Hercules
Watsky Lyrics

I know I'm just as strong as Hercules
The singer believes that they possess strength akin to the mythical Greek hero, Hercules, due to it being a hereditary trait.

Because it's wired in my circuitry
The source of the singer's strength lies in their genetics and is thus inherent in their makeup, much like electrical circuitry.

You'll see I'm just as strong as Hercules
The singer reiterates their belief that others will eventually recognize their strength, which is equal to that of Hercules.

In 1638 they came from Sweden,
A group of Swedish settlers arrived in present-day Delaware in 1638.

Ship shape settlers late looking for Eden,
The Swedish settlers were well-prepared and arrived late in their search for an untouched, natural paradise.

The Delaware tribe wasn't really keen on leaving
The native Delaware tribe objected to the settlers' presence and were reluctant to leave their ancestral lands.

So they "bought em out" or slaughtered them quick and got to breeding
The settlers either negotiated with or killed the Delaware tribe and began to reproduce and settle the area.

1659 they built a fortress
The settlers erected a fortification in 1659 for protection against potential attacks from the native population.

But now their forces were losing their resources
The settlers were struggling to maintain their power and control due to dwindling supplies.

Moving in the living quick as moving out the corpses
Death rates were high, and the settlers were coming and going at a rapid pace due to the dangerous living conditions.

Started changing courses, when we got the Quakers
When the Quakers arrived, the settlers' way of life began to shift.

And they been running town since Cromwell met his maker
The Quakers have held significant influence and authority in the area ever since the English Civil War during Cromwell's reign.

They didn't take pay cut, Quakers got their cake up
The Quakers were financially successful and didn't take any pay cuts.

The paper came triangulating, trading with Jamaica
The Quakers engaged in trade with Jamaica, which bolstered their economic power.

Now in the 1700s they took care of biz
The Quakers continued to conduct business successfully in the 1700s.

Built the families through some noble marriages
The Quaker community expanded through marriages of influential families.

Still in Wilmington, doing what their parents did
The Quakers have maintained their presence in Wilmington, and their descendants continue to adhere to their parents' way of life.

Living up on 7th street in Mansions they inherited
The Quaker families lived in grand, inherited mansions on 7th street.

1800 and in step the du Ponts
In 1800, the du Pont family arrived and began to make an impact in the area.

Irenee du Pont was fleeing the war in France
Irenee du Pont arrived from France to escape the turmoil of the French Revolution and its wars.

He made the jaunt cause apparently murder rate
Irenee du Pont fled to the United States because the murder rate was high for aristocrats in France.

Was higher for gentle people spitting on the third estate
Commoners were revolting against the aristocracy, and those associated with the nobles were often targeted.

He started working late, he had grand design
Irenee du Pont worked hard and had ambitious plans for the future.

And when we cut a couple fingers off the hands of time
The du Ponts made significant contributions to the history of Delaware.

The Du Ponts were running under Delaware like panty lines
The du Pont family had significant influence and control over the area.

They built a mill for small explosives on the Brandywine
The du Ponts built a facility for producing explosives on the Brandywine river.

But gun powder's just as temperamental
Gunpowder is volatile and unstable, making it difficult to handle safely.

As the rich kids with CEO potential
The du Ponts' business was risky, and the stakes were high, much like a young CEO.

It's essential to compete for our emergencies
In the dangerous world of manufacturing explosives, it's crucial to be competitive in order to keep up with emergency situations.

Which brings me to a company called Hercules
The singer brings their narrative to a company named Hercules.

I hope I'm just as strong as Hercules
The singer aspires to be as strong and successful as Hercules, rather than just having a genetic predisposition for strength.

But when it comes to stacking currencies
When it comes to acquiring wealth, the artist hopes to be even more successful than Hercules.

I'd like to be as strong as Hercules
The artist reiterates their desire to be just as strong as the mythical hero, specifically in the aspect of accumulating wealth.

Hercules Gunpowder started kind of small
Hercules Gunpowder began as a relatively minor enterprise.

Du Pont had it all, were sparkling wall to wall
The du Pont family were wealthy and prosperous in all senses of the term.

They were ballin in the fall of 1899
In 1899, the du Ponts were incredibly prosperous and successful.

When T.C. Dupont crawled up the Brandywine
T.C. Dupont travelled up the Brandywine river.

Now Thomas Coleman, started as a coal man
Thomas Coleman began his career in the coal industry.

In the mines in Kentucky with his old man
Coleman worked with his father in coal mines in Kentucky.

Joined whole fam, and flipping the strip tease
Coleman worked with his family in their business of producing clothing.

Went from fig leaves all the way to big cheese
They started small and eventually became very successful.

Never got on his knees for the love it won him
Coleman earned his success through hard work and perseverance.

From couple of brothers, Lewis and Russell Dunham
Coleman worked with Lewis and Russel Dunham, the Dunham brothers.

They were running shit with Coleman's muscle
The Dunham brothers were successful due to their partnership with Coleman's strength and influence.

Lewis wasn't clueless
Lewis Dunham was intelligent and competent in business.

But Russell's on his hustle
Russel Dunham was particularly ambitious and dedicated to success.

Now brother Lou, was Coleman's true blue man
Lewis Dunham remained a close and loyal business partner to Coleman.

T.C. would Idea and Lou drew plans
T.C. Dupont came up with the ideas, and Lewis Dunham was responsible for implementing them through his planning.

Dupont had seventy percent of GDP
The Dupont family had a significant majority stake in the GDP of the area.

When it came to gun powder and TNT
The Dupont family had a near-complete monopoly on gunpowder and TNT production.

They bought even bought Hercules
The Duponts took over Hercules gunpowder, acquiring it in their quest for a monopoly.

"Scandilous!" Said the government, so brought on anti-trust
Due to the Duponts' monopolistic practices, the government got involved and brought on antitrust issues.

Litigation, and they split business up in three
Due to the antitrust lawsuit, the business was split into three separate corporations.

Into Atlas and Dupont, and Hercules
The three separate companies were Atlas, Dupont, and Hercules.

But certainly they were busting heads
The three corporations were still incredibly successful and prosperous, despite the antitrust lawsuits.

Put in work at Hercules, then made Russell prez
Russell Dunham worked hard and eventually became the president of the Hercules gunpowder company.

In 1912 up the road from Dover
In 1912, the family business was located near the town of Dover.

My great great grandfather Russ took over
The artist's great-great-grandfather, Russell Dunham, took over the business.

My mother loves me more than Hercules
The singer's mother cares for them deeply, more so than the mythical hero Hercules.

My parents work harder than Hercules
The artist believes that their parents display more strength and dedication than Hercules.

But if I think of this as burglary
The singer changes their metaphor from that of heroics to one of theft and considers their success as stealing from others.

I know I'm stronger cause of Hercules
The singer believes that their strength and success come from their association with the Hercules gunpowder company.

Because It's written in my history
The singer believes that their involvement with the gunpowder company is a significant part of their family's history and identity.

And if I blow up
The artist acknowledges that their ambitions could lead to catastrophic failure.

It'll be cause they blew up
The artist deflects culpability and blames their potential future failure on outside forces.