Us3 is a jazz-rap group founded in London in 1991. They use samples of clas… Read Full Bio ↴Us3 is a jazz-rap group founded in London in 1991. They use samples of classic songs released by Blue Note Records. Among them is "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)", sampling Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island" on their first album Hand on the Torch. The song received much attention, approaching platinum status in the United States and being adopted as the theme music to the WBUR public radio program The Connection.

Shady People
Us3 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Before I go there are a few people I would like to talk to you
about

Sneaky people
They will creep around you peekin' into your soul tryin' to look
for a hole to drown you
They are always searchin' for nothin'
If you were to become one of these people you would probably

find yourself being hit in the head by someone who's had enough
Backstabbers
These are people who were at one time or another people you
trusted and now they are gone
There are some people who will always take the lowest road no
matter where it crosses
They will screw you time and time again
Taking from you your dignity trust and your friends
You can take your chances slim but I would not dance with him

(chorus)
Shady backstabbing sneaky people always tryin' to pull you in
their schemes
Could be money or time
What's yours is what's mine
They can never let you be
There are traits of these in all of us
But then there are those who should get their P.H.D.

Shady people
The pickpockets, the conman
The person you least suspect that they warned you about
They usually have the look of being up all night
They are fast talking and smooth winding
And they will bleed you of everything you've got
They also have the ability to lie straight to your face
repeatedly, over and over again
Just when you thought it was too good to be true it might have
been too late for you
Ten will get you twenty, red will get you double, black will get
you lots of trouble
He had you tuned in since you came in, knowing that you would
soon fall in

You are not to trust the story or the deal, just because this
person is not real

Overall Meaning

The song "Shady People" by Us3 is an anthem for those who have been victimized by "sneaky people", "backstabbers", and "shady people". The song begins with an exhortation to beware of those who are always trying to exploit you for their own gain. These are the people who will try to worm their way into your life by pretending to be your friend, but are really just trying to find a way to take advantage of you.

The first verse describes the "sneaky people", who will try to get inside your head and find a weakness to exploit. They are always looking for an opportunity to take from you, and if you become one of them, you will eventually find yourself on the receiving end of someone's anger. The second verse is about the "backstabbers", who were once your friends but are now gone. These are the people who will betray your trust and take your dignity and your friends.

The chorus is a warning to all of us that there are traits of these "shady" people in all of us, but there are those who should "get their P.H.D." in being deceitful. The final verse is about the "shady people" themselves. These are the pickpockets, the con artists, and the smooth-talking scam artists who will take everything you have and leave you with nothing. They are the ones who will lie straight to your face, and just when you think you've found someone you can trust, they will prove you wrong.

In summary, "Shady People" is a powerful and insightful song about the dangers of trusting the wrong people. It's a reminder that sometimes the people we think are our friends are really just trying to exploit us for their own gain.

Line by Line Meaning

Before I go there are a few people I would like to talk to you about
Before I leave, I want to tell you about some people.

Sneaky people
These are sneaky people.

They will creep around you peekin' into your soul tryin' to look for a hole to drown you
They'll sneak around and examine you carefully, trying to see if they can find a weakness to exploit.

They are always searchin' for nothin'
They don't have any real purpose or goals, they just like to cause trouble.

If you were to become one of these people you would probably find yourself being hit in the head by someone who's had enough
If you became one of these people, someone who's had enough might hit you in the head.

Backstabbers
These are people who betray you behind your back.

These are people who were at one time or another people you trusted and now they are gone
These are people who you used to trust, but now they've left you.

There are some people who will always take the lowest road no matter where it crosses
Some people will always choose the easy or unethical path, regardless of the consequences.

They will screw you time and time again Taking from you your dignity trust and your friends
These people will repeatedly betray you, taking away your self-respect, trust, and friends.

You can take your chances slim but I would not dance with him
You can take a risk if you want, but I wouldn't associate with them.

(chorus) Shady backstabbing sneaky people always tryin' to pull you in their schemes Could be money or time What's yours is what's mine They can never let you be There are traits of these in all of us But then there are those who should get their P.H.D.
These are the type of people who are always trying to involve you in their schemes, whether it's for money or time. They have no concept of personal boundaries or ownership, and they can't leave you alone. Everyone has some of these traits, but some people have got it down to a science.

Shady people
These are the shadiest people.

The pickpockets, the conman The person you least suspect that they warned you about
These are the kind of people like pickpockets and conmen, or even someone unexpected who others have warned you about.

They usually have the look of being up all night They are fast talking and smooth winding And they will bleed you of everything you've got
They often look tired from being up all night, are very persuasive and good at getting what they want from you.

They also have the ability to lie straight to your face repeatedly, over and over again
They can easily and convincingly lie to your face, and do it repeatedly.

Just when you thought it was too good to be true it might have been too late for you
If you think something is too good to be true, it might already be too late and you're already caught by them.

Ten will get you twenty, red will get you double, black will get you lots of trouble
They use gambling terms to trick and deceive you, and it will lead you to trouble.

He had you tuned in since you came in, knowing that you would soon fall in
They had already singled you out and knew you'd soon be taken in by them.

You are not to trust the story or the deal, just because this person is not real
Don't trust the story or the deal whether it's too good to be true, because the person promoting it might not be real.

Contributed by Cole O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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