Aesop Rock - Commencement at the Obedience Academy (Official Lyrics)

[@MrGreen1692]

Must not sleep. Must warn others.

[@DyIanj55]

Only trying to aggravate the sleepers

[@Dankman9]

Best tattoos ever.

[@Denariusjay]

This was my VERY FIRST aesop song I ever heard. 2002, a kid at high school burned me a mp3 cd of various hip songs and this song was on it and i was instantly intrigued. I NEVER HEARD anything like this and it blew me away. Man i miss those days, just randomly bumping into new music.

[@yugo91aesop]

Yup, I discovered Aesop Rock a little later, around 2006 with Labor Days. The complexity behind each of his verses astounded me. I don't listen to him as much anymore, but his early albums float, appleseed, labor days are masterpieces.

[@Felix_Macho]

these lyrics are so incredible and dense, that reading them in time with the song doesn't give me enough time to think about. I find myself pausing the video every couple bars just to think about what he actually just said. Love Aesop Rock.

[@lofinomad8315]

Michael Fox most of his lyrics I've learned are just code for bisexuality

[@Felix_Macho]

Daniel mc beauty I mean, I'm not getting any of that, but art is always open for interpretation.

[@lofinomad8315]

Michael Fox you need to listen to me and know when your being schooled sweetheart

[@Felix_Macho]

Daniel mc beauty ok

[@zoom4368]

@@lofinomad8315 Lmao OK dude you take what you want from aes I suppose

[@TrustTheShooters]

I'm like almost 20 years late but Aesop Rock is the best and my new favorite Rapper, wow!

[@zoom4368]

@Land Creature Eyedea

[@zombieinjeans]

Welcome!

[@TrustTheShooters]

@@zombieinjeans been almost 2 and a half years. I'm pretty settled in.

[@jackjohnson691]

So you got about 100 years of studying his lyrics a head of you :)

[@MrSunSetts]

This song and float will follow me for my life as the two best rap songs i have ever had the pleasure of listening too.

[@StarfortMudflood]

One brick and shovel probably my top 2... But I kinda like them all and my top list is more like 20 🤗

[@justinoxton6790]

@@StarfortMudflood couldnt agree more!

[@about10ninjas]

Welcome home.

[@alexanderokak5112]

Commencement at the Obedience Academy has heavy usage of agricultural imagery and animalistic imagery to convey the author's ideas of human nature. This masterful implementation from Mr Aesop Rock promotes the theme of agriculture by effectively making the entire song an extended metaphor, describing the mind of an animal in the food chain thinking about crops and availability, extending this metaphor to the listener by subtly insinuating that humans are more animalistic and primitive than we like to admit and that every person still has that simplistic troglodytic nature imbedded into them, shown in the author's use of short sentences and repetition on the first 2 lines of the chorus "Must not sleep. Must warn others.". The repetition of "must" without the a pronoun before is purposefully added to exemplify the primitive and uneducated thoughts, further linking into the animalistic theme throughout.

[@eliquate]

Alexander Okak and it’s a quote from invasion of the body snatchers.

[@mektheblack]

Hard to state one clear interpretation but I think that Aesop rock clearly refers to the hip hop industry in the first verse; "The upbringing of self-styled freedom brigade investors /And their studies connecting one hit wonders with dust collectors/Puts it down/It's down beneath your sappy sing-a-longs". This leaves us with strong hint that he refers to music. He describes popularization and sterilization of the art of hip hop. - "The harvest appeared less plentiful than last season". And according to him it's because artists are not making quality content; "I imagine sloppy seed handling evoked a stroke of tardy planting And the crops we'd have harnessed mid-November Had only brushed the blossom bracket Then soon sacrificed lives to icicle jackets when the frost hit" Then he states he's not gonna follow the mass tendencies to create low quality content, he's gonna achieve that by hiding in the underground; "I sunk to find the warmth beneath the mosses With a plan to tunnel past after the rains have run their courses" He refers to the people that are trying to copy styles of others and he can clearly see that; "And I'm asking you: Why's the spy supply hiding in strangers When they know atop the food chains I could spot biters for acres?".

[@jordanhamrick5891]

@@mektheblack Unfortunately most of his listeners are listening only because it sounds good. You are not one of those.

[@marcosgibson9371]

@@jordanhamrick5891 Soooo late to this but... This could be a thesis for a music theory class. Good stuff.

[@AerialPenn]

The sample is from Bladerunner (the original) and if you watched Bladerunner 2049 i believe Agriculture had something to do with the movie.

[@hypecity69]

the depth of these lyrics is incredible...

[@maxweaver141]

Greatest hip-hop song ever written.

[@bugguy9092]

you do know this is like as good as hip hop rap gets.

[@atmos5569]

i was thinking the same thing.

[@MrConnorjay]

Insect Trainer his new stuff is still really solid. really shows how he's grown as an artist

[@TheElevatr]

:(

[@maxweaver141]

It’s genius. Who writes hip-hop verses like this?

[@OracleTheRonin]

@@maxweaver141 hopefully me, with time

[@bassbrother81]

after much consideration... easliy the best rap I've EVER heard

[@yugo91aesop]

i think it just refers to what the 9 circles of hell, each representing a different sin i.e. lust, greed, anger heresay. And since Dante wrote the book, he refers to the author....i don't think many people have actually read the book, but many people have heard of dante and would get that reference.

[@Galladefan777]

um okay why is this the hardest song ever made

[@OracleTheRonin]

lets take it further down and let Dante decide what ring im on

[@virgilstraker5211]

From Aesop Rock? No... it seems like every song he has ever made, if you hearing it for the first time you will definitely think so. Nine years old and I'm hearing it for the first time. I love it! Heard his album "Skelthon" for the first time a few days ago. It's amazers!!!... yeah, that's a phrase coined by Aesop Rock himself. LMAO

[@maxweaver141]

Clocked in at 76’ and haven’t clocked ever since

[@MrToondoon]

Bless you for these uploads

[@mrnono23]

This is why Aesop Rock - Float is in the top 10 hip hop records of all time.

[@Deadlights-94]

I heard this song and knew it well before I had ever seen blade runner, so when I finally watched it I was "wtf do I know that from? Aesop??!! No fucking way." so dope.

[@AnonymusHippopotamus]

Exact same thing happened to me

[@basednigel]

just had this experience last night

[@SenseiSinSemilla26]

Omg what????!!!! I’ve been dying to watch the new blade runner but is this song seriously in the movie?! Fuck that, I’m racing to watch it as soon as my day off comes

[@kurohitakiri1665]

..Not the new blade runner. Original comment is 2 years old, before the new movie even came out. He meant the old Blade Runner. I'm sure you know that by now though.

[@Eagles4life221]

Valeria Guadamuz No, Blockhead sampled from ‘Blade Runner’ for this song.

[@TheCalibrated]

The thing bout this as a rapper is it's fun to rap along

[@TheTaylor559]

one of my favorite songs, reminds me of winter

[@Musgravex]

By far his best

[@divided_eye]

appreciate someone going through the trouble of typing up the proper lyrics. the booklet is a little hard to read, lol, being that its all in paragraph form..

[@Thugrobb1991]

Bro he went god like on this track

[@Hyraethian]

I fell asleep again. I wasn't ready for it. heh.

[@skaterukno180]

Nova, Sends chills down my spine

[@Cinnamon-Toast]

God this is actual Shakesperian prose

[@bdubb1331]

I feel like the Dante line was a metaphor about the industry, that’s deep as fuck.

[@OracleTheRonin]

when I listen to Ian spit I get an inexplicable pit of excitment mixed with jelousy in my gut. Although I do believe my brain can form this kind of art, I don't know how long it will take, the seeds have been planted.

[@morallygray6527]

"Crowing the of our advance, fire ants to water beetles, Freemasons adjacent to pacing on pins and needles." THIS IS WHY AESOP IS GOD.

[@michaelmaffei8139]

Mikey Maffei Oh hey it's my old account

[@gustavvaip1600]

lmao

[@can2ej6]

must not sleep must warn others

[@yugo91aesop]

oh damn you are right! my bad got too excited typing it up

[@AEQEA]

Now is the time. 2020 RIP

[@chairmanbunker4418]

The blade runner sample is placed so well

[@Iggins420]

Unf. It even hurts to read... (Coming from someone who helped transcribe 'none shall pass'..)

[@jedediahadler7584]

If you just buy the album on itunes it comes with a lyrics booklet PDF

[@yaknoff379]

I have 2 tattoos... One arm says "Must not sleep...must wake others" And the other says "Must dream...must not wake others"

[@Dankman9]

Must not sleep, must warn others. Best tattoos of all time.

[@marcusburns515]

Invasion of the body snatchers

[@jedediahadler7584]

Hey, thanks for the video, but I just checked and according to the booklet it's "fill this pitfall in my gut" in the chorus, not feel.

[@jesiba1049]

must not sleep, must warn others!!

[@virgilstraker5211]

9 years ago?!? Hmmmm... honestly I've slept on Aesop. The style of hip hop I've gravitated to has changed alot since I started listening to it. I love hard hitting lyrical content... and then there's artists like MF DOOM and Aesop Rock, both in a category of their own. Not music for the simple minded

[@LucA-db2qv]

he told the story of the frostbit corpses............. as if he was there however .........he is no longer himself .............several people are one person......... but people who can truly be them self s are far and few between........ PHAROAH......

[@maybejae]

***Still can't FILL this pitfall in my gut.

[@marklabarbara2871]

I took it as we'll let dantes interpretation decide where he sits.

[@Madcatcon199]

point vs counterpoint makes me tear up. its true you should help even when its hard you get shit on in life. so much evil in the world why i stick to hikin mountains.

[@awesomebawss918]

No clue what the fuck was just said, but it was somehow harder than anything I've heard

[@russelljazzbeck]

Yo you can read all about what this song means here genius.com/Aesop-rock-commencement-at-the-obedience-academy-lyrics

[@film4thepeople]

THIS IS MY SHIT!!!!!!!

[@jasonwilliams1075]

DOPE I KNEW MICHAEL J FOX WOULD KNOW WHATS UP

[@WeeWeeJumbo]

_Drama like kabuki with a heart of dirt._

[@theElegantOG]

Is this a single version? It's different from the one on float, but I kind of like this one better

[@LeftIsBest]

Pretty sure this is the one from Float.

[@MookieFlex]

I just found that the one from Float is indeed a tad different. It has a vocal sample at the end of the song, as well as splashed in the middle of the song during the "...shoveling coal through my earth worm soul" lyric, where the sample voice then says in response "You should know!" I've been listening to this song for years and just found this difference. Mind. Blown.

[@LeftIsBest]

@@MookieFlex I wonder if we have different copies of float then? Bc mine is exactly like this. Huh. Idk.. Edit: is yours digital or CD? I got mine on CD back in about 2003 I think

[@MookieFlex]

Good question. I'm referring to the digital album here on youtube titled "Aesop Rock - Float [Full Album]" by uploader BackToThe Classic. Fast forward to 4:00 and you'll hear the short sample i'm talking about, and also at the end of the song where the same sample plays out in full. Let me know what you think!

[@film4thepeople]

I COULDN'T MAKE THIS UP!!!!!

[@EnterTheWuTang1]

Yea, love the Vangelis Blade Runner sample.

[@L33NSPL33N]

Tanx 4 da lyrix, m8.

[@compounding_gains]

Would someone be able to tell me the horn sample that plays over the Yusef Lateef guitar sample and the Vangelis synths? (during hook and end of song)?

[@krystiankososhi915]

Impressive as his rhyming is, I find the words he uses to be unnecessarily complex especially for a (moderately) fast rap style

[@Isaw1117]

That was his style at the time. He made this album extremely depressed and shut in his apartment. Now that he’s mentally better you can see it reflected in his songs. Make so mistake he still kills you with vocab but doesn’t feel the need to prove anything anymore. Been listening to him since 2006 so been on this journey with him.

[@PedalMovement]

14 days till the Commencement.

[@SmeltonPerkins]

"Can't fill this pitfall in my gut" not "Can't feel this pitfall in my gut"

[@compounding_gains]

Anyone know the horn sample used throughout? I know Blockhead used Vangelis for the synths...

[@KFGrandt]

Blade Runner Blues

[@compounding_gains]

Der Kraken Thanks but I didn't mean the one in the opening seconds. It's the horns that come in for the chorus.

[@headbangaboogie1]

+Sooftah i believe it's willow weep for me by dinah washington

[@compounding_gains]

+Eizaaz Ahmad Thank you friend!

[@LikesDrThompson]

yay farming analogies

[@adalbertoe7873]

clocked in @7 six

[@andrewperez3252]

Does anyone know why they're is another version with less quality and a sample at second verse and at the end? Why did that not appear or was it only on limited edition float

[@lindseylong8824]

this is a remastered version off of float. if you listen to the original version of float there are subtle differences to a few of the songs. personally i dig the original better but aesop never disappoints.

[@Aaronisweebob]

Pretty sure it's "Why's the spy supply hiding it's rangers"

[@DiamonDaniel]

ive got 9 million different shades of love for this song, but one part always kinda irked me.. he says "we'll let dante decide which ring im on" but in dantes in inferno wasn't minos, former king of crete, the judge of the damned? maybe im missing something here..

[@jordanhamrick5891]

You are taking the lyrics far too literally in the sense he is simply stating something from Hell other than the devil that people would know in general. He is saying Dante has been through all of hell, he can tell you where I'm from and what I'm about, in a sense. If he said let minos decide which ring im on 99% of the public wouldn't even recall what he's talking about at all. He doesn't mean to be judged in hell. He simply is stating he's as far down as it gets you can ask the people in hell where I reside. I hope I clarified this better if this account even still exists so many years later.

[@CosmicWolfPack]

he was tripping, don't worry.

[@pharoahluceh7042]

the pharoah would like to announce that eternal life is a haircut and a slice of bread ........ kinda makes you think about where the stem cells come from am i right???? yours truly THE PHAROAH .......................PS maybe we should no longer throw the baby out with the bath water???

[@nofluffagain]

It should be "still can't fill this pitfall in my gut" not "feel this pitfall". Brilliant line though.

[@DenisKapic]

i meant the acronym.

[@alkalinkintriopark]

Blade runner sample?

[@universal_hyssoap]

why are tere so many peoplel claiming to be the pharaoh in aes rock's songs comment section. y'all know who the real pharoah is

[@ambers123100]

O.o

[@virgilstraker5211]

What album is this?

[@DenisKapic]

what does this mean?

[@NottaFysch]

I love Aesop's music but I'll be damned if I understand a word he says or what he is talking about

[@reindeerage]

It's a metaphor for night time.

[@psemouti]

"Sir, do you mind if I breathe sir?" Rest In Power George Floyd