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.
http://www.itsclippingbitch.com
Story 5
clipping. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There was a war across the sea
She'd grown lovely, bright, and tall
Fight and die for us all
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
Come home Grace, come home
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
On that fateful day at work
When her comrade lost an arm
Grace stayed with her til the end
And she vowed not again
Would her friend ever come back home?
On the nights when Grace would speak
As the drunkards cursed and roared
She'd tell tales of battles won
And how she'd just begun
Grace would help keep us safe at home
Come home Grace, come home
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
Grace hid photographs and notes
From the foreman's watchful eyes
When she told what she had found
It would all come crashing down
Grace smiled as she rode back home
No one witnessed Grace's end
She was severed limbs and blood
Once her taxi hit the curb
She'd not speak another word
Oh Grace, what have they done?
Come home Grace, come home
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
Come home Grace, come home
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
The lyrics of "Story 5" by clipping. paint a picture of a woman named Grace who appears to have served in the military and has now returned home. The opening lines set the tone of tragedy and suggests that Grace may have fought in a war. The line "Fight and die for us all" could be interpreted as a nod to soldiers who have lost their lives in service. The chorus serves as a desperate plea for Grace to come back home with the repetition of "Come home Grace, come home, Oh Grace, won't you come back home?"
The next verse talks about a workplace accident where Grace's comrade loses their arm. It showcases Grace's compassionate side as she stays with her comrade until the end. The phrase "she vowed not again" could mean that Grace has experienced similar tragedies before, possibly during her time in the military. The chorus follows, again with a sense of desperation and longing for Grace to come home.
The final verse shows Grace keeping memorabilia from her time in the military and hiding it from her foreman. She eventually tells what she has found, and it leads to her demise. The line "she'd not speak another word" suggests that Grace may have been silenced for revealing what she had discovered. The chorus repeats twice, bringing the song to a somber end.
Line by Line Meaning
On the day when Grace was born
Grace was born on a day when war was going on in some far off land.
There was a war across the sea
There was a war raging across the sea on the day Grace was born.
She'd grown lovely, bright, and tall
Grace grew up to be a beautiful and smart woman.
Fight and die for us all
She was willing to fight and die for her country and her people.
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
The artist wants Grace to come back home safe and sound.
On that fateful day at work
One day at work, something terrible happened to Grace and her colleague.
When her comrade lost an arm
Her co-worker lost an arm in a tragic work incident.
Grace stayed with her til the end
Grace supported her colleague until the very end.
And she vowed not again
After that incident, Grace promised she wouldn't let it happen again.
Would her friend ever come back home?
The artist is unsure if Grace's colleague will recover and return home.
On the nights when Grace would speak
Grace would tell stories on the nights when people were drunk and rowdy.
As the drunkards cursed and roared
The people around Grace were often drinking and being loud.
She'd tell tales of battles won
Grace would tell stories of her successful battles.
And how she'd just begun
She would also mention how she's just getting started with her military career.
Grace would help keep us safe at home
Grace's military service made the singer feel safer at home.
Grace hid photographs and notes
Grace kept some things hidden from the foreman, her supervisor.
From the foreman's watchful eyes
The foreman was keeping a close eye on Grace, most likely due to her allegiances.
When she told what she had found
When Grace revealed what she had discovered to her colleagues and superiors.
It would all come crashing down
Things would take a turn for the worse if Grace revealed her findings.
Grace smiled as she rode back home
Despite the dangers she faced, Grace still managed to smile as she left work.
No one witnessed Grace's end
Grace's death was not witnessed by anyone.
She was severed limbs and blood
Grace's body was badly mutilated in a violent accident.
Once her taxi hit the curb
Grace's taxi was involved in a tragic accident that caused her death.
She'd not speak another word
Grace was unable to communicate after the accident and ultimately passed away.
Oh Grace, what have they done?
The singer is lamenting the fact that Grace's life was cut short due to violence and war.
Lyrics © Fintage House Publishing
Written by: DAVEED DIGGS, WILLIAM MORAN HUTSON, JONATHAN RALEIGH SNIPES, ALVIN CHEA, DORIAN HOLLEY, STEVEN KAPLAN, CLAUDE MCKNIGHT, JOHN WILLIAM SNYDER, DAVID THOMAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kanayamaryam9842
Lyrics
On the day when Grace was born
There was a war across the sea
She'd grown lovely, bright, and tall
Fight and die for us all
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
Come home Grace, come home
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
On that fateful day at work
When her comrade lost an arm
Grace stayed with her til the end
And she vowed not again
Would her friend ever come back home?
On the nights when Grace would speak
As the drunkards cursed and roared
She'd tell tales of battles won
And how she'd just begun
Grace would help keep us safe at home
Come home Grace, come home
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
Grace hid photographs and notes
From the foreman's watchful eyes
When she told what she had found
It would all come crashing down
Grace smiled as she rode back home
No one witnessed Grace's end
She was severed limbs and blood
Once her taxi hit the curb
She'd not speak another word
Oh Grace, what have they done?
Come home Grace, come home
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
Come home Grace, come home
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
@vinhxo2k632
On the day when Grace was born
There was a war across the sea
She'd grown lovely, bright, and tall
Fight and die for us all
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
Come home Grace, come home
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
On that fateful day at work
When her comrade lost an arm
Grace stayed with her til the end
And she vowed not again
Would her friend ever come back home?
On the nights when Grace would speak
As the drunkards cursed and roared
She'd tell tales of battles won
And how she'd just begun
Grace would help keep us safe at home
Come home Grace, come home
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
Grace hid photographs and notes
From the foreman's watchful eyes
When she told what she had found
It would all come crashing down
Grace smiled as she rode back home
No one witnessed Grace's end
She was severed limbs and blood
Once her taxi hit the curb
She'd not speak another word
Oh Grace, what have they done?
Come home Grace, come home
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
Come home Grace, come home
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
@Lashkraken
nothing has shaken me on an emotional level as much as the stories. fuck man.
@bopbopperono58
My heart was pounding by the end of Story 2 and this suddenly brought me to tears.
@goose5141
I was confused at first. Then when realized what it was I was shocked. At the end tho holly shit it really hit me.
@kanayamaryam9842
Lyrics
On the day when Grace was born
There was a war across the sea
She'd grown lovely, bright, and tall
Fight and die for us all
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
Come home Grace, come home
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
On that fateful day at work
When her comrade lost an arm
Grace stayed with her til the end
And she vowed not again
Would her friend ever come back home?
On the nights when Grace would speak
As the drunkards cursed and roared
She'd tell tales of battles won
And how she'd just begun
Grace would help keep us safe at home
Come home Grace, come home
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
Grace hid photographs and notes
From the foreman's watchful eyes
When she told what she had found
It would all come crashing down
Grace smiled as she rode back home
No one witnessed Grace's end
She was severed limbs and blood
Once her taxi hit the curb
She'd not speak another word
Oh Grace, what have they done?
Come home Grace, come home
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
Come home Grace, come home
Oh Grace, won't you come back home?
@user-xm3gp9zs5v
thank you kanaya
@benmay1932
The stories are some of my favorite songs I've ever heard, especially Story 5. They hit HARD emotionally to me, and there's such a strong sense of artistry and mastery behind each one.
@charmofknlypi
I really wish I was a native speaker, so I could listen to this album and appreciate the genius lyricism without looking up the lyrics : (
@commercialchase8442
This played in one of my dreams after a really stressful day, desperately needed.
@KingMinionDemon
complete opposite of everything else in the album but still hit hard
@KILLER77X1
Such an unexpected song, I loved it