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To the "knowing aint hant half the battle" line bit, having had crippling depression gives me a different perspective on it. I knew i was depressed, i knew the steps i could take and that didnt help me at all. Recognizing you have a problem is important, but it is far from half of it.
That suicide king line has like 4 or 5 simultaneous meanings if you know: 1. Camu Tao's discogography 2 The king of hearts being called the suicide king 3. The print of king of hearts went from a king with his axe at the ready for battle to the king sticking a knife through the crown, still atop his head. So much like Camu Tao's album, he's the king of hearts, he used to be ready to brave the world and any battle, but now he's hearing voices of guilt. In order to quiet them down he sticks a knife through the crown of his skull, much like the suicide king sticks it through his actual crown. This also serves as another reminder of Aesop's suicidal depression which he's talked about at length on this album, and leads into the next three songs in this trilogy after he gets out of the car. Honestly my favorite line probably in the whole trilogy.
Yeah I think too many people think this song is about Camu being sick and describing his declining health. Its not, its blantantly said that was 8 years ago. Its about Aes's decling MENTAL health. It does use similar imagery in the words to draw parralels between them but its more him realising what damage he's done to himself in the following years. The whether you his moms of his man, his pop or his girl is Aes talking about Aes when he say's I was poison thats him admitting he was just not healthy to be around in that state. The most tragic thing is his realisation that Mu would not have wanted him to do that to himself and literally being such a friend that from the grave tugboated him out. The get out the car Aes is definetly what I think he would have said to him.
I still quote “Get out the car, Ace” when I’m nervous to do something. The build up and execution of that line are so good. You can feel the reluctance while knowing it needs to happen.
The Line "Like a suicide king with a knife in his crown" is actually really wild. the "suicide king" in a deck of playing cards is the king of hearts cause on the card it shows the king appearing to stab himself in the head with a knife (with a knife in his crown) and Camu was working on his Album King of Hearts when he died. Also "A go dark in the face of the fucked" A being short for Aesop I Love Aes man
The suicide king line is a reference to the king of hearts which has a king putting a sword through his own head and tugboats are primarily used to tow or tug stranded boats back to land, so he was trying to save his friend from being stranded or feeling alone
Tugboat is one of my favoite metaphors of his. See "Tugboat Complex Part 1" (Parts 2 and 3 are like any sequels, not as good). True friendship here I can only take as both pulled one another, when necessary, from what I know of their history.
You are one of the greatest breakdown channels. You and Knox (and one newer one I can’t think of right now) are on the short list of people who really go into it and at times really make me realize that I’ve totally missed a bar in a song that I’ve dived into before. So great!
I think this song is about Aes's mental health that took a nosedive after his friend Mu got sick. He admits that other stuff happened that made his mental health worse but you can trace the downfall to the first domino of Camu Tao getting sick. He refers to himself in the third person sometimes just as a nice writing tool but also I think it's also like him relooking at everything and viewing himself in a detached observer kind of way. It's still incredible that you can pull this kind of meaning from the song, I find your interpretation actually fascinatng. The thing with Aesop Rock is that he's an abstract painter but he uses words. So we all pull different meaning from his art, even more different than what he intended and it happened to me a lot, when I thought a song was about one thing then you see videos(which he only did for one album) of him talking about what the song was actually about. It doesn't take away from the meaning you extracted, in fact I feel like it enhances the experience that we can all pull something wildly different. Also just from the technical aspect of rap, what he does with his flows, rhymes, metaphors, punchlines is so crazy and well done. Truly the most unique rapper of our times
If you're not the world's leading motivational speaker, you should be. I say, "Gotta go to work, goddam what a bummer" as my morning ritual when the alarm goes off. RIP Dr. Gonzo.
My friend, i'm so glad i caught this today. You've caught most of the references, but the 8 years non-responsive bar is about Aes - not Camu. It was 8 years since Mu's death, and Aesop Rock has spent that time getting stoned in his car and avoiding reality... Next step, Shrunk! It's also worth checking out Aes's other projects; Malibu Ken, The Uncluded, Hail Mary Mallon and Lice...
Let’s goooo Fil! Great stuff again, helping me break down and see things I haven’t before. So glad you like his writing and rapping. Knowing that you’re a big Em fan I really think Aes is a rapper you would love through and through and looks like you are so far! Cheers
I know it's been month since this was released, but just so people who see this get this part: "When you wake up 8 years non responsive" Aesop Rock is actually talking about himself here: He went to live in a cabin in the woods and shut himself from the world for 8 years trying to deal with the grief of losing his friend. That's how hard losing him hurt Aesop Rock. That's also where the line "into the woods go his alien tongue, either that or a text-book fake and a funk and I can't" -> He went into the woods because he didn't want to be something he's not and pretend nothing happened and keep enjoying his life, keep doing his thing. Thank you for doing these videos, great work!
This was the song that caught my attention from Aes first. Then I fell down the rabbit hole and got the albums 'Impossible Kid' and 'Spirit World Field Guide'. Now slowly catching up on his discography.
An interesting addition to your breakdown; following the line about "heart full of canines" is the "suicide king with a knife in his crown". If you look at a King of Hearts in a deck of cards, he is pushing a dagger into his crown, thus "suicide king". This could be extrapolated to be referring to Mu as a "king of hearts", someone Aes believed to be kind and understanding
I love your scope and how much of gravity you can gain with your understanding. Expanding my point of view. I wish you would do some Norma Jean song, like Hive Minds or Translational.
@9:15 WOOOOOWWW never thought of the Jack in the Box that way!!! only coming out when someone asks it... THAT'S FIRE THANKS FOR THE NEW VIEW! Your take on line 'I was poison' was truly uniquely awesome too. Been listening to Aesop daily for 20+ years & new views on his art my highlights of life. MOST new views are from my own head hearing it in diff way, so I APPRECIATE U ON A HIGH LEVEL
I think the interpretation on “i was poison” is a little off, only because he didn’t know Camu died of cancer. So it’s not that Aes was trying to give him life advice before he passed. I think he’s saying he was having his own hard time dealing with Camu’s death, and what it was bringing up in him, so he couldn’t be there to support and grieve with Camu’s family, and if anything he felt like he was making it worse. Just my take
Fil, loving the upfront bass. Yeah, this is insane. Aes is such a creative force with a pen that carves up assumptions. Great breakdown, bro. By the way, I see the young indigo one has left his mark. #QcumberSquad #AesopRock - Fil, I'm off back to the study.
Dap meaning : noun. a stylized gesture of greeting, congratulation, or solidarity in which two people join hands in a nontraditional handshake grip, bump fists, snap fingers, etc., often concluding with a one-armed hug: players giving dap and high-fives to fans after the game.
"Knowing is half the battle" is also a phrase commonly used by doctors afrer delivering a frightening diagnosis - to the point of having become a platitude. The ridiculousness of which Aes is pointing out, as both with his friend's disease and his own addiction-as-coping-mechanism issues, knowing whats going on was/is certainly far from half the battle.
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To the "knowing aint hant half the battle" line bit, having had crippling depression gives me a different perspective on it. I knew i was depressed, i knew the steps i could take and that didnt help me at all. Recognizing you have a problem is important, but it is far from half of it.
That suicide king line has like 4 or 5 simultaneous meanings if you know:
1. Camu Tao's discogography
2 The king of hearts being called the suicide king
3. The print of king of hearts went from a king with his axe at the ready for battle to the king sticking a knife through the crown, still atop his head.
So much like Camu Tao's album, he's the king of hearts, he used to be ready to brave the world and any battle, but now he's hearing voices of guilt. In order to quiet them down he sticks a knife through the crown of his skull, much like the suicide king sticks it through his actual crown.
This also serves as another reminder of Aesop's suicidal depression which he's talked about at length on this album, and leads into the next three songs in this trilogy after he gets out of the car. Honestly my favorite line probably in the whole trilogy.
Yeah I think too many people think this song is about Camu being sick and describing his declining health. Its not, its blantantly said that was 8 years ago. Its about Aes's decling MENTAL health. It does use similar imagery in the words to draw parralels between them but its more him realising what damage he's done to himself in the following years. The whether you his moms of his man, his pop or his girl is Aes talking about Aes when he say's I was poison thats him admitting he was just not healthy to be around in that state. The most tragic thing is his realisation that Mu would not have wanted him to do that to himself and literally being such a friend that from the grave tugboated him out. The get out the car Aes is definetly what I think he would have said to him.
I still quote “Get out the car, Ace” when I’m nervous to do something. The build up and execution of that line are so good. You can feel the reluctance while knowing it needs to happen.
So, so, so happy about these
The Line "Like a suicide king with a knife in his crown" is actually really wild. the "suicide king" in a deck of playing cards is the king of hearts cause on the card it shows the king appearing to stab himself in the head with a knife (with a knife in his crown) and Camu was working on his Album King of Hearts when he died.
Also "A go dark in the face of the fucked" A being short for Aesop
I Love Aes man
The suicide king line is a reference to the king of hearts which has a king putting a sword through his own head and tugboats are primarily used to tow or tug stranded boats back to land, so he was trying to save his friend from being stranded or feeling alone
Tugboat is one of my favoite metaphors of his. See "Tugboat Complex Part 1" (Parts 2 and 3 are like any sequels, not as good). True friendship here I can only take as both pulled one another, when necessary, from what I know of their history.
You are one of the greatest breakdown channels. You and Knox (and one newer one I can’t think of right now) are on the short list of people who really go into it and at times really make me realize that I’ve totally missed a bar in a song that I’ve dived into before. So great!
Also... Camu Tao's posthumous album was called King Of Hearts. This card is known as... The Suicide King 👑♥
I LOVE YOU CAMPBELL CRAVENS!!!!
I think this song is about Aes's mental health that took a nosedive after his friend Mu got sick. He admits that other stuff happened that made his mental health worse but you can trace the downfall to the first domino of Camu Tao getting sick.
He refers to himself in the third person sometimes just as a nice writing tool but also I think it's also like him relooking at everything and viewing himself in a detached observer kind of way.
It's still incredible that you can pull this kind of meaning from the song, I find your interpretation actually fascinatng.
The thing with Aesop Rock is that he's an abstract painter but he uses words. So we all pull different meaning from his art, even more different than what he intended and it happened to me a lot, when I thought a song was about one thing then you see videos(which he only did for one album) of him talking about what the song was actually about.
It doesn't take away from the meaning you extracted, in fact I feel like it enhances the experience that we can all pull something wildly different.
Also just from the technical aspect of rap, what he does with his flows, rhymes, metaphors, punchlines is so crazy and well done. Truly the most unique rapper of our times
If you're not the world's leading motivational speaker, you should be. I say, "Gotta go to work, goddam what a bummer" as my morning ritual when the alarm goes off. RIP Dr. Gonzo.
My friend, i'm so glad i caught this today. You've caught most of the references, but the 8 years non-responsive bar is about Aes - not Camu. It was 8 years since Mu's death, and Aesop Rock has spent that time getting stoned in his car and avoiding reality... Next step, Shrunk!
It's also worth checking out Aes's other projects; Malibu Ken, The Uncluded, Hail Mary Mallon and Lice...
Absolutely listen to TV on 10 eyeball soup
The aquarium
Walk like thunder
All very good meaningful songs
Let’s goooo Fil! Great stuff again, helping me break down and see things I haven’t before. So glad you like his writing and rapping. Knowing that you’re a big Em fan I really think Aes is a rapper you would love through and through and looks like you are so far! Cheers
omg Aesop Rock is my #1 !!
I know it's been month since this was released, but just so people who see this get this part:
"When you wake up 8 years non responsive"
Aesop Rock is actually talking about himself here: He went to live in a cabin in the woods and shut himself from the world for 8 years trying to deal with the grief of losing his friend. That's how hard losing him hurt Aesop Rock. That's also where the line "into the woods go his alien tongue, either that or a text-book fake and a funk and I can't" -> He went into the woods because he didn't want to be something he's not and pretend nothing happened and keep enjoying his life, keep doing his thing.
Thank you for doing these videos, great work!
"Everything that he touched turned promptly to shit"
Aes likes to connect bars, "aligning with the trials of the anti-midas" -rings
Thanku cambellcravens ...absolutely brilliant . You are elite breakdown reactor special Fil thanku both so much love an God bless always x
Thanks very much Wendy. Really appreciate it. ❤️❤️❤️ Hope you're well?
@@traktician Always good thanku lovely Fil hope the same for you an your cute ones x
Incredible breakdown. My favorite Aesop song and you really nailed the message.
Aesop loves his Tugboat references.. believe he has a couple songs literally titled that.. ok guess it's a few lol.. Tugboat Complex
True friendship in a tugboat way. :)
This was the song that caught my attention from Aes first. Then I fell down the rabbit hole and got the albums 'Impossible Kid' and 'Spirit World Field Guide'. Now slowly catching up on his discography.
Enjoy the trip. 20ish years in myself and still learn more each day.
An interesting addition to your breakdown; following the line about "heart full of canines" is the "suicide king with a knife in his crown". If you look at a King of Hearts in a deck of cards, he is pushing a dagger into his crown, thus "suicide king". This could be extrapolated to be referring to Mu as a "king of hearts", someone Aes believed to be kind and understanding
That's a great observation... Didn't see that!
@@trakticianCamu's post-humous album (produced by El-P, kinda imploded the whole DefJux label) was called King of Hearts. That metaphor is too deep.
I love your scope and how much of gravity you can gain with your understanding. Expanding my point of view. I wish you would do some Norma Jean song, like Hive Minds or Translational.
@9:15 WOOOOOWWW never thought of the Jack in the Box that way!!! only coming out when someone asks it... THAT'S FIRE THANKS FOR THE NEW VIEW! Your take on line 'I was poison' was truly uniquely awesome too. Been listening to Aesop daily for 20+ years & new views on his art my highlights of life. MOST new views are from my own head hearing it in diff way, so I APPRECIATE U ON A HIGH LEVEL
and CAMPBELL CRAVENS?? I LOVE YOU
I think the interpretation on “i was poison” is a little off, only because he didn’t know Camu died of cancer. So it’s not that Aes was trying to give him life advice before he passed. I think he’s saying he was having his own hard time dealing with Camu’s death, and what it was bringing up in him, so he couldn’t be there to support and grieve with Camu’s family, and if anything he felt like he was making it worse. Just my take
Fil, loving the upfront bass. Yeah, this is insane. Aes is such a creative force with a pen that carves up assumptions. Great breakdown, bro.
By the way, I see the young indigo one has left his mark.
#QcumberSquad #AesopRock - Fil, I'm off back to the study.
hahaha... yes he has, that was my fathers day gift he made at school. ☺
@@traktician Cool.
A dap is any handshake greeting usually meant to show solidarity, like a high-five or fist bump. "Any dap is a joke." No one has your back.
Dap meaning : noun. a stylized gesture of greeting, congratulation, or solidarity in which two people join hands in a nontraditional handshake grip, bump fists, snap fingers, etc., often concluding with a one-armed hug: players giving dap and high-fives to fans after the game.
"Knowing is half the battle" is also a phrase commonly used by doctors afrer delivering a frightening diagnosis - to the point of having become a platitude. The ridiculousness of which Aes is pointing out, as both with his friend's disease and his own addiction-as-coping-mechanism issues, knowing whats going on was/is certainly far from half the battle.
When he says "A" goes Dark in the face of the fucked he is referring to himself. A for Aesop.
Check out "the uncluded" any song. But bats is great
I always took that he was always the butt of his own jokes. Self deprecating humor as a coping mechanism for agony.