Like all songs this has several keys to figuring out the meaning. Firstly there are sound clips from "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" - the Clint Eastwood film, and the "sunshine in a bag" could refer to money in a bag - hence the name of the song.
However, there is another "sunshine" people sometimes forget. Rewind 30 years, "Sunshine Acid" was a particular potent form of LSD manufactured that was as high as 300 micrograms (that's about 3x as potent as a relatively potent tab of blotter these days) - it was commonly referred to as just "Sunshine"
"I ain't happy. I'm feeling glad.
I got sunshine in a bag.
I'm useless, but not for long.
The future is coming on."
When dosing there is a sense of apprehension about the trip, you're not quite happy, but you're feeling glad that you're about to trip. The sunshine refers to sunshine acid, and the "I'm useless, but not for long" describes how it will benefit him. Then the "The future is coming on" part refers to the come up, as it takes approximately an hour and a half from dosing to feel the effects.
"Yeah, ha ha.
Finally someone let me out of my cage." - Often when consuming psychedelics, people feel that something is "released" within them.
"Now time for me is nothing 'cause I'm counting no age." - Psychedelics cause time dilation, a minute can feel like an hour, or time can stand still completely for what seems like weeks.
"No, I couldn't be there. No, you shouldn't be scared.
I'm good at repairs and I'm under each snare." - Psychedelics often make people afraid, even those who have never taken them, but they can be powerful healing tools - and the tripper just needs to remember that the psychedelics are only so powerful, they won't kill you or make you do anything stupid.
"Panoramic view, look I'll make it all manageable." - Psychedelics change perception, making it easier to analyse things, LSD in particular does this a lot.
"Chicks and dudes, who you think is really kicking tunes?" - Here they're talking about how much psychedelics have influenced music, they're saying it's not the artists that came up with the ideas, but the acid.
"You think it's fictional? Mystical, maybe.
Spiritual hero who appears in you to clear your view when you're too crazy." - Talking about how some people don't understand psychedelics and think they can't help you, when really they're a very powerful aid. They can also "clear your view" as suggested when things are clouding up your mind, by removing the ego, or "mental chatter" temporarily.
"Priceless to you because I put you on the hype shit." - This is about how it has benefited him in his creative work - creating music.
"You like it? Gun smoking, righteous, with one toke, psychic
Among those, possess you with one go." - This is the part that confuses people, as a toke is the inhalation of Cannabis smoke - however people often smoke while on LSD as it can heighten the trip and make it more intense, one toke of even the best Cannabis will do very little, but while you're tripping, that's another matter.
"The essence, the basics, without it, you make it.
Allow me to make this childlike in nature.
Rhythm, you have it or you don't, that's a fallacy.
I'm in them, every sprouting tree, every child apiece,
Every cloud at sea, you see with your eye.
You see destruction and demise, corruption in disguise,
From this fucking enterprise" - Anyone who has ever taken psychedelics will probably get a sense of deja vu when they first hear this song. This part in particular very much explains a large part of psychedelics. When the ego is lost you feel a strong sense of one-ness, that life is in everything, every rock, every tree, every bird, every person. It also gives a sense of duality, you see the love in everyone, but you also see the destruction and hate, the murder, the corruption in the government and corporate enterprises.
"Y'all can see me now 'cause you don't see with your eye.
You perceive with your mind. That's the inner." - Do I really need to explain this part? Really? Just do a simple Google search for "third eye", or "inner eye", "inner mind" and "psychedelics"
"Bust a few rhymes so motherfuckers remember
Where the thought is. I brought all this
So you can survive when law is lawless.
Feelings, sensations that you thought was dead.
No squealing, remember that it's all in your head." - This whole last part is going on about how the song's basically a quick dedication to psychedelics and telling people not to worry and go with the trip, because it's just a drug and it'll be over soon - even if the experience is going bad.
@Royaltramp - while I smirk at many of the comments and interpretations on here, I signed up just to say "good work", time was well spent ... most who get it, just get it and have no reason to look for an interpretation on the net..
@Royaltramp - while I smirk at many of the comments and interpretations on here, I signed up just to say "good work", time was well spent ... most who get it, just get it and have no reason to look for an interpretation on the net..
"Okay google: Where do babies come from?"
"Okay google: Where do babies come from?"
Protect the innocent, I get it. But .... I just hope nobody is taking one side publicly on the World Wide Web, while believing in another.
Protect the innocent, I get it. But .... I just hope nobody is taking one side publicly on the World Wide Web, while believing in another.
For those that get this far, I'd add a thought just for you!:
For those that get this far, I'd add a thought just for you!:
If you didn't catch it... There are multiple levels of story-telling and metafores. For example, there is a "PG" story to this "piece of art" and an "R" storyline as well. ... maybe not R, but PG-13.
@Royaltramp@Royaltramp Wow, very in depth explanation. I still don't think it has so much drug related lyrics (nearly the whole song), but you may be right, especially since the the first lyrics (sunshine in a bag) which are almost certainly about drugs, Keeps being repeated over and over the whole time. The repetition may even be there to show what the focus of the song is.
@Royaltramp@Royaltramp Wow, very in depth explanation. I still don't think it has so much drug related lyrics (nearly the whole song), but you may be right, especially since the the first lyrics (sunshine in a bag) which are almost certainly about drugs, Keeps being repeated over and over the whole time. The repetition may even be there to show what the focus of the song is.
The flip-side is that the Ghost's rap seems to be more about social issues and how people perceive things, which is not reliant on drugs. He talks about how people don't always think or question things. He talks about music culture. The idea that famous rappers are successful because "you either have rythm or you don't.That's a fallacy."
The lyrics "Spiritual hero who appears in you to clear your view when you're too crazy." sound like how people turn to music and look up to their bands for support when they are Feeling crazy, stressed, etc.
But the ghost mock this, saying how all it takes it one toke (one song, just playing music) and then he's able to possess them. -Basically, people often become mindlessly in love with bands and artists and will support and praise them too much because of how much the music affected them.
The power of music also goes back to the lyrics talking about a power being spiritual, or mythical, which is how some music can make people feel. And the band seems to those people as a "spiritual hero", regardless of the actual ethics or actions of the musicians.
"Y'all can see me now 'cause you don't see with your eye.
You perceive with your mind." This being said by a giant ghost rapping I think says how people don't see reality, but instead just create these huge, overblown ideas of what musicians are.
"Bust a few rhymes so motherfuckers remember
Where the thought is.
I brought all this So you can survive when law is lawless.
Feelings, sensations that you thought was dead.
No squealing, remember that it's all in your head."
To me, this seems like an egotistical statement, like "remember it was ME who's music gave you happiness". Maybe a statement on how some bands treat their fans, or some fans feel.
And in the end, the main verse could actually just be about music. Music can make people happy and motivate them. (although sunshine in a bag is a weird metaphor for an ipod...)
Your interpretation is very good though, and I think drugs has some part to the song.
@Royaltramp I disagree.
It seems to me that the chorus is about hope and confidence in self perseverance. Sunshine in a bag would imply that 2-D had caught a glimpse of "sunshine" (happiness and etc) and trapped it inside a bag so that he can keep himself going forward. When you continuously fail to be motivated it may feel like you're becoming useless, a complete waste to society. That small glimpse of hope is the only thing that could ever drive you to do anything ever again. When 2-D "captured happiness" it means that 2-D somehow found a way to get...
@Royaltramp I disagree.
It seems to me that the chorus is about hope and confidence in self perseverance. Sunshine in a bag would imply that 2-D had caught a glimpse of "sunshine" (happiness and etc) and trapped it inside a bag so that he can keep himself going forward. When you continuously fail to be motivated it may feel like you're becoming useless, a complete waste to society. That small glimpse of hope is the only thing that could ever drive you to do anything ever again. When 2-D "captured happiness" it means that 2-D somehow found a way to get back on his feet and make it worthwhile.
Your interpretation lacks strong defining connections to trips. Sunshine, for example, has a clear positive connotation attributed with it. It would seem obvious to me that someone would name a drug that. it also has major interpretations in literature, that doesn't mean it's all referring to that one drug..
Like all songs this has several keys to figuring out the meaning. Firstly there are sound clips from "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" - the Clint Eastwood film, and the "sunshine in a bag" could refer to money in a bag - hence the name of the song.
However, there is another "sunshine" people sometimes forget. Rewind 30 years, "Sunshine Acid" was a particular potent form of LSD manufactured that was as high as 300 micrograms (that's about 3x as potent as a relatively potent tab of blotter these days) - it was commonly referred to as just "Sunshine"
"I ain't happy. I'm feeling glad. I got sunshine in a bag. I'm useless, but not for long. The future is coming on."
"Yeah, ha ha. Finally someone let me out of my cage." - Often when consuming psychedelics, people feel that something is "released" within them.
"Now time for me is nothing 'cause I'm counting no age." - Psychedelics cause time dilation, a minute can feel like an hour, or time can stand still completely for what seems like weeks.
"No, I couldn't be there. No, you shouldn't be scared. I'm good at repairs and I'm under each snare." - Psychedelics often make people afraid, even those who have never taken them, but they can be powerful healing tools - and the tripper just needs to remember that the psychedelics are only so powerful, they won't kill you or make you do anything stupid.
"Panoramic view, look I'll make it all manageable." - Psychedelics change perception, making it easier to analyse things, LSD in particular does this a lot.
"Chicks and dudes, who you think is really kicking tunes?" - Here they're talking about how much psychedelics have influenced music, they're saying it's not the artists that came up with the ideas, but the acid.
"You think it's fictional? Mystical, maybe. Spiritual hero who appears in you to clear your view when you're too crazy." - Talking about how some people don't understand psychedelics and think they can't help you, when really they're a very powerful aid. They can also "clear your view" as suggested when things are clouding up your mind, by removing the ego, or "mental chatter" temporarily.
"Priceless to you because I put you on the hype shit." - This is about how it has benefited him in his creative work - creating music.
"You like it? Gun smoking, righteous, with one toke, psychic Among those, possess you with one go." - This is the part that confuses people, as a toke is the inhalation of Cannabis smoke - however people often smoke while on LSD as it can heighten the trip and make it more intense, one toke of even the best Cannabis will do very little, but while you're tripping, that's another matter.
"The essence, the basics, without it, you make it. Allow me to make this childlike in nature. Rhythm, you have it or you don't, that's a fallacy. I'm in them, every sprouting tree, every child apiece, Every cloud at sea, you see with your eye. You see destruction and demise, corruption in disguise, From this fucking enterprise" - Anyone who has ever taken psychedelics will probably get a sense of deja vu when they first hear this song. This part in particular very much explains a large part of psychedelics. When the ego is lost you feel a strong sense of one-ness, that life is in everything, every rock, every tree, every bird, every person. It also gives a sense of duality, you see the love in everyone, but you also see the destruction and hate, the murder, the corruption in the government and corporate enterprises.
"Y'all can see me now 'cause you don't see with your eye. You perceive with your mind. That's the inner." - Do I really need to explain this part? Really? Just do a simple Google search for "third eye", or "inner eye", "inner mind" and "psychedelics"
"Bust a few rhymes so motherfuckers remember Where the thought is. I brought all this So you can survive when law is lawless. Feelings, sensations that you thought was dead. No squealing, remember that it's all in your head." - This whole last part is going on about how the song's basically a quick dedication to psychedelics and telling people not to worry and go with the trip, because it's just a drug and it'll be over soon - even if the experience is going bad.
@Royaltramp This is undoubtedly the best interpretation.
@Royaltramp This is undoubtedly the best interpretation.
@Royaltramp gg wp! I agree, this is the best interpretation!
@Royaltramp gg wp! I agree, this is the best interpretation!
@Royaltramp - while I smirk at many of the comments and interpretations on here, I signed up just to say "good work", time was well spent ... most who get it, just get it and have no reason to look for an interpretation on the net..
@Royaltramp - while I smirk at many of the comments and interpretations on here, I signed up just to say "good work", time was well spent ... most who get it, just get it and have no reason to look for an interpretation on the net..
"Okay google: Where do babies come from?"
"Okay google: Where do babies come from?"
Protect the innocent, I get it. But .... I just hope nobody is taking one side publicly on the World Wide Web, while believing in another.
Protect the innocent, I get it. But .... I just hope nobody is taking one side publicly on the World Wide Web, while believing in another.
For those that get this far, I'd add a thought just for you!:
For those that get this far, I'd add a thought just for you!:
If you didn't catch it... There are multiple levels of story-telling and metafores. For example, there is a "PG" story to this "piece of art" and an "R" storyline as well. ... maybe not R, but PG-13.
@Royaltramp @Royaltramp Wow, very in depth explanation. I still don't think it has so much drug related lyrics (nearly the whole song), but you may be right, especially since the the first lyrics (sunshine in a bag) which are almost certainly about drugs, Keeps being repeated over and over the whole time. The repetition may even be there to show what the focus of the song is.
@Royaltramp @Royaltramp Wow, very in depth explanation. I still don't think it has so much drug related lyrics (nearly the whole song), but you may be right, especially since the the first lyrics (sunshine in a bag) which are almost certainly about drugs, Keeps being repeated over and over the whole time. The repetition may even be there to show what the focus of the song is.
The flip-side is that the Ghost's rap seems to be more about social issues and how people perceive things, which is not reliant on drugs. He talks about how people don't always think or question things. He talks about music culture. The idea that famous rappers are successful because "you either have rythm or you don't.That's a fallacy." The lyrics "Spiritual hero who appears in you to clear your view when you're too crazy." sound like how people turn to music and look up to their bands for support when they are Feeling crazy, stressed, etc. But the ghost mock this, saying how all it takes it one toke (one song, just playing music) and then he's able to possess them. -Basically, people often become mindlessly in love with bands and artists and will support and praise them too much because of how much the music affected them. The power of music also goes back to the lyrics talking about a power being spiritual, or mythical, which is how some music can make people feel. And the band seems to those people as a "spiritual hero", regardless of the actual ethics or actions of the musicians. "Y'all can see me now 'cause you don't see with your eye. You perceive with your mind." This being said by a giant ghost rapping I think says how people don't see reality, but instead just create these huge, overblown ideas of what musicians are.
"Bust a few rhymes so motherfuckers remember Where the thought is. I brought all this So you can survive when law is lawless. Feelings, sensations that you thought was dead. No squealing, remember that it's all in your head." To me, this seems like an egotistical statement, like "remember it was ME who's music gave you happiness". Maybe a statement on how some bands treat their fans, or some fans feel.
And in the end, the main verse could actually just be about music. Music can make people happy and motivate them. (although sunshine in a bag is a weird metaphor for an ipod...)
Your interpretation is very good though, and I think drugs has some part to the song.
@Royaltramp awesome intrepertation
@Royaltramp awesome intrepertation
@Royaltramp I disagree. It seems to me that the chorus is about hope and confidence in self perseverance. Sunshine in a bag would imply that 2-D had caught a glimpse of "sunshine" (happiness and etc) and trapped it inside a bag so that he can keep himself going forward. When you continuously fail to be motivated it may feel like you're becoming useless, a complete waste to society. That small glimpse of hope is the only thing that could ever drive you to do anything ever again. When 2-D "captured happiness" it means that 2-D somehow found a way to get...
@Royaltramp I disagree. It seems to me that the chorus is about hope and confidence in self perseverance. Sunshine in a bag would imply that 2-D had caught a glimpse of "sunshine" (happiness and etc) and trapped it inside a bag so that he can keep himself going forward. When you continuously fail to be motivated it may feel like you're becoming useless, a complete waste to society. That small glimpse of hope is the only thing that could ever drive you to do anything ever again. When 2-D "captured happiness" it means that 2-D somehow found a way to get back on his feet and make it worthwhile.
Your interpretation lacks strong defining connections to trips. Sunshine, for example, has a clear positive connotation attributed with it. It would seem obvious to me that someone would name a drug that. it also has major interpretations in literature, that doesn't mean it's all referring to that one drug..