AUDUBON by $uicideboy$ Lyrics Meaning – Peeling Back Layers of New Orleans Grit
Lyrics
Do you know the Crips and Bloods tried to establish themselves here
And these guys killed him
Simple as that, gone, see ya later
We look at gangs like this, it’s like a coward move to us
In a gang it take fifteen people to get in two cars and do a driveby
And kill one person
In New Orleans I done seen one person kill fifteen people
Definition of the living dead
Got a dead bitch giving head
Tulip flowers growing on my bed
Rust and blood settle on my lead
Broken soul but I′m breaking bread
Head dreaded boy from Waggaman
Petey Pablo shirt off
But no swinging like a helicopter
Got it covering this chopper
Spitting out them yoppas
Got the drama with the lama
I can get you to Nirvana
Run them pockets proper
We create our own karma
Balboa out the magnolia
Northside soulja
Need the keys to the rover
Yung $carecrow
Ruby the fucking ape
Ruby the fucking orangutan
Mumbling nothing
Just the discussion of public destruction
I’m up in flames
The soulja by the lake
Feeling like i’m in the navy, but I pull up in the tank
Sipping the tang out of an AK
Kangaroo the next lane
Lame move you looking plain
Can′t redo the flex mane
Camo on my body like I just got back from war
I heard a bang in the bank
Ben Frank on the floor
Back in New Orleans, now everybody wanna score
I′m trying to finesse the lesser into something more
I’m drawing a blank on who the fuck you is
New Orleans has long been the beating heart of diverse musical iterations, from the soulful strains of blues to the robust rhythms of bounce. Navigating this eclectic landscape, local rap duo $uicideboy$ contributes another grisly verse to the city’s soundtrack with their track ‘AUDUBON’. A gaze into this piece is not just a run-of-the-mill lyric breakdown but an exposition into the city’s haunting psyche.
With AUDUBON, the duo, consisting of Ruby da Cherry and $lick $loth, presents a narrative densely woven with gritty imagery and raw emotion. The song isn’t merely a composition; it’s an elegy, an anthem, and a stark reflection of the New Orleans that exists beyond the tourist-laden streets, encapsulated within a handful of minutes that leave you feeling both hollow and exhilarated. Let’s delve into the haunting opus and uncover the visceral, unvarnished truths in its verses.
A Visceral Opener: New Orleans’ Ruthlessness Versus The World
The introductory sample isn’t just a mood setter; it’s a declaration of the city’s vicious independence from gang-infested status quos. New Orleans is portrayed as a force so menacing that not even the notorious Crips and Bloods could sink their roots into its soil without being exterminated. This stark intro segues into $uicideboy$ vision of the city, foreshadowing their line of storytelling that juxtaposes the glamour of NOLA’s jazz with the gore of its underbelly.
Through these foreboding words, the stage is set for a New Orleans far removed from the revelry of Mardi Gras. It’s a city that writes its own dark narratives, with life and death hanging in an eerie balance, magnified through the lens of two artists who have seen what lurks beneath the fanfare.
Decoding The Chilling Glossary Of Street Tales
The core of AUDUBON lies in its ghostly lexicon. ‘Definition of the living dead,’ they begin, painting a cityscape where death and life are not so much at odds but interwoven. This chilling proclamation draws listeners into the unsettling realization that what thrives in New Orleans isn’t just the living.
The lyrics proceed with ‘Head dreaded boy from Waggaman / Petey Pablo shirt off / But no swinging like a helicopter,’ referencing regional identity and audacious resilience without overly romanticizing the inherent violence. It’s a glimpse into the self-awareness of the artists; a nod to both their roots and the hyperviolent culture they’re enmeshed in.
Uncovering The Ominous Symbolism: Tulips and Rust
Amidst the lyrical barrage, phrases like ‘Tulip flowers growing on my bed’ resonate with a sense of dread-laced beauty. It speaks of life emerging from a bed of death—perhaps the most haunting visual metaphor for the cycle of violence and vitality that characterizes their lived experience. This stark contrast is further amplified with ‘Rust and blood settle on my lead,’ implying both the stagnation and the result of violent altercations.
The verse’s powerful imagery calls upon listeners to peer into the everyday confrontations of decay and growth that define the spirit of the city, suggesting that within every petal lies a drop of blood—not just staining its past but fueling its future.
The Hidden Meaning: Crafting One’s Destiny Amidst Chaos
What unfolds in ‘AUDUBON’ is more than a narrative of hardship and aggression—it’s a philosophical pondering on the karma one creates (‘We create our own karma’). It exemplifies the belief that life isn’t a series of happenstances; rather, it’s the outcome of a series of choices made in the most dire situations.
Ruby and $lick dive into existentialism, a call to the streets to recognize their role in the cyclical vice grip of violence and retribution. Within this acknowledgment lies a grim empowerment, an understanding that even in a life where much is beyond one’s control, the levers of destiny can still be manipulated.
Memorable Lines: Echoes of A Haunting Realization
‘I’m drawing a blank on who the fuck you is’ concludes AUDUBON in a poignant display of disassociation. With an identity so ingrained in the fabric of New Orleans—and in the veins of violence that pulse through it—$uicideboy$ display a final act of defiance, questioning whether notoriety or remembered legacies mean anything in a city that chews identities and spits them out.
It challenges listeners to ponder their own places in the worlds they inhabit. Are the marks we leave deep enough to carve our names into memory or will we, too, fade into the cacophony of the cityscape? In a single line, the artists manage to both flaunt their infamy within their community and cast doubt upon the very concept of remembrance.
