The idea of classical conditioning arose as a result of observations made by Ivan Pavlov – that his dogs began to associate the ringing of a bell with their being fed, and therefore the bell started causing them to salivate, whether there was food or not.

Aes is saying (via some complicated internal rhyming) that he’s been taught to evaluate himself psychologically, it is an instinctive reaction created in him by his environment.

Despite feeling the effects of walking through the roughest of the night, Slug is not quite prepared to leave it yet (in what may well be a relationship metaphor). Watching the last star flicker and fade brings a natural conclusion to his late-night wanderings, the night itself and indeed the verse on this song. It seems as though that star is a metaphor for the hope Slug has of reuniting with the woman mentioned in the next two lines. He’s almost clinging to it.

“Wishing on a Star” is a 1978 hit single by Rose Royce for Whitfield Records.

The lyrics concern a woman longing for the return of an ex-lover so that they can resume their relationship. The original version of “Wishing on a Star” was not a big hit, peaking at number 52 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

He may be still wishing to get back with his ex.

Being “frozen” could also represent him being dead, as the body gets cold. Staring at the “last star” – the last light he sees before dying, maybe his death angel.

#K

Slug hints here at the strange dichotomy between murdering or drug dealing while simultaneously raising a child. It is a theme which he later explored more thoroughly on the track “Good Daddy”. This is also a play on the word kidnap.

#I

An ‘ism’ is a distinctive doctrine, system or theory, which have kind of taken over our thinking in the last century. It shows our tendency of fitting actions into ideas. For example, the actions of the Nazi party became Nazism, our current obsession with shopping and owning things has been labelled consumerism and the movement by women towards equality has been named feminism.

Slug takes poetic license with parts of speech, using ‘indeed’ and ‘indifferent’ as verbs to explain that he agrees with (as opposed to doesn’t care about) the translating of the world into ideas.

#G

Gremlins are small imaginary creatures with wings which fly around causing havoc and getting up to mischief. Slug invokes images of grave-digging to explain that he is exorcising these almost-demons from his life.

#C

Slug is likely using the word clay in the same way as his song of the same name (also on this album) – meaning planet earth and the world, in a broader sense.

The phrase ‘every day is Christmas’ has been used all over the place, including as a film title. It basically means that every day in the year matches up to the special occasion of excess that is Christmas.

Slug seems to be saying that he somehow came into ownership of some land, and that has made his life markedly better off.

Slug has always paid respect to those who came before him in hip hop, from hooks referencing Rakim (“Clay” takes its hook from “Follow the Leader”), to borrowing lines from Big Daddy Kane (the first line of “Guns and Cigarrettes” is a tribute to “Ain’t No Half Steppin”).

Speaking about his shark-esque constant movement, but also possibly referring to his music career. Slug promises to stay ahead of all the other rappers trying to get to his level, while promising that he won’t take notice of whether people are happy with his music or not.

Emphasising his indifference with life, Slug is going to wait for the afterlife (not by doing anything useful) by sleeping off his alcohol overdose in public. This line also sets up the exchange with the woman which follows