Song Meaning

The narrator's origin story is tied to a dramatic birth during a James Brown concert in 1972, immediately setting a tone of cosmic significance. They position themselves as an artist whose "style is Black Hole," distinct from others who "sound like Earth." This establishes a core tension: the narrator's unique, almost extraterrestrial perspective versus the conventional, earthly sounds of their peers. They claim to be the "first to bleed" if Hip-Hop were the moon, suggesting a willingness to sacrifice for their art and a profound connection to its essence. The lyrics articulate a grand, almost divine self-conception, where the narrator's "mind's sky" becomes the very "ground on which you walk." They see their words as "seeds that root the trees," implying their speech has a foundational impact on reality, from "suburbia" to "New York." This contrasts sharply with the perceived limitations of those who "claim the streets," as the narrator asserts their own path is more profound and less conventional. The advice to "do your math" and the mention of "Buddha" suggest a spiritual or intellectual discipline is required to grasp their elevated perspective, hinting that superficiality will be met with cosmic amusement. A key craft element is the narrator's expansive, almost overwhelming use of natural imagery to describe their internal world and creative output. They "recite the grass on the hill and memorize the moon," and their "memory banks" hold "autumn forests and Amazon river banks." This isn't just description; these elements become extensions of the self, capable of being "screamed into sunsets that echoed in earthquakes." The narrator's "monologue the night" and "dialogue with days," suggesting a constant, profound engagement with existence that transcends ordinary human experience. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics lies in their audacious claim of self-creation and cosmic authorship. The narrator declares, "All words and worlds are metaphors of ME," positioning themselves as the source from which all meaning flows. This is further solidified by the image of "footprints written in soil" and being "authored by the moon." The narrator feels both deeply rooted ("Earth seeds root me") and universally expansive, a "stand-up comet" whose "body of laughter" questions its own reception. The final lines, about raising children "to the height of light and truth," reveal a desire to impart this profound, self-defined understanding to the next generation.

Saul Williams - Rap

Elohim (1972)

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Duration: 3:53

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In 1972 my mother was rushed from a James Brown concert in order to give birth to me My style is Black Hole, most niggas simply sound like Earth to me If Hip-Hop were the moon, I'd be the first to bleed Cyclical sacraments of self for all my peers to read I recite the hues of night, this spot's a light for you to read by Have you floating on cloud nine without realizing it's my mind's sky And the ground on which you walk is the tongue with which I talk I speak the seeds that root the trees of suburbia, New York City streets can never claim me, that's why I never sound like you All y'all niggas claim the streets as if paths through the woods ain't true You better walk your path You better do your math 'Cause your screwface will only make the Buddha laugh Even if you know your lessons, you don't know the half But don't take it from me Son, take a bath I can recite the grass on the hill and memorize the moon I know the cloud forms of love by heart And have brought tears to the eye of the storm My memory banks vaults of autumn forests and Amazon river banks And I'd scream them into sunsets that echoed in earthquakes Shadows have been my spotlight as I monologue the night And dialogue with days Soliloquies of wind and breeze Applauded by sun-rays We put language in zoos to observe caged thought And toss peanuts and P-Funk at intellect And motherfuckers think these are metaphors I speak what I see All words and worlds are metaphors of ME My life is authored by the moon Footprints written in soil The fountain pen of Martian men novel'ing human toil And yes, the soil speaks highly of me But Earth seeds root me, poet-tree And read forests forever through recitation Now, maybe I'm too serious Too little here to(o) matter Though I'm riddled with the reason of the sun A stand-up comet with the audience of lungs This body of laughter, is it with me or at me? Hue-more or less human? Though gender's mute And the punchline has its lifeline at its root I'm a star, this life's the suburbs – I commute Make daily runs between the sun and earthly loot And raise my children to the height of light and truth

Credits

Writers: Barnard Walker
Saul Williams

Elohim (1972)

Elohim (1972)

Lyrics

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Credits