
I got so many bills to pay

You got me singing the blues
And I'm payin all my dues
You got me singing the blues
And I'm payin all my dues

[????] outta my pocket
Oh what a day
The bills are gonna rob me tomorrow
That's why I need my ten dollars today

You got me singing the blues
And I'm payin all my dues

Overall Meaning

Tricky’s “Singing the Blues” is a poignant narrative of a hardworking man who faces financial struggles that leave him dejected and singing the blues. The song begins with the singer coming home after a grueling day at work, only to realize that he has been robbed. His wallet is empty, leaving him with no money to pay his bills. The frustration of working long hours and not seeing any financial gain is palpable in the lyrics. He sings about how he has worked long hours for five days a week, yet he has nothing to show for it.

The second verse outlines the desperation of the man's predicament. He has no money to pay his bills and knows that tomorrow the bills will start coming in. He contemplates borrowing money from someone and expresses his frustration with his situation. The song concludes with the refrain “You got me singing the blues, and I’m paying all my dues" - an ode to the frustration and desperation of living life hand-to-mouth.

Overall, Tricky has created a relatable story that highlights the difficulties and struggles of hardworking people who are not able to make ends meet. The lyrics are delivered in the typical Tricky style - detached, almost spoken, but with a resonance that captures the mood and tone of the story.

Line by Line Meaning

I've been working so hard
I have been putting in a lot of effort into my job

Just came home from my job
I am recently home from work

I look down in my wallet
I check my wallet

Goddamit I been robbed
I have been robbed

Where can my money be now
I do not know where my money is

[five of a???] a week's long work
I worked a whole week and got paid very little

What can I do now
I am not sure what actions to take

I got so many bills to pay
I have a lot of bills to pay

You got me singing the blues
I am feeling sad and defeated

And I'm payin all my dues
I am paying for the consequences of my current situation

Money's fadin outta my pocket
I am losing money