[Verse 1]
My first name is a random set of numbers and letters
And other alphanumerics that changes hourly forever
My last name, a thousand vowels fading down a sinkhole
To a susurrus, it couldn't just be John Doe or Bingo
My address a made-up language written out in living glyphs
Lifted from demonic literature and religious text
Telephone uncovered by purveyors of the ouija
Then checked against the CBGB women's room graffiti
My social a sudoku, my age is obscure
My in-case-of-emergency is in the daisies chasing birds
Employed by trillionaires with perfect teeth and pores
And people who open doors for the people who open doors
My medical history is a course at SUNY Buffalo
Charlatan psychiatry and troubleshooting undertow
Nervous in the service still, I'm burger meat and purple pills
"Here," "Thank you, we'll call your name," "Sure you will."

[Interlude]
Skipped lunch, I'm shrunk

[Verse 2]
You pack up all your manias, you're sitting in the waiting room
You're dreaming of arcadia, you're feeling like a baby tooth
Awaiting panacea, channeling your inner Beowulf
In purgatory just before you pay up to filet yourself
And others, in the name of help, coal on a conveyor belt
Into ego death alone, no telephone from Gabriel
I'm half a human combin' over Home and Garden stoned
Gold chains over turtleneck, cigars over cologne
A thousand shitty paintings wrap around the wounded animal
Woo him with the Schubert, he's a future human cannonball
Little fuckers fighting, mother hiding in her Hulu
I'm climbing up the stucco, let's get to the seppuku
Uh-oh, that pretty penny turned the prickly into Benji
If you save up all your winnings then you get to count your blessings
I finally crunch the budget up and punch the button
She called my name out and pushed me into an oven

[Interlude]
The fuck? I'm shrunk

[Verse 3]
She says, "I'm not your enemy."
I said, "That sounds like something that my enemy would say
Instead of playing off the chemistry."
She said, "You're being difficult."
I said, "I'm being guarded; you're a quarter mil in debt
I get more guidance from my barber
Look, I'm not good at this, I grew up in a noogie-fest
You built your walls up high
Or say goodbye to all your Cooky Puss
Here's one: every time my telephone buzzes
I see images of hooded riders setting fire to hundreds."
She said, "When you start getting all expressive and symbolic
It's impossible to actualize an honest diagnostic."
I said, "When you start getting all exact and algebraic
I'm reminded it's a racket, not a rehabilitation."
Okay, agree to disagree as grown-ups from opposing clans
Honoring the push and pull, I should have called the Scholomance
Oh well, preservation is a doozie
"Will you be needing another appointment?" – "Absolutely,"
I'm shrunk!


Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher

Shrunk song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

1 Comment

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    Asop Rock, is a Genius. I have been listening to him for 15 or 20 years now. He never ceases to amaze me. He is and always has been miles ahead of everyone as far as vocabulary goes.

    The Song Shrunk, is about his experiences with Therapy. And he nails it. It's easier to follow if you read the lyrics the first time but holy smokes! It's hilarious and perfectly accurate and in line with my personal feelings heading into therapy. Although I'm sure I'm missing alot because there are layers and gems hidden in every song if you are clever enough to pick up what he's dropping. I say I probably get about 30% of it and it's still highly enjoyable to me. Alot of Ase's work is on the darker side too. It's not for everyone and luckily for us he will never be " mainstream" one of my all time fav's

    BrianSullivanon April 28, 2023   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.