Carrera (dumb it down)
Coolest nigga, what? (dumb it down)
F-n-f, up (dumb it down)
(Dumb it down)

I'm fearless, now hear this, I'm earless
And I'm peerless, that means I'm eyeless
Which means I'm tearless, which means my iris
Resides where my ears is, which means I'm blinded
But I'mma find it, I can feel its nearness
But I'mma veer so I don't come near
Like a chicken or a deer, but I remember
I'm not a listener or a seer so my windshield smear
Here you steer, I really shouldn't be behind this
Clearly cause my blindness, the windshield is menstrual/minstrel
The whole grill is roadkill, so trill and so sincere
Yeah, I'm both them there
Took both pills, when a bloke in a trench coat
And the locs in the chair had approached him here
Made it clear as a ghost, so a biter of the throats in the mirror
The writer of the quotes for the ghosts
Who supplier of the notes to the living
Riveting as rosie, pockets full of posies
Given to the mother of the deceased
Awake and at war 'til I'm resting in peace

You going over niggas heads, lu (dumb it down)
They telling me that they don't feel you (dumb it down)
We ain't graduate from school, nigga (dumb it down)
Them big words ain't cool, nigga (dumb it down)
Yeah I heard "mean and vicious", nigga (dumb it down)
Make a song for the bitches, nigga (dumb it down)
We don't care about the weather nigga (dumb it down)
You'll sell more records if you (dumb it down)

And I'm mouthless, which means I'm soundless
Now as far as the hearing, I've found it
It was as far as the distance from the earring to the ground is
But the doorknockers on the ear of a stewardess in a lear
She's fine and she's flying, I feel I'm flying by em
'Cause my mind's on cloud nine and in a mine at the same time
Pimps see the wings on the underground king
Who's also klingon, to infinity and beyond
Something really stinks, but I sphinx like leon
Or lying/lion in the desert
I'm flying on pegasus, you're flying on the pheasant
Writer of the white powder, picker of the fire flowers
Spit, hot fiya like dylan on chappelle's skit
Yeah, smell it on my unicorn
Don't snort the white horse, but toot my own horn
Sleep

You've been shedding too much light, lu (dumb it down)
You make'em wanna do right, lu (dumb it down)
They're gettin self-esteem, lu (dumb it down)
These girls are trying to be queens, lu (dumb it down)
They're trying to graduate from school, lu (dumb it down)
They're startin to think that smart is cool, lu (dumb it down)
They're trying to get up out the hood, lu (dumb it down)
I'll tell you what you should do (dumb it down)

And I'm brainless, which means I'm headless
Like ichabod crane is
Or foreplay-less sex is, which makes me saneless
With no neck left to hang the chain with
Which makes me necklace-less, like a necklace theft
And I ain't used my headrest yet
They said they need proof like a vestless chest
About the best-fed f-f jet in the nest
Who exudes confidence and, excess depth
Even scuba steve would find it hard to breathe
Around these leagues my snorkel is a tuba
Lu the ruler around these seas
Westside poseidon, westside beside 'em
Chest-high and rising, almost touching the knees
Of stewardess and the pilot, lucky they make ya fly wit
Personal floating devices, tricks falling out of my sleeves
David blaine, make it rain
You make a boat, I make a plane
Then, I pull the plug and I, make it drain
Until I feel like flowing and filling it up again
Westside

You putting me to sleep, nigga (dumb it down)
That's why you ain't popping in the streets, nigga (dumb it down)
You ain't winning no awards nigga (dumb it down)
Robots and skateboards, nigga? (dumb it down)
Gq man of the year, g? (dumb it down)
Shit ain't rocking over here, b (dumb it down)
Won't you talk about your cars nigga? (dumb it down)
What the fuck is goyard nigga (dumb it down)
Make it rain for the chicks (dumb it down)
Po' champagne on a bitch! (dumb it down)
What the fuck is wrong with you? (dumb it down)
How can I get on a song with you? (dumb it down)

Look b, here's my main, my two-way
Uh, what should I, ah, here take this
That right there, fuck what my boys'll talk about me, nigga
Nigga, you hot to me! I like you! (dumb it down)

Bishop g, they told me I should come down, cousin
But I flatly refuse: I ain't dumb down nothing


Lyrics submitted by rejektfalseicons, edited by haikus

Dumb It Down Lyrics as written by Rudolph Loyola Lopez Gemstones

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Dumb It Down song meanings
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45 Comments

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  • +6
    General Comment

    alright you guys are analyzing the chorus but thats pretty obvious, the verses are the real depth in this song, its crazy

    The first verse: He starts by saying that his eyes is where his ears is. Then he goes on by talking about letting someone else take the steering wheel and letting them drive because he's blind. He then goes on to talk about ghosts and how they will write for the driver and bring flowers to the dead.

    Interpretation: People are followers and let rappers with negative lyrics steer them in the wrong direction, as evidence by his saying that the "windshield is menstrual" (bloody) which could be talking about negativity in general or literally "gun talk" and violence in rap.

    Second verse: He reiterates that he is blind but can only hear the message once he realizes that the stewardess of the plane which is being driven by the negative rapper is a hot woman (video girls). He talks about how the message is as "high as an earing to the ground is." A woman's height is not very high. The "Pimp C the wings on the Underground Kings, who's also Clingon, to infinity" is talking about how the pilot degrades women and will both use them to spread his message and simultaneously steer them in the wrong direction. He goes on to talk about "flying on a pheasant" while snorting the white horse etc. The pheasant is going to steer you straight into the ground.

    Interpretation: Rappers use video girls as a formula to get people to listen to their negative message. Once she has your attention, he can proceed to tell you about how killing and doing/selling drugs is cool. The the white guy (the industry) or the pheasant wants you to dumb it down and keep the people ineducated in order to sell these negative records

    Third verse: Talks about being brain dead and headless to the point where whatever the pilot says goes. The pilot will then drown you with materialism until you are "neck-less." The water starts to drown the listener, but ...

    LUPE TO THE RESCUE! He comes in and pulls the plug to drain the water so that you don't drown "until the water rises again" (or until his next album comes out). He's pretty much calling himself a breath of fresh air.

    BBkobe87on December 10, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    "Make it rain for the chicks pour champagne on a bitch what the fuck is wrong with you?"

    that's my favorite part. Rap has been on a steady decline for years, even Jay-Z isn't good anymore. We need the Lupe's to save mainstream hip hop. All the good rapers aren't on the radio, turn it off and spend some energy to discover new artists with good lyrics and save hip hop, it might not be too late...

    stranded48on October 31, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I really wish there were more Lupe Fiasco's in the industry. It is sad that so much of black music has been marginalized to bullshit consisting money, hoes, cars, drugs, and material shit. I hope more artists and record company bigwigs are inspired by Lupe to step their game up. Stop dumbing down your damn music!

    1alillon April 19, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This is a really difficult song to decipher but still amazing. Some of the stuff he says are just vague references but most of it has to do with him being a rare brand of rapper and his pride in his skills. I understand alot of the first verse which is alot about him being a shade of gray trying to be a different type of rapper but at the same time caught in some of the mainstream.

    I'm fearless (I stand alone) Now hear this (Listen up) I'm earless ( I don't listen to those that want me to dumb it down) And I'm peerless ( I stand alone as a rapper) That means I'm eyeless (Play on word I-less but more importantly he cannot see any real rap because he's peerless he cannot see anyone as a real rapper) Which means I'm tearless (he is unaffected by his critics) Which means my iris resides where my ears is (I'm listening for the real rappers) Which means I'm blinded (Same thing he doesn't see them) But I'mma find it I can feel it's nearness (but he knows there out there) But I'mma veer so I don't come near d Like a chicken or a deer (This whole part is about him hitting a deer at the most basic level but it also signifies he too is apart of the rap game) But I remember I'm not a listener or a seer so my windshield smear (He is not just a listener but he isn't a prophet, a seer, so he has to deal with some of the mainstream rap stuff thats why his windshield smeared) Here, you steer, I really shouldn't be behind this, clearly cause my blindness (He remembers he's a different breed of rapper) The windshield is minstrel, the whole grill is roadkill, so trill and so sincere. Yeah, I'm both them there (Important line he is apart of the problem and solution he says I'm both them there) Took both pills, when a bloke in a trench coat and the locs in the chair had approached him here (Another example of where he lives in both realms. He doesn't just take the blue pill, which I think would show him the real world, but he also takes the red pill so he's somewhere in between. I haven't gotten to the rest but I will later.

    gdot079on June 25, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Great song, good message.

    aclockworktomatoon September 28, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    try saul williams. he's pretty sick too,

    slevletteon November 04, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "Lucky they make it flowered" Should be "Lucky they make you fly with"

    And I think it might be "MADE it clear as a ghost OR a biter of the throats in the mirror." Not sure, though.

    Anway, the message is pretty clear in this, just from the title and the chorus.

    Wulfreignson November 04, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is clearly about his good message and how the "hood" and the government dont like it. The hood doesn't like it because its not what they are used to i suppose and the government doesnt like it because the message is educating African Americans

    i_am_who_i_amon November 17, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    YO THIS IS THE HOTTEST SONG I'VE HEARD IN A MINUTE, I PLAY THIS TRACK OVER AND OVER AGAIN ALL DAY LONG. HE SPIT HOT FIRE LIKE DYLON FOR REAL FOR REAL! MOTIVATION!

    ganjakid420on November 18, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yeah, Gmini is representing the hood, and the white dude in the video is representing the whites....well...lol thats a big duh

    Sakuiion November 22, 2007   Link

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