Lyrically, clipping.βs music attempts to reshuffle and repeat accepted rap scenarios, while eliminating a traditional single-point perspective. Diggsβs 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; Diggsβs 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 positiveβ despite the uncompromising nature of the production, and its obfuscatory lyrical contentβ and within five monthβs of Midcityβs release, clipping. signed a deal with Sub Pop Records.
CLPPNG, the bandβs 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 βrulesβ of a genre are willfully questioned.
http://www.itsclippingbitch.com
Story Two
clipping. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the face of Mike Winfield
On his way home from the bar where he works
Nights - the worst nights, don't nobody tip right
And between the marriage offers and the fist fights
And if another mother fucker touch his wrist trying to pull him in to whisper
He ain't making it to midnight
Don't they know he got a lighter in his pocket
full of charred skeletons closeted begging to get out
He paused cause he's scared of airing out the thoughts
He can taste it in his mouth the sulfur and bitter carbon
Hearing all the burning bodies shout but no
That was a full lifetime ago and nobody ever has to know
He has never told well except Ronald
But that don't count he was sweet and
exactly what he needed him to be at the time
Wine and candlelight and nice texts at lunchtime
Why had he not called Ron back
Guess there just wasn't a spark
No no musn't joke about these things
Wouldn't want to disappoint Doc Clark
So many hours on the couch
So many buried memories that take so many tears to get them out
Water hadn't never been a friend
Hold up - where had he seen that car before
Blue Acura dent on the left rear fender
Back again the sense of
Deja Vu
Strange things you
Never shake when you wake up in recovery
But suddenly noticing ash is covering his head cause it's raining from the sky
Dials home on his cell phone and gets no reply
What the fuck?
Where is the babysitter that he overpays
Body takes over and brain becomes disengaged
Michael is running his house is three blocks away
Adrenaline compensating for change in age
Since the last that he ran it god dammit
Mike knows he gotta get home fast as he can
Looks up in the sky, glow's familiar
Knows those families died with similar
Awnings and on and on he keeps going
Hits the corner just as he hears the explosion
Screams comes from the house,"Did you get them out"
Mike asking came the crowd that gathered round
Tears running down his face
There's that familiar taste
He wishes it would take him to another place
Son and his baby girl in his home and he can't
believe that it's gone in a cloud of smoke
And he's choking and running forward and hoping
against hope that he might find them alive and well
When he knows the results too well and he knows that fooled himself
And he keeps walking toward the house rather what house is still left
No intention of stopping letting the smoke take his breath
Some strong arm rocks him aside Mike falls to the ground and cries
Why won't you just let me die
Why won't you just let me die
The song "Story 2" by Clipping is a tragic story of a man named Mike Winfield who is trying to make his way home from the bar where he works. The nights are long and arduous for him, with people not tipping him appropriately and constant fights breaking out. Mike is an anguished man with a secret. He carries a lighter, a matchbook, and the memories of charred skeletons in his closet. Memories of a lifetime ago, where he heard burning bodies shout.
Mike is so lost in thought that he does not notice the blue Acura until he recognizes the broken bumper. He realizes that something is off and starts running home. On his way, he sees a familiar glow and awning, and his worst fears are confirmed as an explosion erupts from his house. Mike rushes in to rescue his baby daughter and son, but he is
too late, and he wishes for death to consume him. The song ends with Mike asking why he cannot die.
The song tells a heartbreaking story of loss and trauma, with a twist in the end about the reason why Mike is so traumatized. It is a powerful critique of the struggles of the working-class and the struggles that they face in their personal lives. It is a reminder that everyone has a secret story, and one never knows what someone else is going through.
Line by Line Meaning
Godsmack is how the wind feels
Godsmack, the band, is a fitting description of how the wind feels on the face of Mike Winfield, a bartender who is having a terrible night.
On the face of Mike Winfield
The wind hitting Mike Winfield's face mirrors the impact of his difficult evening.
On his way home from the bar where he works
Mike Winfield is heading home after his shift at the bar.
Nights - the worst nights, don't nobody tip right
The nights when people don't tip well are the worst for Winfield.
And between the marriage offers and the fist fights
Winfield has to deal with both marriage proposals and fights during his shifts.
And if another mother fucker touch his wrist trying to pull him in to whisper
Winfield will not tolerate someone touching him or trying to pull him aside.
He ain't making it to midnight
Winfield does not believe he will make it through his shift until midnight.
Don't they know he got a lighter in his pocket
The other people at the bar are oblivious to the fact that Winfield has a lighter in his pocket.
A matchbook in his sock and a block
Winfield has matches in his sock and access to explosives (a block) that he could use to harm others.
Full of charred skeletons closeted begging to get out
Winfield's explosive block is a metaphor for the skeletons in his closet that he wants to keep hidden.
He paused cause he's scared of airing out the thoughts
Winfield is hesitant to share his thoughts because he is afraid of what others might think of him.
He can taste it in his mouth the sulfur and bitter carbon
Winfield can taste the remnants of destruction in his mouth, symbolized by sulfur and bitter carbon.
Hearing all the burning bodies shout but no
Winfield hears the imaginary screams of burning bodies, but he denies that they are real.
That was a full lifetime ago and nobody ever has to know
Winfield is keeping his past experiences and thoughts hidden because he does not want anyone to know.
He has never told well except Ronald
Winfield has only confided in one person, Ronald, and he does not consider that telling anyone else.
But that don't count he was sweet and
Winfield does not consider telling Ronald to be significant because Ronald was kind and exactly what Winfield needed at the time.
Exactly what he needed him to be at the time
Ronald provided Winfield with emotional support when he needed it the most.
Wine and candlelight and nice texts at lunchtime
Ronald's comforting presence was expressed through intimate gestures like drinking wine, having dinner by candlelight, and sending sweet texts.
Why had he not called Ron back
Winfield regrets not calling Ronald back because he needed his support once again.
Guess there just wasn't a spark
Winfield is dismissive of his relationship with Ronald - perhaps there was no real connection or attraction.
No no musn't joke about these things
Winfield understands the seriousness of his thoughts and experiences and refuses to joke about them.
Wouldn't want to disappoint Doc Clark
Winfield's therapist, Doc Clark, has a higher expectation of him and his mental health, so Winfield does not want to fail him by making light of his issues.
So many hours on the couch
Winfield has spent many, many hours talking to Doc Clark about his thoughts and experiences.
So many buried memories that take so many tears to get them out
Winfield has many painful memories that he has kept hidden and it takes a lot of emotional pain to uncover them.
Water hadn't never been a friend
Water doesn't help ease Winfield's tears and emotional pain.
Hold up - where had he seen that car before
Winfield experiences a sudden moment of recognition when he sees a car he has seen before.
Blue Acura dent on the left rear fender
The car has a blue Acura dent on the left rear fender.
Back again the sense of Deja Vu
Winfield experiences a sense of dΓ©jΓ vu when he sees the car and the dent, as if he has seen them before somewhere else.
Strange things you never shake when you wake up in recovery
Winfield has been through some traumatic experiences that he has not been able to forget about, even in his time of recovery.
But suddenly noticing ash is covering his head cause it's raining from the sky
Winfield realizes that ash is falling from the sky and covering his head where he stands.
Dials home on his cell phone and gets no reply
Winfield tries to call home, but nobody picks up.
What the fuck?
Winfield is confused and angry about the lack of response from home.
Where is the babysitter that he overpays
Winfield wonders where his babysitter is when he pays her so much.
Body takes over and brain becomes disengaged
Winfield's body takes over in a state of panic, and his thoughts become disorganized and chaotic.
Michael is running his house is three blocks away
Winfield is running as fast as he can because his house is only three blocks away.
Adrenaline compensating for change in age
Winfield's adrenaline is helping him move quickly despite his age, which would normally prevent him from running so quickly and with such intensity.
Since the last that he ran it god dammit
Winfield can't remember the last time he ran this quickly - it has been a very long time, if ever before.
Mike knows he gotta get home fast as he can
Winfield is aware of the need to get home quickly as possible, without stopping, no matter how painful that may be.
Looks up in the sky, glow's familiar
Winfield sees a familiar glow in the sky - he has seen it before and knows what it means.
Knows those families died with similar
Winfield realizes that it is not just his home, but other families in his area that have experienced this tragedy.
Awnings and on and on he keeps going
There are many homes and awnings on the street that Winfield is racing down - it seems never-ending.
Hits the corner just as he hears the explosion
Winfield turns the corner and hears an explosion, signaling that he is getting closer to his home.
Screams comes from the house,"Did you get them out"
Muffled screams come from the house and Winfield wonders if his loved ones have escaped.
Mike asking came the crowd that gathered round
When Winfield reaches his home, he asks the crowd of people gathered around if everyone got out safely.
Tears running down his face
Winfield is crying in anguish as he faces the reality of the explosion that destroyed his home and probably killed his family.
There's that familiar taste
Winfield tastes the sulfur and bitter carbon again, familiar signs of destruction and death.
He wishes it would take him to another place
Winfield is so distraught that he wishes he could be transported to a different world, away from the pain and loss.
Son and his baby girl in his home and he can't believe that it's gone in a cloud of smoke
Winfield's worst fears are realized when he realizes that his son and baby girl were in his home when it was destroyed in a cloud of smoke.
And he's choking and running forward and hoping against hope that he might find them alive and well
Winfield is desperately searching for his loved ones, hoping that they have survived the explosion and that he might find them alive and well.
When he knows the results too well and he knows that fooled himself
Despite his hopes, Winfield knows deep down that his loved ones did not make it, and that he was deluding himself in the search.
And he keeps walking toward the house rather what house is still left
Winfield can't stop himself from moving forward, even though his house is destroyed, and he continues to walk towards where it once stood.
No intention of stopping letting the smoke take his breath
Winfield is so overcome with grief and devastation that he does not even attempt to avoid the smoke, which affects his breathing.
Some strong arm rocks him aside Mike falls to the ground and cries
Somebody pulls Winfield away from the wreckage, and he falls to the ground, crying uncontrollably.
Why won't you just let me die
Winfield is asking why he cannot die as a result of the pain and loss he is experiencing.
Why won't you just let me die
Winfield repeats this line, further emphasizing his desire to escape the pain of his situation.
Lyrics Β© OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kourtney7623
LYRICS
Godsmack is how the wind feels
On the face of Mike Winfield
On his way home from the bar where he works
Nights - the worst nights, don't nobody tip right
And between the marriage offers and the fist fights
And if another mother fucker touch his wrist trying to pull him in to whisper
He ain't making it to midnight
Don't they know he got a lighter in his pocket
A matchbook in his sock and a block full of charred skeletons closeted begging to get out
He paused cause he's scared of airing out the thoughts
He can taste it in his mouth the sulfur and bitter carbon
Hearing all the burning bodies shout but no
That was a full lifetime ago and nobody ever has to know
He has never told well except Ronald
But that don't count he was sweet and exactly what he needed him to be at the time
Wine and candlelight and nice texts at lunchtime
Why had he not called Ron back
Guess there just wasn't a spark
No no musn't joke about these things
Wouldn't want to disappoint Doc Clark
So many hours on the couch
So many buried memories that take so many tears to get them out
Water hadn't never been a friend
Hold up - where had he seen that car before
Blue Acura dent on the left rear fender
Back again the sense of
Deja Vu
Strange things you
Never shake when you wake up in recovery
But suddenly noticing ash is covering his head cause it's raining from the sky
Dials home on his cell phone and gets no reply
What the fuck?
Where is the babysitter that he overpays
Body takes over and brain becomes disengaged
Michael is running his house is three blocks away
Adrenaline compensating for change in age
Since the last that he ran it god dammit
Mike knows he gotta get home fast as he can
Looks up in the sky, glow's familiar
Knows those families died with similar
Awnings and on and on he keeps going
Hits the corner just as he hears the explosion
Screams comes from the house,"Did you get them out"
Mike asking came the crowd that gathered round
Tears running down his face
There's that familiar taste
He wishes it would take him to another place
Son and his baby girl in his home and he can't believe that it's gone in a cloud of smoke
And he's choking and running forward and hoping against hope that he might find them alive and well
When he knows the results too well and he knows that fooled himself
And he keeps walking toward the house rather what house is still left
No intention of stopping letting the smoke take his breath
Some strong arm rocks him aside Mike falls to the ground and cries
Why won't you just let me die
Why won't you just let me die
@tyleranaya1277
Alright, everyone keeps trying to figure these time signatures out (and they're close), but something is still off about most of them. So here's what I think is going on (only giving it a go because I've heard, understood, and transcribed Zappa time signatures like 19/16 [Keep It Greasy] and 30/16 [Teen-Age Wind]):
It could be considered all 8 with changing tempos:
0:00 - 3/8 x 12
0:09 - 4/8 x 8
0:18 - 5/8 x 8
0:29 - 6/8 x 8
0:42 - 7/8 x 8
0:58 - 8/8 x 8
1:15 - 12/8 (as four groups of 3) x 6
1:29 - 8/8 with a triplet feel in the bassline x 4
1:34 - 10/8 (two groups of 5) x 4
1:41 - 12/8 (as two groupings of six) x 4
1:50 - 14/8 (as two groupings of seven) x 4
2:00 - see below
or as eighth notes for the first half, then sixteenth notes for the second half
0:00 - 3/8 x 12
0:09 - 4/8 x 8
0:18 - 5/8 x 8
0:29 - 6/8 x 8
0:42 - 7/8 x 8
0:58 - 8/8 x 8
1:15 - 3/16 x 24
1:29 - 4/16 (with the triplet feel remaining the bass) x 8
1:34 - 5/16 x 8
1:41 - 6/16 x 8
1:50 - 7/16 x 8
2:00 - 8/32 x 16 (or 16/32 x 8, either will work. Depends on the phrasing)
Note that the timestamps to the video just might be a split second or so off as the time changes don't always happen directly on the second.
How to count each time signature (in this song specifically):
3/8 - 1 2 3
4/8 - 1 2 3 4
5/8 - 1 2 1 2 3 or 1 2 3 4 5
6/8 - 1 2 3 1 2 3 or 1 2 3 4 5 6
7/8 - 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 or 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8/8 - 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 or 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
3/16 - 123
4/16 - 1234
5/16 - 12345
6/16 - 123456
7/16 - 1212123
8/32 - 12341234 (or basically, the bass synth travelling down is 8 and then going up is another 8. This one's insanely fast so it'll be hard to count.)
@mads.5455
Lyrics:
Godsmack is how the wind feels
On the face of Mike Winfield
On his way home from the bar where he works
Nights - the worst nights, don't nobody tip right
And between the marriage offers and the fist fights
And if another mother fucker touch his wrist trying to pull him in to whisper
He ain't making it to midnight
Don't they know he got a lighter in his pocket
A matchbook in his sock and a blockΒ
full of charred skeletons closeted begging to get out
He paused cause he's scared of airing out the thoughts
He can taste it in his mouth the sulfur and bitter carbon
Hearing all the burning bodies shout but no
That was a full lifetime ago and nobody ever has to know
He has never told well except Ronald
But that don't count he was sweet andΒ
exactly what he needed him to be at the time
Wine and candlelight and nice texts at lunchtime
Why had he not called Ron back
Guess there just wasn't a spark
No no musn't joke about these things
Wouldn't want to disappoint Doc Clark
So many hours on the couch
So many buried memories that take so many tears to get them out
Water hadn't never been a friend
Hold up - where had he seen that car before
Blue Acura dent on the left rear fender
Back again the sense of
Deja Vu
Strange things you
Never shake when you wake up in recovery
But suddenly noticing ash is covering his head cause it's raining from the sky
Dials home on his cell phone and gets no reply
What the fuck?
Where is the babysitter that he overpays
Body takes over and brain becomes disengaged
Michael is running his house is three blocks away
Adrenaline compensating for change in age
Since the last that he ran it god dammit
Mike knows he gotta get home fast as he can
Looks up in the sky, glow's familiar
Knows those families died with similar
Awnings and on and on he keeps going
Hits the corner just as he hears the explosion
Screams comes from the house, "Did you get them out"
Mike asking came the crowd that gathered round
Tears running down his face
There's that familiar taste
He wishes it would take him to another place
Son and his baby girl in his home and he can'tΒ
believe that it's gone in a cloud of smoke
And he's choking and running forward and hopingΒ
against hope that he might find them alive and well
When he knows the results too well and he knows that fooled himself
And he keeps walking toward the house rather what house is still left
No intention of stopping letting the smoke take his breath
Some strong arm rocks him aside Mike falls to the ground and cries
Why won't you just let me die
Why won't you just let me die
@rama_parwata
that 4/8 5/8 6/8 7/8 4/4 12/8 beat though. God damn...
@vearheart42
For hip hop it's impressive I guess, but go look at Tomas Haake, the guy plays a different time signature on every limb and actually makes it work.
@rama_parwata
Yeah Meshuggah's nuts. It blew my mind that Nothing is mostly in 4/4.
@vearheart42
Rama ParwataΒ I'm just saying time signature changes are nothing in in most genre's. Metal is an outlier, but as well. Songs like the Dance of eternity change time signatures 128 times.
@rama_parwata
tips fedora
@gunsnhalen
ahhh shit we got a metal purist here. Watch out y'all!
@timeparadox888
i just realized that, despite the subject matter, daveed never says the word "fire" in this song
@paletapayasofan
oh wow
@iamsickinthehead
he doesnβt need to tell us. he just shows that he spits it
@welchsgum7195
Wow. And we all knew that it was about fire without him saying it. T a l e n t.