I went in, said ‘hello’ and explained that I drink because I am in love and have screwed up the relationship.“ – Amy Winehouse

She’s going to lose her “baby” which is a metaphor for her relationship, so she “always keeps a bottle near”, meaning she is going to keep drinking whether it kills her “baby” (relationship) or not.

He’s sitting down writing his memoirs in song. His memoirs up to this point, became Together/Apart

Guru and Premier turn their attention–and poetic imagination–skyward. Unlike baser MC’s/DJ’s, their themes are aspirational. Instead of focusing on the material (ice, cars, etc.) like lesser MCs, Guru pursues the metaphysical with Primo’s backing. Much like the hook, this opens up the idea that in the underground (the sky) is the original idea’s for rap songs.

• Di Cavalcanti, Hélio Oiticica e Frida Kahlo são pintores renomados.(Os dois primeiros, brasileiros. Frida é mexicana)

• Criolo diz que, na favela, ícones culturais não são tão icônicos assim: mais vale quem faz algo por eles.

• Nesta passagem, Criolo prestigia a cultura popular da periferia paulista, dizendo que a “benzedeira do bairro”, símbolo das crendices sincretistas brasileiras, possui o mesmo peso cultural que os pintores citados, grandes ícones da cultura elitizada.

Em uma entrevista, Criolo revela que sua mãe também foi benzedeira.

O morro é esquecido pela sociedade, ninguém se importa com ele. Há um interesse da sociedade em urbanizar favelas, e destruir a cultura do morro.

“a flower out of stone” is beautiful but is still tough and hardened

Also, a reference to an earlier line, “…to turn that kid inside of me to stone” in which his inner child turned stone is then turned into a flower via his hardships