Lyrically, clipping.’s music attempts to reshuffle and repeat accepted rap scenarios, while eliminating a traditional single-point perspective. Diggs’s writing is heavily citational, like a rough-edged collage, gluing together half-glimpsed images and misremembered references, many of which might feel familiar, and some of which assuredly do not. But even while he consumes and regurgitates established styles, his self-erasure is incomplete; Diggs’s dense, often motormouthed flow remains wholly his own.
Individually, the members are known outside of the group for their extra-curricular artistic projects. Diggs is a stage actor, while Snipes composes music for film, and Hutson is an established noise music artist. Snipes and Hutson have collaborated on many projects, including the score to the documentary Room 237, which was released by IFC in 2013.
In February 2013, clipping. released their debut album, Midcity, on their website. The project was created entirely in-house, with the trio writing, producing, engineering, mixing and mastering all of the material themselves. There was no budget, no outside promotion, no hype-machine, no blog or label interest. In fact, clipping. had no expectation that anyone would bother listening to the album, let alone enjoy it. Nevertheless, reactions were largely positive— despite the uncompromising nature of the production, and its obfuscatory lyrical content— and within five month’s of Midcity’s release, clipping. signed a deal with Sub Pop Records.
CLPPNG, the band’s label debut, was written and recorded between February and October of 2013. Highly well-received, CLPPNG is an album that demonstrates the variety of sounds available when the ‘rules’ of a genre are willfully questioned.
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Attunement
clipping. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turn the lights off
Come on and rock, rock
Back the edge then up to the tip, it's not, not
Nice, the ropes are tight enough to hold but never burn
That would defeat the purpose, nothing beneath the surface
The shape is so inescapable, bet it would burn, bet it would hurt
And there's the rub, the red in the flesh is fine but the fire on skin is not
Is it possible to not get caught up in the thoughts
About whether or not to stop
Before the damage done is irreversible but isn't terminal?
Shit, goddamn it, loosen the grip
Come on and rock, rock
Back the edge then up to the tip, it's not, not
Nice, the ropes are tight enough to hold but never burn
That would defeat the purpose, nothing beneath the surface
In earnest, you should just let go
Before the damage done is irreversible but isn't terminal
Shit, goddamn it, loosen the grip
But then the body could slip
The plastic body busy being a building
Built on the basis of never knowing it's nothing
But what if you do, what did you do?
What did she say? She was nice but ain't shit
Made a mean bowl of rice and then dipped
And the drip is literally slipping away from the fingertips
He could cripple a man in a minute if a man could have had a reason to live
Come on and rock, rock
Back the edge then up to the tip, it's not, not
Nice, the ropes are tight enough to hold but never burn
That would defeat the purpose, nothing beneath the surface
Shit, the drip is literally slipping away from the fingertips
Could cripple a man in a minute if a man could have had a reason to live
He would be wrong, along come a longing
Have you waited long enough, can you just belong to belonging?
She laughed at that, right on
Passed out with the light on, pissed off with the pipe on
Light grip on the armchair like a pile-on
Poundin' out the rhythm in a bygone era
But the bylaws of which must state something of copulation
And can't be, "Just say fuck", 'cause there'd be less conversation
Or numb release in the dungarees, just a low beneath
There'd be no appeasing anything, they sit there beautiful
Just simple deeds done simply, no sympathy serving up timpani
No infamy, just a grim repeat to get just what you need
Turn the lights off when you leave
Come on and rock, rock
Back the edge and up to the tip, it's not, not
Nice, the ropes are tight enough to hold but never burn
That would defeat the purpose, nothing beneath the surface
Looking over the edge, ain't the drop, why the screwface?
You've been saying you wanted to stop, why don't you take
One more step and let God, or what you make
Up in your head, stir the pot, while you lose faith
Shouldn't be so hard to be apart and be a part of ether
Shouldn't need to start or need a part to be a pardon neither
Shouldn't be restarting, all this starting ain't the part to feature
You are not a body, bodies aren't often heartless creatures
Looking over the edge, ain't the wind, why the jump scare?
You've been saying you're hated this skin, why you stuck there?
One more step to the wind and then compare
If it's better to never begin, or if there's sun there
Shouldn't be so hard to be apart and be a part of dust
Shouldn't need to start or need to start believing in the thing you trust
Shouldn't be restarting evenings till you see a piece of crust
You are not a body, you're a metal shell and you can see the rust
Come on and rock, rock
Back the edge and up to the tip, it's not, not
Nice, the ropes are tight enough to hold but never burn
That would defeat the purpose, nothing beneath the surface
The lyrics of "Attunement" represent a meditation on the concept of letting go and escaping one's earthly limitations. The song's opening lines invite the listener to calm their mind and tune out external distractions. From there, the lyrics explore the tension between the desire to break free from the physical constraints of the body and the fear of the potential pain or damage that may result from doing so.
The imagery of ropes and burning creates a sense of being tied down and restrained, but also protected from harm. The repeated plea to "loosen the grip" suggests a desire to break free from these constraints, but the fear of what lies beyond keeps the singer tethered. The lyrics touch on themes of existential crisis, mortality, and the struggle for purpose in life.
Line by Line Meaning
A meditation
This song is meant to be a meditative experience
Turn the lights off
Set the mood and atmosphere by turning off the lights
Come on and rock, rock
Encourages the listener to move to the rhythm of the song
Back the edge then up to the tip, it's not, not
A metaphor for approaching the edge of one's comfort zone
Nice, the ropes are tight enough to hold but never burn
A reassurance that boundaries are in place but won't cause harm
That would defeat the purpose, nothing beneath the surface
The importance of respecting boundaries and not crossing them
The surface is just in service of holding the form, cursed
A reflection on the limitations of appearances
The shape is so inescapable, bet it would burn, bet it would hurt
The struggle to break free from conforming to societal norms
And there's the rub, the red in the flesh is fine but the fire on skin is not
A warning against engaging in harmful behaviors
Is it possible to not get caught up in the thoughts
Questioning the power of one's thoughts and the ability to control them
About whether or not to stop
Reflecting on the decision to continue down a destructive path
Before the damage done is irreversible but isn't terminal?
The fear of causing lasting damage without necessarily causing death
Shit, goddamn it, loosen the grip
A frustrated plea to let go of harmful habits
In earnest, you should just let go
An honest and serious suggestion to release harmful behaviors
But then the body could slip
Acknowledging the difficulty and risk involved in changing one's behavior
The plastic body busy being a building
A comment on the artificiality of society and its expectations
He could cripple a man in a minute if a man could have had a reason to live
A darker exploration of the potential for harm in society
She was nice but ain't shit
A criticism of someone who seems harmless but ultimately lacks depth
Passed out with the light on, pissed off with the pipe on
A picture of someone who is unhappy and struggling with addiction
Poundin' out the rhythm in a bygone era
A nod to the past and the importance of musical history
Turn the lights off when you leave
A reminder to be mindful and respectful of one's surroundings
Looking over the edge, ain't the drop, why the screwface?
Questioning the fear of the unknown when taking risks
You've been saying you wanted to stop, why don't you take
Challenging the listener to act on their desire for change
Shouldn't be so hard to be apart and be a part of ether
Reflecting on the struggle to find one's place in the world
Shouldn't need to start or need a part to be a pardon neither
Exploring the idea of forgiveness and acceptance without condition
You are not a body, you're a metal shell and you can see the rust
A reminder of the impermanence of the human body and the importance of self-care
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Snipes, William Hutson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind