GENIUS
Sign Up
And I'm peerless, that means I'm eyeless
Which means I'm tearless, which means my iris
Resides where my ears is, which means I'm blinded
But I'ma find it, I can feel its nearness Lupe Fiasco (Ft. GemStones & Graham Burris) – Dumb It Down
Genius Annotation 14 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...

There are many things happening in this grouping of lines which are constructed as a causal chain revolving around Lupe’s senses. It all falls under one idea: Lupe knows of the success that comes from dumbed-down music, but he will stay true to his complexity and avoid it.

  • “Peerless” is used as a double entendre. He’s saying that he doesn’t have peers, meaning he’s above everyone else. “Peerless”—or inability to “peer”—leads to “eyeless”.

  • Having no eyes, he cannot cry tears. Being “tearless” shows he has no regrets, but by stating, “my iris resides where my ears is” he is not only suggesting that he pays attention to what he hears and that he can ‘see sounds’, but that he literally can’t cry as his eyes are where his ears are. Moreover, there is a possible double entendre with “tearless”, as no one is on Lupe’s level (or in his tier).

  • As Lupe’s iris is not in the correct spot, he is “blinded”. Additionally, he “sees” the dumbed-down music he hears for what it truly is, and it sucks so bad that it blinds him.

  • He can’t literally see the music, but as this dumbed-down style of music is swarming Hip-Hop, it surrounds him. However, he will veer away from allowing it to affect his own music.

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

report abuse
Upvote +184 Downvote
Copy Embed
Default_avatar_100

0

6 years

Eyes were his ears is references the 3rd eye pinea gland where yosef wrestled with the angel in his 3rd eye for the birthright of Israel and was given the promise. As angels outlined in Ezekiels encounter in the book of Ezekiel he mentions angels veer. The 3rd eye rest in line with the ears and is called the seat of the soul or the throne of intuition symbolizing the pinea gland which has second sight and omniscient clairvoyant abilities. He’s speaking of prophetic promise. Wordplay and syntax is next level on these bars.

Upvote +0 Downvote
D19555f3f4db32ee6e1696ebabbeb7cf

380

6 years

I(less) means I’m “peer-less” is so dope.

Upvote +0 Downvote
Default_avatar_100

1

6 years

If his iris resides where his ears is, and he’s earless; then his iris resides nowhere; hence, he is blinded

Upvote +1 Downvote
Freddy D
9 years

I like the above analysis. I have a slightly different take. He is saying his senses are in his heart.

I’m fearless and I’m earless. That will come into play later.

I’m peerless – double entendre I have no equals in the rap game, and I cannot see.
If I can’t see, that means I’m eyeless. Which means I’m tearless; I can’t cry without eyes. (plays into the earlier point of being fearless)
Which means my iris resides where my ears is.
This references back to the first line. We know he’s earless, and he’s fearless. His eyes resides where his ears is. His sees and hears with his heart.

Upvote +1 Downvote
Mark
9 years

I dont think hes says Im a veer, I thought it was Im reveered so I dont come near

Upvote +1 Downvote
BenReames
10 years

I like your analysis. I had some thoughts/suggestions.

I think “eyeless” can also be read as “I-less”. Since he is “peerless”, in the sense of being unequaled/in a league of his own, perhaps he doesn’t have an “I” or an ego. That is he is in some sense “self-less”—in philosophy there is sometimes the idea that things can only be defined/come to exist in opposition to other things, through struggle. Since he has no opposition, he exists beyond the “I”. This fits in well with the next few lines. In addition to taking “tearless” as a natural extension of “eyeless”, as you point out, we could now take it in two additional ways:

1)“tier-less”. Freud breaks the self into three parts or tiers—“id, ego, super-ego”. Lupe has no “I”, so he has none of these tiers.

2)“tear-less”–as in “I’m going to tear up your homework”. Lupe has no opposition, and so there is no one to tear or wound him. He is whole or unscathed.

Also, Iris was a greek messenger goddess, the personification of the rainbow, responsible for the communication between the gods and humans. Hence the colored part of the eye (rainbow) which is responsible for contracting and dilating the pupil is called the iris. Thus, the iris turns light (word of the gods) into human perception/understanding by acting as a sort of filter or translator. If Lupe doesn’t have eyes, and meant “ear-less” in the sense of not having anyone to listen to him, rather than not having ears himself, maybe he is saying that, being blind, he receives light/understanding through his ears.

Probably that is over-analysis, but just some ideas.

Upvote +8 Downvote
371063_1029906570_1012819635_n

169

10 years

Good analysis. He is also saying that for every sense he has he also doesnt have it. As in he sees, but doesnt see all, hears… but not all etc. At the same time he is also saying that since he is blinded that he isnt driving life and hands the reigns over to god…

Then even without all the senses he can “Imma find it, I can feel its nearness” which I think is another reference to the alpha/omega/the one, however you put it, either way that even physically senseless he can still feel “it” because “it” is beyond the physical.

On the whole the verse is about something bigger than him and everyone else. This is clear in the second verse and in the video when he says “I found it” and points up.

Upvote +12 Downvote
Show all improvement suggestions