This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Flashing lights (lights, lights)
Flashing lights (lights, lights)
Flashing lights (lights, lights)
Flashing lights (lights, lights)
She don't believe in shootin' stars
But she believe in shoes and cars
Wood floors in the new apartment
Couture from the store's department
You more like "love to start shit"
I'm more of the trips to Florida
Order the hors d'oeuvres, views of the water
Straight from a page of your favorite author
And the weather so breezy
Man, why can't life always be this easy?
She in the mirror dancing so sleazy
I get a call like, "Where are you Yeezy?"
And try to hit you with the ol-wu-wopte
'Til I got flashed by the paparazzi ('razzi)
Damn, these niggas got me
I hate these niggas more than the Nazi
As I recall, I know you love to show off (off)
But I never thought that you would take it this far (far)
What do I know? Flashing lights (lights, lights)
What do I know? Flashing (know) lights (lights, lights)
I know it's been a while, sweetheart
We hardly talk, I was doing my thing
I know I was foul, baby
Ay, babe lately you been all on my brain (brain)
And if somebody would've told me a month ago
Fronting, though, yo, I wouldn't wanna know
If somebody would've told me a year ago
It'll go, get this difficult (difficult)
Feeling like Katrina with no FEMA
Like Martin with no Gina
Like a flight with no Visa
First class with the seat back I still see ya
In my past, you on the other side of the glass
Of my memory's museum
I'm just saying, hey, Mona Lisa
Come home you know you can't Rome without Caesar
As I recall, I know you love to show off (off)
But I never thought that you would take it this far (far)
What do I know? Flashing lights (lights, lights)
What do I know? Flashing (know) lights (lights, lights)
As you recall, you know I love to show off (off)
But you never thought that I would take it this far (far)
What do you know? Flashing lights (lights, lights)
What do you know? Flashing (know) lights (lights, lights)
Flashing lights (lights, lights)
Flashing lights (lights, lights, lights)
Lights, lights, lights, lights
Lights, lights, lights, lights
Lights, lights, lights, lights
Lights, lights, lights, lights
Lights, lights, lights, lights
Flashing lights (lights, lights)
Flashing lights (lights, lights)
Flashing lights (lights, lights)
She don't believe in shootin' stars
But she believe in shoes and cars
Wood floors in the new apartment
Couture from the store's department
You more like "love to start shit"
I'm more of the trips to Florida
Order the hors d'oeuvres, views of the water
Straight from a page of your favorite author
And the weather so breezy
Man, why can't life always be this easy?
She in the mirror dancing so sleazy
I get a call like, "Where are you Yeezy?"
And try to hit you with the ol-wu-wopte
'Til I got flashed by the paparazzi ('razzi)
Damn, these niggas got me
I hate these niggas more than the Nazi
As I recall, I know you love to show off (off)
But I never thought that you would take it this far (far)
What do I know? Flashing lights (lights, lights)
What do I know? Flashing (know) lights (lights, lights)
I know it's been a while, sweetheart
We hardly talk, I was doing my thing
I know I was foul, baby
Ay, babe lately you been all on my brain (brain)
And if somebody would've told me a month ago
Fronting, though, yo, I wouldn't wanna know
If somebody would've told me a year ago
It'll go, get this difficult (difficult)
Feeling like Katrina with no FEMA
Like Martin with no Gina
Like a flight with no Visa
First class with the seat back I still see ya
In my past, you on the other side of the glass
Of my memory's museum
I'm just saying, hey, Mona Lisa
Come home you know you can't Rome without Caesar
As I recall, I know you love to show off (off)
But I never thought that you would take it this far (far)
What do I know? Flashing lights (lights, lights)
What do I know? Flashing (know) lights (lights, lights)
As you recall, you know I love to show off (off)
But you never thought that I would take it this far (far)
What do you know? Flashing lights (lights, lights)
What do you know? Flashing (know) lights (lights, lights)
Flashing lights (lights, lights)
Flashing lights (lights, lights, lights)
Lights, lights, lights, lights
Lights, lights, lights, lights
Lights, lights, lights, lights
Lights, lights, lights, lights
Lights, lights, lights, lights
Lyrics submitted by strykerchick
Flashing Lights Lyrics as written by Eric Hudson Kanye West
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I take this song to me as being a bit of a warning against overconfidence, which is the opposite of what we expect from kanye, so i will try to back this up as well as possible. To me the chorus usually has the most concise meaning of the song, and it talks about his girlfriend/ex showing off too much: "As I recall, I know you love to show off. But I never thought that you would take it this far." Here he's saying that he's shocked at the lengths that his girlfriend goes through to show her confidence. This possible meaning fits in with the first verse, which shows that the girl is obsessed with buying material objects to glorify herself. Kanye says that he hates the paparazzi, probably because cameras seem to show off the people we love or condemn the people we hate... they glorify the stars, making them seem larger than life, making us wanna be larger than life, cuz every1 wants to be a star. The cameras also put celebrities under way too much pressure, because with the dramatization of everything that goes on, we as the public either love them or hate them. (I think he got a tip or two from lupe fiasco's song superstar; the two are good friends.) Ok, so Kanye thinks that the girl has gone too far with her overconfidence, and this is hurting him big time, as he tells us in his second verse: his girl needs to come back home, come back down to earth, cuz shes getting caught up in the fame. Hmm, maybe the same is true with kanye, maybe he acknowledges that he has to come back down to earth, or he'll crash and burn like he did in his touch the sky video. The last chorus was probably the most interesting part of the song, cuz he switches you, which could with I (kanye of course), sayin "As you recall, you know I love to show off. But you never thought that I would take it this far. What do you know?" I think he's sayin that yes we know that he loves to show off, and didn't think he would be as cocky as how he appears today, but what do we know? Who are we to say that we know him? If he wants to show off, we can call him cocky, but beware that everything is magnified by the lens of the camera, and that he may not be as arrogant & self-centred as we believe him to be.
i love this song - reminds me of the summer =]
well, He got caught, that's why he hates the lights and flashes... but at the end he knows there's only girl he can trust and he doesn't care wut are who you've been with it, he only cares that your over it. you know i love to show off, you know i'm the centerpiece its up to you to deal with it.. or let me go.. our shit's out in the open buts its up to u to just accept it.. or not deal with it... i need u.. but i understand why u don't need me.
I honestly think the song has strong ties to infidelity. The video depicts Kanye's girlfriend/ex-girlfriend killing him in the back of the car with a shovel. I know it may seem to be a leap, but I will try and explain; In the video he is killed with a shovel, which plays to the line "She don't believe in shooting stars" meaning the girl doesn't believe in shooting a celebrity. Kanye goes on to say; "But she believes in shoes and cars Wood floors in a new apartment Couture from the store's departments" This could mean that she loves the expensive lifestyle that he has been able to give her and she enjoys the high maintenance life style. "You more like 'love to start shit' I'm more of the Trips to Florida Order the hor douvres, view of the water Straight from a page of your favorite author" This can refer to the fact that she has a personality that thrives on attention and drama and Kanye is not that way, this is actually a passage into Kanye's REAL character and NOT the arrogant man we usually see. Next he says" And try to hit you with the Ol-Wu-Wopte Till I got flashed by the paparazzi Damn, these niggas got me I hate these niggas more than a Nazi" I believe that Ol-Wu-Wopte means “having a good time on the down low” Meaning he was sneaking around with another woman and having fun until He “got flashed by the paparazzi” and got caught by the world doing something wrong, his hate for the paparazzi stems from the fact that he was caught and he knows his woman is going to be very upset. “As I recall, I know you love to show off But I never thought that you would take it this far But what do I know? (Flashing lights) What do I know?” This refers back to the video where Kanye is tied up in the trunk. He knows that his woman was dramatic and high maintenance but he did not think she would kill him and now he is asking “what do I know” because his perception of her was incorrect. “I know it's been a while, sweetheart we hardly talked I was doing my thing” Meaning he has neglected his woman and was off doing things he knows were wrong “I know it was foul baby Ay, babe, lately you been all on my brain” He knows what he did was wrong and thinks of this woman in retrospect “And if somebody woulda told me a month ago Frontin' though Yo, I wouldn't wanna know" Meaning if someone was to warn him of this situation ahead of time he would not have listened. In all of the metaphors he says he feels like he is without one thing or another, meaning he feels regretful and sad that he ruined this relationship with cheating. “I'm just saying, hey Mona Lisa Come home you know you can't Rome without Caesar” This line is saying you cannot have Rome without its ruler, Julius Caesar. This refers to the fact that Kanye is trying to play to his woman’s sympathies and get her to forgive him because they ultimately cannot be without each other.
This is just MY opinion though!!
A lot of good ideas from previous posters. There are still some parts that I'm curious about, but what I gathered from the lyrics was...
He's talking to his ex about another girl (maybe she's not really his ex as he's talking in the beginning)
"She don't believe in shooting stars But she believes in shoes and cars Wood floors in a new apartment Couture from the store's departments"
She doesn't have dreams... But she does like materialistic things - she's shallow.
"You more like 'love to start shit'"
His girl is more combative than the "other" girl. They have arguments and problems at times...
"I'm more of the Trips to Florida Order the hor douvres, view of the water Straight from a page of your favorite author
And the weather's so breezy"
He doesn't like the drama; he'd prefer to enjoy the good life and skip the arguing/etc.
"Man, why can't life always be this easy? She in the mirror dancing so sleazy"
He'd rather have nothing but good times instead of the problems that being in a relationship/maybe his girl herself brings.
He's thinking this as he looks at the "other woman" dancing freaky in the mirror. (the grass is always greener on the other side)
Then he gets a call from his girl:
"I get a call like 'Where are you, geezy?'"
And he gives her some drag so she won't know that he's really up to:
"And try to hit you with the Ol-Wu-Wopte"
kind of like how sometimes people make a joke about tricking someone/faking them out: "I hit 'em with the old 42 fake" or something along those lines.
But while he's out with the other woman, until a flashing light goes off - it's the paparazzis, and they took a picture with him and his mistress. His secret affair isn't a secret anymore...
"Till I got flashed by the paparazzi"
"Damn, these ns got me I hate these ns more than a Nazi"
He's making a play on words. He's saying he hates the papparazzis more than Nazis hate Black people (only he uses a derogatory term - which I'm not a fan of).
"As I recall, I know you love to show off But I never thought that you would take it this far But what do I know? (Flashing lights) What do I know?"
Not completely sure about the chorus... Maybe like others said, his now ex girl, likes to make a public scene - but he didn't know that she'd go as far as she did to make a scene and/or get revenge.
But what does he know (probably said in a self-depricating way "...hey, what do I know?"
Then in the second verse he's talking more to his girl after the fallout from the affair...
"I know it's been a while, sweetheart We hardly talked I was doing my thing"
They haven't talked in awhile since the breakup.
"I know it was foul baby Ay, babe, lately you been all on my brain"
He's talking about being with the other girl. He admits it was wrong, and is starting to appeal to his ex about how he still has feelings for her...
"And if somebody woulda told me a month ago Frontin' though Yo, I wouldn't wanna know
If somebody woulda told me a year ago it'll go get this difficult"
He didn't realize that breaking up would be this hard.
"Feeling like Katrina with no FEMA Like Martin with no Gina Like a flight with no visa"
He's trying to relate his feelings about the breakup by talking about things that go together (not being together) Without her, he feels incomplete.
"FIrst class with the seat back I still see ya"
even when he's flying first class relaxed (enjoyin the life of luxory) - he still thinks about her (his ex).
"In my past you on the other side of the glass Of my memory's museum
I'm just saying, hey Mona Lisa"
He'll never forget her (things are kept safe and preserved in a museum); also, you can look but you can't touch in a museum (the glass is in the way) - just the memory of her isn't enough...
"Come home" I think this goes along with what someone said about Mona Lisa being moved (I didn't know much about that). Also, Mona Lisa is surely in a museum somewhere - which ties into his museum reference about his ex.
At the same time, he's he's calling his girl "Mona Lisa" and saying "Come home" to his ex herself.
"you know you can't Rome without Caesar"
Maybe she's been in the spotlight herself, maybe not. Maybe she has dreams she's pursuing... But without him, something is missing. She's not complete either.
Would Rome have been what it was without Ceasar? (the leader?)
So I guess he's tellin her how he's not complete without her - but then he's saying "you aren't complete without me either!"
"As I recall, I know you love to show off But I never thought that you would take it this far What do I know? (Flashing lights) what do I know"
Probably has the same meaning as the first time he said it...
"As you recall, you know I love to show off But you never thought that I would take it this far What do you know? (Flashing lights) What do you know?"
Not completely sure what his means.
Maybe it's like someone said - he did something or other to get back at his ex for whatever she did that he didn't expect her to do as a way of revenge...
OR maybe he's talking about the affair and saying she never thought he'd go so far as to be seen in public with another woman in public...
OR maybe he did something to win her back and he's saying "you never thought that I would take it this far" (maybe he did something spectacular to impress his ex) "what do you know?" (you wouldn't expect something like this from me, but you underestimated me - I'm capable of doing something like this - even if I didn't show it in the past)
The chorus is the part that I'm not as sure about, but that's my take...
@Sheh8me well-spoken and nicely analyzed, best comment ive seen!
This song is incredible, Kanye is really talented, both production and performance wise.
gorgeous strings goin on in this track
"I'm just saying, hey Mona Lisa Come home you know you can't roam without Caesar"
uhh.. is he thinking of Cleopatra? i don't get this..
The line before that mentions a "memories museum", Mona Lisa and Caesar would both be found in a museum but in different exhibits, separated from each other, Kanye is comparing this to him and his ex.
Wow I thought the exact same thing. It would be better if he said Cleopatra instead of Mona Lisa.
The whole album is amazing. I still don't have a favorite, but this one might be it. He's talking to his Ex, its pretty self explanatory.
peter 86 read the line before that then it will make sense
Peter86... the "caesar" reference is not relating to the "mona lisa" its relating to the play on the word "roam" also Rome... where the caesars lived
Yes and Julius Caesar and Cleopatra were lovers. They even had a child together.