Penal time referring to time spent in one of Dublin’s juvenile centres, such St. Pats.

He explains how already at a young age he was addicted to the life of a criminal

He gives off the impression that he can’t be taught anything and he appears happy, but he keeps the darker side hidden, the side that gets depressed and has trouble thinking positively.

Could be taken as depression, perhaps brought on by the drug abuse mentioned above, or just a sufferer of depression, when things seem so gloomy it’s almost as if nothing good ever happens.

Foil sheets being used for cooking/smoking heroin, or Chasing the Dragon and the needle points being used for injecting. Heroin has become a huge problem on the streets of Dublin.

The ‘Shadow of the Beast’ meaning either the Devil or the people who, unlike those mentioned in the lines above, did not escape their fears, perhaps succumbing to them and becoming ‘Fiends’ or drug addicts.

This verse talks about LD’s street dealings and also the death of MC Lunatic, one of Irish rappers to use his true, rough, gritty Dublin accent, and make it popular in the very small Hip Hop culture we have here.

These dreamers, now flying high, are at a point way past fear where they are at peace.

Some of these dreamers mentioned in the last line have the ability to reach great heights in whatever they wish. Phoenix is used here to give the imagery of the Sun or the Stars.

Whether Muslim, Christian, whatever, we all have dreams. Also worth noting the mention of Mohammed, as there is a long and complex history of Islam in Ireland, mainly due to immigration and people converting, but with a mix in the ethnic background of the first Muslims in Ireland.

Reference to the media trying to dictate how we feel about certain events, what we think, etc.
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