I asked some friends to send me cool words so I could make a rap out of them. Here it is. ________________________________________________________________________
Quintessential juggernauts rife with debauchery, paucity o’ rutabagas, bedlam, and menagerie, faucets ossify crepuscular amphetamines, lugubrious zeitgeists undulate cacophonies, the susurrus elucidates perfidious schisms and i-dyllic Orpheus reifies atriums, hornswoggles opulence with bombastic hopes while the zoetropes embezzle ephemeral cloaks, and ethereal bivouacs nix obsolescence cuz hysteria’s nefarious and effervescent.
Bioluminescent gumption ad infinitum, delectable genesis of esoteric items, genuflect to hyper-squalid apparitions or the assonance’ll daunt you with its mass emissions, synesthesia obfuscates aberrant NASA missions when the parallax convalesces solipsistic visions, a banal chrysalis of platitudinous moss thickens ‘cross the tabernacle and its jubilant boss, ionizes midnight with alpine gravitas, a veracious moment, a honeyed interlude, precludes vermouth from verisimilitude.
Omnibus of confidants and oxytocin extracts kaleidoscopic cadence from bovine locomotion, a wonderland of ludicrous kamikaze feats yields a plethora of dusky catatonia beats, humanity fritters meridians away while secretarial sunshine will rue the day, polaroid sunflowers raze loquacious surfeits, duodenum expulsion, avocado circuits, infinitesimal so confidence’ll quell the circus, confidence evermore, arboreal surface, and the mollusk brings superfluous purpose but singularity comes with immersive permits.
Nebulous panjandrums and gnarly xenophobia, caustic athenaeums and a mordant cornucopia dredging up desideratums of recalcitrant hooves, zesty pedants’ curation of pejorative goods, and amicable conduits to quixotic grinds quickly ricochets off trenchant formaldehyde cuz I’m a vivacious zealot with some lamentations: octothorpe gas like I’m sublimation, and when oblivion hents me I’ma play the kazoo, onomatopoeia like pop-pop and choo-choo, cuz nothin’s stoppin’ this train, from subterfugin’, skullduggery’s just laconic cold fusion.
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Analysis
Below is one interpretation of the lyrics, written mostly for fun. If you have a different interpretation, send it to me.
Quintessential juggernauts rife with debauchery
This (juggernaut) is Hegel's "Other", further developed by Levinas as a "radical counterpart to the self". The Other is both archetypal (quintessential) and full of corruption.
paucity o’ rutabagas, bedlam, and menagerie
The Other causes all kinds of bad things: hunger (paucity of rutabagas), boredom (... bedlam), and loneliness (... menagerie).
faucets ossify crepuscular amphetamines
The Other, represented here as a (faucet), stagnates our excitement, especially that sense of stimulation that comes at twilight (crepuscular amphetamines), or other in-between places.
lugubrious zeitgeists undulate cacophonies
It brings us to sad moods and periods of our personal history (lugubrious zeitgeists) that are up and down and chaotic.
the susurrus elucidates perfidious schisms and i-dyllic Orpheus reifies atriums, hornswoggles opulence with bombastic hopes
But there's hope: though they are only soft whispers, the power of icons and myth (Orpheus) can shed light on these terrible times and make our places of communion concrete (reifies atriums) while getting the better of the ostentatious Other (opulence).
while the zoetropes embezzle ephemeral cloaks, and ethereal bivouacs nix obsolescence cuz hysteria’s nefarious and effervescent.
Another escape is through music (zoetropes): it can shed the illusion. We can take shelter (bivouacs) in music, no matter how (ethereal) it is; it will always be up-to-date and ready for us, because the Other (hysteria) is fundamentally frothing evil, and the communal feeling of music will always beat that.
The second verse swaps to more standard rap braggadocio, which will eventually tie in to this idea of transcending the Other in the finale.
Bioluminescent gumption ad infinitum, delectable genesis of esoteric items, genuflect to hyper-squalid apparitions or the assonance’ll daunt you with its mass emissions
I will shine bright and persevere forever. I'm also the delicious source of many rare things, whereas you, by contrast, have to bow down to your own low-quality demons (hyper-squalid apparitions) or my lyricism (assonance) will intimidate you.
synesthesia obfuscates aberrant NASA missions when the parallax convalesces solipsistic visions, a banal chrysalis of platitudinous moss thickens ‘cross the tabernacle and its jubilant boss
My dreams and sense perception are so vivid that I have prevented government agencies from disaster and stymied God herself by dismissing her in a trite fashion, God being a (jubilant boss) of the (tabernacle).
ionizes midnight with alpine gravitas, a veracious moment, a honeyed interlude, precludes vermouth from verisimilitude.
I infuse the nighttime with a sense of importance, add truth to life, sweeten pauses, and am way better than alcohol, because I am so real I don't need it to do what it normally does: inject the appearance of truth into life (verisimilitude).
Having take that lighthearted break, we now swap back to the theme that concluded the first verse:
Omnibus of confidants and oxytocin extracts kaleidoscopic cadence from bovine locomotion
In fact, the Other is easily transcended; anything from a collection of trustworthy people to simple brain chemistry can make even the walking of cows endlessly interesting. This is an instantiation of a radical challenge to the Other's deadness.
a wonderland of ludicrous kamikaze feats yields a plethora of dusky catatonia beats
However, one should take care not to try too hard; pushing oneself too far causes darkness and immobility (dusky catatonia beats). This line contrasts with the positive mention of music (zoetropes) earlier.
humanity fritters meridians away while secretarial sunshine will rue the day, polaroid sunflowers raze loquacious surfeits
One example of pushing too hard was the Industrial Era, which has led to irreversible damage wrought by climate change. One of the worst parts of climate change is how seemingly blasé (secretarial) it is, similar to how beautiful flowers can actually be a weed and destroy rarer plants, plants so beautiful they can only be described using excessively poetic words (loquacious surfeits).
duodenum expulsion, avocado circuits
So if pushing too hard is bad, what is the alternative? The lyrics present two options: we could either get rid of the excess in a visceral way, or think outside the box and try to blend organic "green living" (avocado) with technology's explosive growth (circuits). Moore's Law, anyone?
infinitesimal so confidence’ll quell the circus, confidence evermore
Whatever path we choose, we have to take it with (confidence) backed up with knowledge, here represented as the (infinitesimal), a cornerstone of calculus.
arboreal surface, and the mollusk brings superfluous purpose but singularity comes with immersive permits.
An extension of the climate change line: with the wrong type of confidence, we risk making our environmental goals (arboral surface, mollusk) unnecessary, but if we unify, we can do anything. "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."
The final verse brings everything together.
Nebulous panjandrums and gnarly xenophobia, caustic athenaeums and a mordant cornucopia
This is everything nasty about the Other: untrustworthy authority figures, explicit manifestation of our fear of it (xenophobia), poisoning of our libraries, and a cavalcade of other caustic things (a mordant cornucopia).
dredging up desideratums of recalcitrant hooves
This potential for corruption and evil brings something out in us: though it may be hesitant, it is needed (desideratum). This is the greatness in myself and others referenced in the second verse, here taking the form of (hooves).
zesty pedants’ curation of pejorative goods, and amicable conduits to quixotic grinds quickly ricochets off trenchant formaldehyde
We will have many powerful (zesty) enemies concerned with unimportant things and who have whole collections of bad ideas (pejorative goods). We will also face seemingly friendly paths that ultimately lead to pointless, tedious endeavors. However, all of this will bounce off of our vigorous, aggressive, structured persistence, represented here as (formaldehyde), a chemical commonly present in building materials.
cuz I’m a vivacious zealot with some lamentations, octothorpe gas like I’m sublimation
Another callback to the second verse, but here, in the presence of the Other, I'm not so dogged about my greatness; I do have some regrets. But these regrets vanish quickly, as is evidenced when the lyrics immediately return to the same style of braggadocio of verse two: Here, (octothorpe) is used to replace "hashtag", implying a technology-savvy yet still casual demeanor; (gas) is used colloquially to refer to something really good.
and when oblivion hents me I’ma play the kazoo, onomatopoeia like pop-pop and choo-choo, cuz nothin’s stoppin’ this train
This is one of my favorite lines. Just imagine the spirit of death, or the physical incarnation of the Other, coming for you, and you just calmly reach over and start tearing it up on the (kazoo) while making (pop-pop) noises.
from subterfugin’, skullduggery’s just laconic cold fusion.
This final line agglomerates all the different themes of the song into a singular, holistic lyric. Transcendence of the Other through self-confidence, the critical importance of understanding limitations, and reference to contemporary social and environmental problems unify in a resonant, triumphant battle cry. Seriously, it's in all there. Pretty neat.
