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A common religious question is whether man can save himself, and the common answer is “No, he needs the grace of God.” While Flobots, and Jonny 5 in particular, frequently use Biblical imagery and seem to be religious, this line means they believe that mankind can lift itself up.

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Unreviewed Annotation 1 Contributor ?

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An excerpt from a Hopi Indian poem

The Flobots reference many cultures and use several languages in the song, and this is to create the idea that the human revolution is worldwide and tolerant, and that every culture has both lessons to teach and things to learn.

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Unreviewed Annotation 1 Contributor ?

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The first line, while announcing that the Flobots and their fans are on a journey, or ‘trek’, also alludes to Star Trek. The characters of the original show worked and lived on the Star Ship Enterprise.

The next line mentions candlelight revivals, referring to religious revivals, and also to candlelight vigils, which are held under the stars and show support for a marginalized group or to memorialize the dead.

The goal of the journey is to achieve a revelation, which is also the title of the final book of the Bible. It’s a slightly clever punchline, but also brings the verse full-circle after opening with a Biblical reference to David and Goliath.

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Compares the Flobots with Sly and the Family Stone, pioneers in funk music and, during the 1970’s, influential for blending music with social commentary, much as the Flobots themselves do. The last word, ‘Stone’, forms a bridge to the next line, which deals with the story of David and Goliath.

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Unreviewed Annotation 1 Contributor ?

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Refers to the Biblical story of David and Goliath, in which a David, a warrior of the Israelites, kills the giant Goliath with a stone from his sling.

By using this allusion, Flobots paint their struggle as one in which the little people at the bottom of society will triumph over the giants that control them and blossom into a new righteous world power, as the Israelites did with David as their King.

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A shoutout to the group Foster the People, whose most notable song “Pumped up Kicks” is about teen violence, which the group seeks to raise awareness about. This is the kind of music Flobots would like to see more of, so a little cross-promotion was in order.

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Unreviewed Annotation 2 Contributors ?

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The people, united, shall never be defeated!” in Spanish

This was also used in the Cochabamba Water War as a protesting slogan.

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Allahu Akbar means “God is the greatest” in Arabic.

This entire section is emphasizing diversity of culture and acceptance. “Allahu Akbar” in this line probably has nothing to do with ISIS given that ISIS are not diverse, accepting people, and the song was made before ISIS even became a huge deal.

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“I spied her ‘cause she’s fly”
Punny

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Unreviewed Annotation 1 Contributor ?

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Alludes to Shakespeare’s MacBeth, specifically a famous scene in which Lady Macbeth sleepwalks and tries to wash blood off her hands that isn’t there.
“Out, damned spot!”

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