Excess by Tricky Lyrics Meaning – A Labyrinth of Modern Anxieties Explored

Lyrics

I believe in 
I deceive in 
Bottom weaving 
I can breathe in 
Make a wish in 
Flower fishing
Moving vibration 
Mild relation 
I’m jamaican on your radio station 
Got a curse in 
Could be worse in 
You first 
In a hearse in 
Good as dead in 
Nothing left in 
Nothing left in 
Some be heading 
I need a head rest in 
And a feed from a warm breast 

And man making hits
From my childbearing hips
Underground like 
Who’s it sound like 
You all sound the same 
But you don’t know my name

I believe in people lying 
I believe in people dying 
I believe in people trying 
I believe in people crying

Ah

I believe in people balking 
I believe in people talking 

Ah

I believe in people breathing 
I believe in people being 

We all sound the same 
You don’t know my name 
Rearrange and
Things don’t change 
Things remain
Feel the strain 
Stress 
Catch my breath 
(There’ll be a new tale of)
Get some rest 
(He and I)
From the mess 
(In fact any time)
I couldn’t care less 
(Every day)
Sugar cane
(Write fictional stories)
Is like smack to my vein 
Shook fame 
(If you want to)
But I don’t complain 
(On the street)

I believe in different reasons 
I believe in breath through seasons 
I believe when snow flakes fall 
I believe in buildings tall 

Ah

I believe in people bombing 
I believe in people warring 
I believe diseases coming 
I believe that’s why I’m running 

Ah

Keep living 

Ah

Keep living 

(Alanis Morissette in the background) 
You gotta ask 
(There’ll be a new tale of)
Before he attacks 
(He and I)
You got the flats 
(In fact any time)
Dub my sacks 
(Every day)
You’ve got the city 
(Writing fictional stories)
Move out of the country 
I’m scrunching 
(If you want to)
Friends that are punchy 
(On the street)

I believe in people falling 
I believe in people warring 
I believe diseases coming 
I believe that’s why I’m running 

Ah

Stephanie McKay: 
I believe in people balking 
I believe in people talking 

Ah

I believe in people breathing
I believe in people being

Ah

Keep living

Tricky’s ‘Excess’ is not just a song; it’s a conduit for the smorgasbord of emotions and reflections on contemporary life. Through a blur of electronically infused beats and an ethereal collaboration with Alanis Morissette, Tricky crafts a landscape that feels both deeply intimate and expansively universal.

Much like a wanderer through his own psyche, Tricky navigates themes of existence, authenticity, and the human condition with a nearly beatnik stream of consciousness. Each line serves as a breadcrumb, leading us deeper into the forest of understanding the profoundness cloaked within the deceptive simplicity of ‘Excess.’

A Sonic Tapestry of Urban Echoes

Right from the opening lines of ‘Excess,’ Tricky sets the scene with a resonating mantra of belief and deception. It creates a rhythm that speaks to the ebb and flow of city life – a life filled with contradictions and compromises. We’re taken on a hypnotic journey as the pulsating backbeat mirrors the heartbeat of urban existence and its incessant vibrations.

The repetitive nature of the lyrics, paired with the clash of soft and harsh sounds, encapsulates the repetition of daily life. It’s a mimesis of how we process existence – constantly weaving and reweaving threads of thoughts and experiences into the tapestry that forms our individual and collective realities.

The Enigma of Identity: ‘You don’t know my name’

In an age where the digital fingerprint is often mistaken for the soul, Tricky’s insistence that ‘You all sound the same / But you don’t know my name’ speaks to a profound sense of individuality amidst mass conformity. The song challenges listeners to discern the unique essence of a person beyond the homogenized exteriors.

Often in society, we are compartmentalized into genres, roles, and stereotypes. However, Tricky confronts this notion, positioning his voice as an echo of self-awareness in a sea of anonymity. It’s a powerful reminder of the hidden depths within us all, often unrecognized by the world at large.

Dissecting the Cycle of Life and Decay

Through the lens of Tricky’s introspective lyrics, ‘Excess’ unravels the cyclic nature of life and its counterpart, decay. From the ‘warm breast’ of nurturing to the coldness of ‘a hearse,’ the song captures the full spectrum of existence and the inexorable march towards death.

There’s an existential wisdom hidden in the lyric ‘I believe in people lying / I believe in people dying,’ almost Buddhist in its acceptance of impermanence. Tricky is tapping into the universal truths of human existence, challenging us to accept life’s inherent vicissitudes.

Chasing the Ephemeral: Love, War, and Survival

The airy yet poignant bridges sung by Alanis Morissette imbue ‘Excess’ with a haunting beauty that wraps around Tricky’s more grounded expressions. Together, they depict the gamut of human experiences — from the quest for connection to the destructive impulses that lead to conflict and, ultimately, fleeing from the untamable forces of life.

Amid the mentions of people bombing and warring and diseases coming, there’s a resilience that shines through. The call to ‘Keep living,’ repeated as a mantra, becomes not just a passive observation but a directive amidst the chaos, a beacon for listeners grappling with the absurdity of existence.

Reappraising the Familiar: ‘Things remain’

While ‘Excess’ portrays a world in constant motion, it also suggests an undercurrent of stasis. ‘Rearrange and / Things don’t change / Things remain’ strikes a chord with the idea that despite our best intentions and actions, some aspects of life are resistant to transformation.

Tricky, in a stroke of lyrical brilliance, utilizes this motif of inertia to critique societal stagnation — equal parts weary acceptance and a call to arms for change. It is here we confront the meaning of ‘excess’: the sense of saturation and overload in every sphere, compelling us to reassess what we consider our constants and the worth of our efforts against the immovable.