Christine
Shadows of Black Wings: A Tale of Escape and Reflection
Lyrics
Black car on a backstreet, little me asleep on the back seat
Describing a memory of being in a black car on a backstreet with a young person asleep in the back seat.
Lulled by street lamps and the blackness in between
The person is comforted by the alternating light of street lamps and the darkness in between.
My parents' argument picking up speed
Parents are arguing, and the intensity is increasing.
In and out of bad dreams
The narrator experiences unsettling dreams while in and out of sleep.
That's what they said when she saw him dead in the road
Refers to a traumatic incident where someone saw another person dead on the road.
Now I know it was the shadow of them black wings
The realization that the traumatic image was caused by the shadow of ominous influences.
Unmarked followed us for ten blocks
A mysterious unmarked car follows them for a distance.
Nigga said if they try to make the stop, I'm fleein'
The narrator decides to flee if the unmarked car attempts to stop them.
Brake lights bright red, lit his face like a demon
Observing the bright red brake lights of the car behind, creating a demonic effect.
We took a left, they went straight, we all laughed but I seen it
Despite laughter, the narrator senses a potential threat or danger.
Some had the trap in the trunk of the bimmer
Some individuals carry illegal substances in the car trunk.
Some kept the cracks up front so they could eat 'em
Various ways people hide drugs in the car for personal use.
Some went through the windshield, some went to the precinct
Listing different outcomes for those involved in illegal activities.
Some got yapped out driver's seats in parking lots and left bleedin'
Some meet violent ends while involved in criminal activities.
Some things only make sense in their time
Reflection on how certain things only make sense in retrospect.
I paid a hundred for the whip, so when police took it, I never paid no never mind
The narrator doesn't mind losing the car to the police since it was relatively inexpensive.
Easy come
Expression of the transient nature of possessions.
From Mandeville to Sligoville, coffin runnin' around
Repetition of a refrain describing chaos and disruption in various places.
Upsettin', upsettin', upsettin' the town
-From Mandeville to Sligoville, coffin runnin' around
-Upsettin', upsettin', upsettin' the town
-From Mandeville to Sligoville, coffin runnin' around
-Upsettin', upsettin', upsettin' the town
-They lookin' for the vehicle
Describing efforts to conceal a vehicle involved in illegal activities.
Took the plates off, put it in his Granny back yard
-Told her somethin' believable
-He got killed, it was still there for a year or two
-I'd seen it drivin' through
Depiction of a scene involving a neglected vehicle and a hunting motif.
Granny on the stoop, she never waved back
-High grass, four flats forward with the front passenger door mismatched
-Blacked out truck with the rifle rack
-The hunter checks his traps
-Bait car with the kill switch
References to deceptive advertising and the ironic nature of living conditions.
Gingerbread house full of abused kids
-Inflatable sky dancer said "No money down"
-Every sign said, "If you lived here, you'd be home now"
-(Strawberry on deck, Strawberry already with three hits tonight)
Reference to drug-related activities with the mention of "Strawberry."
Asleep at the wheel
Metaphorical description of falling asleep at the wheel leading to a life-altering outcome.
Gently over the guardrail, flipped heads or tails
-One died, she survived
Answering a question about faith and God, possibly expressing skepticism.
Asked why, I replied, "God's not real"
-Ducked the question
-In a hospital room full of flowers, I plucked the best one
-In a world full of cowards, it's bound to be tension
Commentary on the inevitability of tension in a world with cowardice.
Behind on with a single, he got behind on Butler and lined-out, it's now 2-0
Switch to a baseball commentary, introducing a situation with a chance for heroism.
Daniels' with a game situation here
-If he can work his way aboard, then the load falls once again on Daryl Strawberry
-As he has a chance to play hero once again for the Dodgers
-But it's up to Daniels at this point
-Fuck 23 and Me, mom's an inventor
Reflections on heritage, history, and cultural connections spanning various places and times.
From our DNA to Cambridge, Mass
-Maafe, that's Skippy and poulet
-Dispatched from Venice, Kilgari
-Tyrant that Mali and a Bamako property
-Jump to imperial Benin, fifteenth century, trade routes heavy
-Break the bank like Musa, mint the gold, truth aplenty
-We still feed on dreams in need of remedy
-Trauma not an enemy
-Perverse German woodcuts could've been truer
-Three heads on a jackal, fantastic creatures in Africa
-Universalis Cosmographia
-Sebastian Münster, lying bastard
-Wolfman in a Speedo, Cyclops and Chest Master
-I first heard Culture on the island of Gorée, international urn
-I was twelve years old, still could have gone ofay
-So bless that day
-And damn the last three centuries
A mix of blessings and condemnations for the past three centuries.
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