POWER
Intro: Kanye West
I'm living in that 21st century, doing something mean to itDo it better than anybody you ever seen do itScreams from the haters got a nice ring to itI guess every superhero need his theme musicChorus: Kanye West
No one man should have all that powerThe clock’s ticking, I just count the hoursStop tripping, I'm tripping off the power(21st-century schizoid man)Verse 1: Kanye West
The system broken, the school's closed, the prison's openWe ain't got nothing to lose, motherfucker, we rollingHuh? Motherfucker, we rollingWith some light-skinned girls and some Kelly RowlandsIn this white man world, we the ones chosenSo goodnight, cruel world, I'll see you in the morningHuh? I'll see you in the morningThis is way too much, I need a momentChorus: Kanye West
No one man should have all that powerThe clock's ticking, I just count the hoursStop tripping, I'm tripping off the power'Til then, fuck that, the world's oursAnd they say, and they sayAnd they say, and they sayAnd they say, and they say(21st-century schizoid man)Verse 2: Kanye West
Fuck SNL and the whole castTell them Yeezy said they can kiss my whole assMore specifically, they can kiss my assholeI'm an asshole? You niggas got jokesYou short-minded niggas' thoughts is NapoleonMy furs is Mongolian, my ice brought the goalies inI embody every characteristic of the egotisticHe knows he's so fuckin' giftedI just needed time alone with my own thoughtsGot treasures in my mind, but couldn't open up my own vaultMy childlike creativity, purity, and honestyIs honestly being crowded by these grown thoughtsReality is catching up with meTaking my inner child, I'm fighting for custodyWith these responsibilities that they entrusted meAs I look down at my diamond-encrusted pieceChorus: Kanye West
Thinking no one man should have all that powerThe clock's ticking, I just count the hoursStop tripping, I'm tripping off the powder'Til then, fuck that, the world’s oursAnd they say, and they sayAnd they say, and they sayAnd they say, and they say(21st-century schizoid man)Verse 3: Kanye West
Colin Powells, Austin PowersLost in translation with a whole fuckin' nationThey say I was the abomination of Obama's nationWell, that's a pretty bad way to start the conversationAt the end of the day, goddamnit, I'm killing this shitI know damn well y'all feeling this shitI don't need your pussy, bitch, I'm on my own dickI ain't gotta power trip, who you goin' home with?How Ye doing? I'm survivin'I was drinkin' earlier, now I'm drivin'Where the bad bitches, huh? Where you hidin'?I got the power make your life so excitin'Outro: Kanye West & Dwele
Now this will be a beautiful deathI'm jumping out the window, I'm letting everything goI'm letting everything goMmm, now this will be a beautiful deathI'm jumping out the window, I'm letting everything goI'm letting everything goNow this will be a beautiful deathJumping out the window, letting everything goLetting everything goYou got the power to let power go?(21st-century schizoid man)What the song means
"Power" is Kanye West's reflection on fame, pressure and ego. He opens by describing himself as someone doing something new in the modern era, and he treats his arrogance and his critics' noise as the price of being at the top. The refrain, that no single person should hold so much power, works as a warning, suggesting the artist may be losing control of the situation himself.
The mood shifts as the song goes on. The second verse becomes an angry, mocking outburst aimed at comedians and critics, then turns into a more vulnerable confession: he feels his childlike creativity being crowded out by adult responsibilities, as if his inner child has to fight for custody. The third verse returns to bragging and sexual swagger, so the song keeps circling between confidence and fear.
The key images carry this tension. The "21st-century schizoid man" in the parentheses refers to the title of a 1969 King Crimson song and suggests a divided, unstable self. The "beautiful death" in the outro, with the image of jumping out a window and letting everything go, is a dramatic picture of surrender, in which the speaker imagines giving up the power and burden he has been describing.
Key phrases explained
- Stop tripping
- Stop overreacting or losing your head — A dismissive, slangy way of telling critics to calm down.
- Kelly Rowlands
- Kelly Rowland, American singer from Destiny's Child — Name-dropped as a symbol of the glamorous lifestyle he is describing.
- Napoleon
- Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor — Used to mock people with big, self-important ideas.
- Yeezy
- Kanye West's nickname and brand name — He refers to himself by his nickname, a playful self-reference.
- got a nice ring to it
- sounds appealing or has a good sound — An idiom used ironically here, since the "screams" are hostile.
Song info
- Release date
- 2010-05-28
- Album
- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
- Written by
- Kanye West, S1, Malik Yusef, MIKE DEAN, Boris Bergman, Francois Bernheim
- Produced by
- Kanye West, S1
- Samples
- Cold Grits – It’s Your Thing, King Crimson – 21st Century Schizoid Man, Continent n° 6 – Afromerica
- Interpolates
- JAŸ-Z – 99 Problems, Continent n° 6 – Afromerica
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