GENIUS
Sign Up
I am an Antichrist
I am an anarchist Sex Pistols – Anarchy in the U.K.
Genius Annotation 4 Contributors ?

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

Today’s lesson:
“How to wind up the Establishment in two short lines”

Note the unusual pronunciation of anarchist (“ehh-nar-kyst”) so that it rhymes with “anti-christ,” a literary tool generally called a slant rhyme.

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

report abuse
Upvote +85 Downvote
Copy Embed
8c067ba222d5315cea32fc833f1c2e4a

187

2 months

Although Lydon talks in this song about being an anarchist and destroying, his intentions were only to demand clarity from politicians, as he states in his biography Anger is an Energy. He wasn’t really a revolutionary anarchist, but someone battling the government’s lack of integrity. He repeats in this and in several other sources that he has bever been a violent person.

Upvote +1 Downvote
Default_avatar_100

16

3 years

Anti-Christ refers to the belief that human beings (or governments) are beyond redemption. That there will be peace once God or anarchists finish destroying this whole stupid society. And no amount of Christian values or democratic values in governance will cause the government to do more good than harm because human beings are unpredictable and defy definition. Barabbas the barbarian bastard was a type of anti-christ. Why not release all the non-violent drug offenders? It’s not like they are a bunch of violent anarchists or terrorists they’re just poor, most of them are fall guys, criminals tend to be either very smart or very stupid.

Upvote +12 Downvote
Show all improvement suggestions
Whole zip of kush, just to get my mind right Jeezy – Bottom of the Map
Genius Annotation 2 Contributors ?

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

Jeezy refers to the eponymous track on the same album to state that he’ll smoke an ounce (“zip”) of weed to clear his head

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

report abuse
Upvote +0 Downvote
Copy Embed
Underneath our legion's view
Oh, oh, oh, oh Frank Ocean – Pyramids
Genius Annotation 4 Contributors ?

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

Could be a reference to the Roman presence in Egypt. A legion was a military unit comprised of approximately 6,000 soldiers (further subdivided into cohorts and centuries).

Egypt at this time was a client state of Rome, with Cleopatra using a romantic liaison with Julius Caesar to solidify her grip on the realm (and leverage power over her fraternal co-rulers). Unfortunately for her, upon his assassination she sided with Caesar’s right-hand man Mark Antony, as opposed to his legal heir Octavian (who defeated Antony and assumed sole control as the first Roman emperor).

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

report abuse
Upvote +81 Downvote
Copy Embed
Marked this as missing something?
4 years

If you connect these lyrics to the metaphorical meaning stated earlier. You could say that the thief who tries to steal Cleopatra, is doing this without anyone else noticing.

Upvote +24 Downvote
Marked this as missing something?
4 years

What’s the connection of legion’s view in terms of the other lyrics in the song?

Upvote +2 Downvote
Show all improvement suggestions
Dead presidents, the resident is breezy Domo Genesis & The Alchemist (Ft. Action Bronson, Earl Sweatshirt & SpaceGhostPurrp) – The Daily News
Genius Annotation 2 Contributors ?

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

Continues the theme from the previous line. “Dead presidents” is a term for money, which features the faces of dead presidents.

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

report abuse
Upvote +2 Downvote
Copy Embed
Here, My Dear Marvin Gaye – Here, My Dear
Song Bio 2 Contributors ?

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

The ultimate divorce record, Marvin Gaye recorded Here, My Dear as part of his alimony obligations to Anna Gordy. He initially intended to record a crap album, but his intense emotions soon bled through to the record. Gaye initially held back the record, fearing it was too personal, and was nearly sued for invasion of privacy by Gordy.

Although the album was initially a commercial failure, it has subsequently been critically acclaimed as a masterpiece.

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

report abuse
Upvote +21 Downvote
Copy Embed
I'm a Sphinx, snorted so much that my nose just broke off, think Killer Mike (Ft. El-P) – Butane (Champion's Anthem)
Genius Annotation 3 Contributors ?

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

El-P has snorted so much cocaine that his nose fell off, similar to the famous Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt.

He might also be referring to the Sphinx of Thebes in Greek mythology, which was known for asking riddles (i.e. El-P could also be implying that he’s clever)

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

report abuse
Upvote +6 Downvote
Copy Embed
Star-spangler wranglers got my hopes on the run Killer Mike (Ft. El-P) – Butane (Champion's Anthem)
Genius Annotation 2 Contributors ?

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

With “star-spangled wranglers,” EL-P accuses so-called “patriots” of using patriotism as an excuse to hold him down

Note the strong use of internal assonance and consonance

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

report abuse
Upvote +5 Downvote
Copy Embed
Marked this as missing something?
7 years

This is also a nod to a line from Dr. Hellno and the Praying Mantis from his first solo album.

Upvote +0 Downvote
Show all improvement suggestions
And he holds his crayon rosary
Tighter in his hand Simon & Garfunkel – A Poem on the Underground Wall
Genius Annotation 2 Contributors ?

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

He is clutching his crayon tightly, in the same manner as a Catholic might hold their rosary

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

report abuse
Upvote +3 Downvote
Copy Embed
Oh, Albion remains sleeping now to rise again Led Zeppelin – Achilles' Last Stand
Genius Annotation 4 Contributors ?

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

Albion is the oldest known name for Great Britain. Led Zep is appropriating the mythic trope of the sleeping king to suggest that Britain will rise to greatness again

In the Iliad, the death of Achilles is brought on after he is shot in the ankle by Paris, taken to a place called the White Island, and suspended in animation. Notaby, Albion can translate as “white island.”

This line was also inspired by William Blake’s The Dance of Albion.

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

report abuse
Upvote +26 Downvote
Copy Embed
I can hear the children soccer ballin'
Like wildcats running on the grass, hey Frank Ocean (Ft. Tyler, The Creator) – End/Golden Girl
Genius Annotation 6 Contributors ?

What is this?

The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.

To learn more about participating in the Genius Editorial project, check out the contributor guidelines.

Loading...

The kids are free to do what they want with no commitments or restraints, much like wildcats in an open terrain. A scenario like this could be tied to Frank’s own nostalgia laced “Strawberry Swing.”

Soccer is a popular sport in the Caribbean and Central America so it supports the exotic location established in the line above.

This video is processing – it'll appear automatically when it's done.

report abuse
Upvote +9 Downvote
Copy Embed