During Mack’s childhood, rapper Ice-T was popular for his controversial themes of violence and crime.

This could also be referencing the song “Cop Killer” by Body Count and Ice T.

Reaganomics refers to the systematic redistribution of wealth upwards (whether intentional or not), based on the assumption that certain tax breaks and monetary policies will cause the wealth of the top 1% to “trickle down” to the lower classes at some point. Hailed by Republicans, and criticized by others, Reaganomics remain a controversial subject in economic circles.

He wishes he didn’t hold so much contempt for the actions of today’s generation he speaks on throughout the song since he can’t do much to solve them.

He wishes he didn’t care about changing the world because it would be so much easier that way. Wishing to awaken people is a burden. It’s a difficult path, but it isn’t an impossible one.

There are a few possible interpretations for this line:

Drugs and alcohol give you a good feeling so it could make you think you’re doing the right thing for yourself, but it’s actually leading you down the wrong path.

It could also be interpreted as referring to the current trend of people wearing fake, non-prescription glasses, or lensless frames made popular by NBA players

Finally, he could be referencing the way people use technology in place of normal interaction, and perception. Instead of viewing the world in the actual sense, we see it through the lens of social media, which is supported by the next line.

More than anything he’s saying that most people have a deluded, artificial perspective of the world that is created by ideology, the media, and other pernicious influences. The song, more than anything, is about “awakening” from this conscious slumber to the ugly truths of the world and also to the mind-boggling nature of reality in this inexplicable universe.

Everyone needs to give love and to be loved to be truly happy.

This could also be referring to the impulsivity of the generations that Macklemore comments on in the beginning of the first verse that look only to gain pleasure, love being something far less meaningful, only meaning that pleasure. At the end of the song it loops back to this interlude after he says hes going to ignore a lot of the issues at stake, not caring about the future. The presence of this interlude at the beginning and at the end of the song reflects how this is just a commentary on the apathy, not a call for change, because he feels powerless to change it.

Being literally young and “young” in the heart are two different things

Einstein’s theory of relativity states that time moves more slowly for an object approaching the speed of light; Speculating upon that if you surpass the speed of light, you could potentially go backwards in time, hence “to be young again”

It’s also relative in relation to the age of a person hearing the song. Macklemore is 30, so a 15 year-old might think it makes perfect sense he is lamenting about “being young again” but a 45 year-old might say “you ARE still young and you don’t even have a family or kids yet… go enjoy your youth while you still can!”

Some people never escape the parting, fun-seeking lifestyle: once you party so “hard”, you reach an emotional high that is very extreme and craved again… Some come down from this high but others remain on “party mountain.”

The Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle is sometimes referred to as “Party Mountain” by locals, due to its altitude and the prevalence of nightlife.

Possibly a reference to the eponymous song from defunct Seattle hip hop group Mad Rad, who were known for ‘partying hard.’

Rick Ross is known for his lavish jewelry and likes to brag about it.
He also likes to associate himself with the phrase YOLO.

Macklemore flips this on him and hopes Rosay will live up to the motto and use the limited time allotted to us, by doing some good for humanity.