The Mystery of "The Gates" | Aesop Rock 

Man please do more aes like this. He has so many complicated songs that 95% of reactors completely don't even sense let alone grab. Pos, input, atmosphere, eyedea are other artist ideas. Hell of a start though

I've been listening to Aes for 22 years now and I think a lot of his lyrics are simply painting a picture with mental images- you can't necessarily break it all down logically. He's the GOAT

@13:32 the juxtaposition of killing a God and eating Glue is insane. You are right, those lines have no right being next to each other and for them to not only do but to fit so smoothly. His pen is something else

The phrase "Agent of all things deep-sixed, I feel like I was put here to keep the crypt" just means he's the in tune with death or the dead. Deep-sixed is like six feet deep, like how far down people are buried. The crypt keeper is basically like the groundsman for a mausoleum, so he feels like he has just been put here to take care of the dead.

Aes might be the most lyrically talented song writer to ever walk the earth. This is the best part about his music, sitting down and just trying to figure out what the hell is going on inside his head. Truly a transcendental experience.

@1100- Famously, van gogh was one of the best painters of his generation and was totally overlooked in hus lifetime, at times almost starving to death. And here is aesop finding himself making instant rice.

The mobile line - he’s off balance The “oh ee oh” bit is from Wizard of Oz, the guards are chanting it at the gates

The red tide line. A red tide is an environmental phenomenon. When an ocean coastline grows too much algae, the water turns red and it becomes hazardous to swim in.

Aes is at The Gates, and he has taken on the attributes of an undead entity. Everything he us saying is a motif on that idea.

Awesome breakdown! Good vid

Thanks, this shit is so dense, we need more of this, you really cant keep up with him unless your him.... So thanks for breaking it down, i feel like he wants us to see what ever we do, and i think your breakdown, was intense. 🙏

AR is the singular writing talent of a generation. If you think “dumb” is the answer, you haven’t passed the test.

"I don't heel and I'm hung from an unkind mobile." It's finishing the line "roadkill, I'm off leash". Mobile = automobile. I don't heel, means he's not stopping and BAM. Hit by a car that also didn't stop (unkind because it didn't choose to stop? Unkind because life isn't kind? Hard to say). It's possible that he's either hanging from the undercarriage or is on the bumper, hanging from the car. This could be a reference to entering the spirit world. Just like a housepet, despite knowing he probably shouldn't go, he does, and as a result is struck. It's possible that entering the spirit world feels like the same sort of violent act as being hit by a car.

Also “Spirit World Field Guide”. He is the “Spirit World” this is him guiding you thru who he his.

@440 Re daybreak - daylight was his first well known track 20 years ago, maybe feeling slept on in the underground while kids with 1/10 the skills are celebrated and paid. Also, dude is drawn to horror themes and maybe he's as sick of it as we are but can't help himself

I'm in the goddamn smoke ear nose and throat is where the smoke is (smoke coming out of your ears and nose indicates anger in cartoons.) Ear nose and throat is abbreviated as ENT for a doctor specialty, he's in the smoke "ent" as in tree, tree being a euphemism for weed and the next line references fresh pot. but then he flips pot from being related to marijuana to being the container like a mug.

MORE AESOP ROCK PLEASE ❤

I think there are maybe 5 songs in all of aesops massive catalogue that I don't like or just don't love. He is one of the most talented artists of all time in my opinion ig you're talking about written music/songs. And the most unique, not a single person sounds like him or raps like him, and it's fuckin dope. Love these breakdowns man💪🏼🤙🏼

Been following Aesop for about 10 years, analyzing and annotating lyrics, seeing him live...I believe you have hit the nail on the head. Well done man I learned a lot about this song. Maybe do Mystery Fish next? Edit: 7:43, I think the "fresh pot" is a double entendre for pot of coffee, and pot (weed) - as Aes is a known stoner

I think the feeder fish refers to people who say they hate the rich but have no idea what to do besides ask for free stuff

i think "barefoot, my square glows" is a loose reference to a tile based rpg. not any one is particular, but it made me think of the "tile indicator" function in old school runescape, which highlights the "tile" or "square" that you're standing on. i'm sure you can imagine the visual of a character in some sort of rpg taking their shoes off and the "tile" or "square" that they're standing on glows because of the direct contact with the ground.maybe it's like he shares a common element with the ground/dirt/earth, and when making direct bodily contact with it, the earth acknowledges the interaction by glowing. aside from that visual, maybe he is purposefully referencing the elements of an rpg and how he views his life through a similar lens. he also mentions "hit points" in this song as well, which i think kind of backs up what i'm saying. aside from my input, really great video man! i'd like to see you do this with more of his tracks. if i may request one, do this for Commencement at the Obedience Academy. might be an hour long video, but i think a lot of people would appreciate it. much love!!

wow cool stuff! lots of goodies. I think the whole "push foot" line is about skateboarding.

Thanks for giving me more ideas of how to interprete certain lines! Aes is like Bob Dylan of hip hop; you really need to be well-versed culturally to get all these references. And it can be pretty challenging if you're not an American. 😢

For what it's worth I think "my square glows" might be a D&D reference, like a top down grid on a map

I'd assume the Vincent Van Gogh reference was just saying, "Hey I make art too, but mine is cheap and disposable." kind of self deprecating line.

Aesop Rock is amazing, is a deep meaning.

That glue stick line always threw me, but hearing you talk about it makes me think it's just how Aes can tell us about two great accomplishments in the same breath.

@630 - Frankenstein has bolts in his neck

PLEASE DO CITRONELLA. It's my FAVORITE song to decipher because of how he lays out how media has killed class consciousness among the lower class

"false start", "tired of bread, might eat the rich". Seems like he's sick of people who were given everything telling him it's his fault he's poor when they had such a head start

The thing that you’re noticing with him speaking in idioms is the code he uses a lot of newspeak/doublespeak look up what it is.

More please

He is probably talking about growing mushrooms on instant rice as a substrate.

Dudes the closest thing to a poet we got in this day in age…… i don’t read poetry so I guess I wouldn’t know

Aesop bomb poetry in motion 🎉insane beats and bomb flo

@19:55 hermit nature turned cynical fo sho. such a diff mindset from the tattoos on his arms saying 'must not sleep, must warn others' from Commencement at the Obedience Academy off Float. His earlier work was eager activist & then in Coffee he says, 'might just lie to em all, lie in a morgue hiding & bored' & the end line of The Gates bout 'dream home has 10000 dead bolts & less than no windows'. Yeah we definitely failed him. He was putting out such beauty & we just got uglier. His stuff from None Shall Pass on became more personal & less about saving us from ourselves by calling out our enemies & inviting us to join him in the fight against em. Glad to see thru The Uncluded, Spirit World Field Guide & his Homeboy Sandman collab Lice that he seems to be more at peace & even a little jovial.

I'm all oh e o is a reference to army ants when he's going in

The last thing anyone should ever do is listen to Aesop Rock before they plan to write lyrics. Sure you’ll get inspired every time. But Only two things happen 1) you will be so paralyzed by how dumb your shit is and imposter syndrome will kill you. And it’s dumb cuz you can compare like nearly any other MC’s bars to Aes n it’s like that 2) you’ll write like a bootleg Aes rock which will prob end up sounding like a 11 year old writing after they smoke weed n think the dumbest shit is cool. Then the next day be like smh 🤦‍♂️

Push foot, I go mach 1, I'm all, "Woosh, woosh" I don't pussyfoot, I make potholes, my path home is all drop zones = he skateboards

Push foot would be skate board stuff

First thing ppl need learn is when the afterlife arrives for you.....youll be presented with the choice of reincarnation or the Astral plain. Idk so I'm guessing maybe he was àt the gates? Even with all of my becoming into the supernatural and what all I've experienced there's still much idk and alot to learn. Ik the snake like looking on his cover is the same as a spirit. I've had my dead exes spirit spiral around me at night like a huge python slithering beneath me many nights lol. Not the most pleasant of situations Ill say.

Missing a ton of double and triple synonyms that all play into it.

It's funny how the thumbnail is deep or dumb yet you don't even understand the Van Gogh line. Just kidding 😂

It’s hip hop Shakespeare

The fact I don't have a high level of intelligence to contribute to this world makes me feel like a bag of bones.. We all need to be doing better but how? Haha

Great vid but bruh, puhleeze normalize your volumes - your FUCK YEAH MURICA bit was easily twice the volume you speak at and I was watching this at like 2am. Otherwise, 10/10 analyzing. Aes is so directly abstract that it's like an auditory inkblot session to dissect his lyrics - it's interesting how you have similar-yet-entirely-different interpretations to my own, for the same handful of words for any given line

Trash daddy energy

ITS ABOUT AYHUASCA

It's glowstick, not glue stick

"push foot, I go Mach 1, I'm all Woosh Woosh" is almost certainly a skateboarding reference. But yeah, Deciphering Aes is a tall order lol. Part of the magic, is that it means something different to every one.

You’re making a lot of it more complicated than it is. “Van Gogh with that instant rice” he makes bomb instant rice, he’s an artist it. “Bare hands on this bear trap” you get caught if you’re trying to peep. In Where’s Waldo you use to have to find a little mail envelope that was a “rare beige” a color he wears often. “Push foot” he’s a skateboarder. When he pushes he makes potholes. He lives in Portland he’s romanticizing skating around town. “Newspeaks all pink noise” he doesn’t fuck with political correctness. “Mood piece” art term, he’s capturing a moment when he eats street food in his normal attire which is not give a fuck whatever clothes. “Moons low” is his version of a sun setting on his tombstone. He’s not ready for death he’s more ready for more wild rides. Don’t think too hard, he’s being metaphorical in most cases about who he is and what he does literally and spiritually.

Aesop's bars are like crossword clues.

the bloodlust/tough love lines always fucking got me with how clever they were. and then boiling both of them down to just “mud” is just a perfect representation of aes’ writing style

The "It's Sci-Fi, Red Tide, my hi and by take make record time" line is a reference to the book Red Tide by Larry Niven which deals w/ the social consequences of instant teleportation. "3,2,1 desensitize" has to do w/ systematic desensitization which is a form of exposure therapy involving three steps: muscle relaxation techniques, ranking of fears, and finally exposure to those fears. This is basically a countdown towards facing one's fears. The juxtaposition of the building tension of a countdown w/ the purpose of excising fears gives an absurd, counterintuitive feeling. "No lie, tell death he could get in line" speaks to how phobias are often greater than the fear of death. Even if someone is aware of how irrational that is and has to therefore take corrective measures i.e. systematic desensitization. He truly feels it and it is "no lie" even though he knows better.

he skates. push foot could come from that

His last full album, Spirit World Field Guide is an amazing concept album. All about ritual magick and his experiences. He's one of the only MCs that I have to sometimes research some of the things he says to even fully understand what's he's saying or referring to. One of the best lyricists out there since he picked up a mic waaayyyyy back...

Push foot refers to the foot that skateboarders use to push off and give themselves momentum. Aes is a skater.

Push foot to drop zones is all about skateboarding. He makes potholes IE ollies over them drop zones relating to dropping in like a half pipe etc.

I marinate my mind in aes to get my creative juices flowing. No matter how many times I listen there's something there

he's also super cute and goofy? like unexpectedly so. I've had the Harbour is Yours on repeat the last few weeks because it goes SO HARD and it's just some silly shit about a pirate seeing a mermaid. like I'm so tickled by what he chooses to write about. 100 feet tall, Kirby, Grace and By the River are just a handful of honorable adorable mentions. Bless his (probably holey) cotton socks and happy new year to us all, we go out with ITS as one of the last 2023 bangers.

Not sure if anyone has already mentioned that this album project comes from a trip that Aes did to South America. Let's just say that he allegedly did som "trips" within that trip. That might give some other perspectives to this track (and the others) - hence 'Spirit World'. Basically he is describing his experiences during his travels. 😊

Imo I'm what what what from the guillotine is more like he's boasting from the guillotine as I'm like what what? In hip Hop has always been a boastful phrase. So I'm thinking he's more like the Executioner in this line or if he is the executed he's boasting because he doesn't care what he's done wrong

"bear paw, my handshake, oh dear god" - pretty sure this is a play on words going back to the line about deicide. He is the bear, shaking hands with a deer god. "Bare bones, a few air holes" - a box for holding animals would have air holes, so it sounds like he's describing a box or trap that is crudely made. "barefoot, my square glows" - put together, it sounds like he's describing himself as an animal that has been trapped in a box, and the box is glowing.

My dude is a lyrical genius I have to love every album he's ever

He's on the cusp of death. He's at the gates. Not quite dead, but not quite alive. He's transitioning, he's a ghost, he's lingering. He's listing the ways we all die. He's letting us know the journey is about to begin. The journey into the afterlife.. if accepting. Much Love. Big ups bro.

He isn’t smarter than all of us. He just has the ability to grind himself creatively. Learning to ride the struggle of creation is more important than intelligence, and far harder to cultivate.

He's definitely deep. I couldn't tell you for sure if every one of his songs makes coherent sense and is able to be deciphered, because I've not understood half of his songs. But I have deciphered some of them and when you realize what he is saying, it really does click and makes pretty profound sense. It could be argued that some of the lyrics are needlessly complex, and that might be true, but it is art after all. I think Aes really shines on the tracks where he stays understandable and focused, like for instance in Aggressive Steven. But it's always satisfying to listen to the words, whether I understand what he's talking about or not.

you are missing the bigger picture, the single is called spirit world and the intro song is ''the gates'', its a song about entering another world the experience of going to the digimon world, hogwarts, narnia etc. its an entire song of thel andscape scene but instead of a movie you enter spirit world, aesop rock's single

I always felt a different take on "I ain't seen a leader, just feeder fish; You want free weed, you want free shit; I mean, dude..." I've never truly seen a leader of the people (namely, in politics). I've never seen a "leader" who was truly out to better the lives of the people with real change. I've only seen those who are fed to us by the system to give us small concessions ("You want free weed? You want free shit?") to keep us complacent and continuing to follow a broken system, where those "leaders" get to remain in charge. "I mean, dude..." kind of just being Aes' response to placating. This interpretation always felt natural to me, particularly coming off the line "I get tired of bread, I might each the rich". Aes pretty much saying "I'm tired of the major inequality in the distribution of both power and wealth in this world, and I'm tired of leaders who don't have our backs". Wouldn't be Aes' first comments on the system.

It's possible to probable that someone else has already said this, but based on your noticing of the dog killing the rabbit just now, you may have also missed how the book the kids were reading said a portal to the spirit world opens if a creature from that side is killed over here, its definitely an interesting concept (^-^)

So the one thing that I've noticed and I'm sure this is already been brought up and I'm not going to say that you're right so I'm not even going to say it cuz right now my brain is not letting me remember I'm old so give me a break LOL I really am I'm 53 I've been hard on my brain and now I'm old so you know he had a nervous breakdown years ago and one thing I have noticed what's this music after that is I'm not going to explain it how I have it in my head it's just not coming out right I just I've noticed a change but not really if that sensible go with it cuz I'm not making any sense I know what I'm trying to say it's just not coming out right I love Aesop in the last few years have been f****** a struggle for me and his music has gotten me through these last few years basically all I listen to I throw a few other artists in the mix but not a lot not really I learned about ESOP through Rhymesayers and through a friend that the only song he knew was None Shall Pass I don't dislike that song but I relate that song with somebody that was get something not good to me I'm a Survivor of a violent crime going against my better judgment and befriending a man that does shouldn't have and that song Then Shall Pass when I listen to it now it has a whole different meaning anyway that's not the song at hand I just wanted to throw in my non knowledgeable knowledge😂😂😂

I wonder if aes is actually at the gates of the spirit world, or if the gates and the spirit world are a larger metaphor for the real world

I just watched your vid.. im a "child of the 90's" and to be fair you will never completely understand Aes unless you grew up at the time ,for the time an pop culture he devours and spits out , you will miss it's subtleties an see it threw your eyes but wonder why he said it but it has a variation , which he's actually using

Also, damn this was such a good breakdown these lyrics. Hard to catch the meaning in these dense lines, specially when he’s going a mile a minute

15:31 He's transformed into a crow or other solemn bird (air holes in bones)...standing with no kicks on, just ..talons... and also smoking a [square] cigarette.

this is the quickest way to take all the magick outta his art. read an old book listen to jazz along withhis old albums to understand his style. its not made for linear logical analysis ....its loosely formed stream of consciousness while taking into account how it might sound if you didnt know english , it still has an amazing cadence. but to think your going to go line by line and tell us what its all about seems highly undesireable

My dog bite and my bird curse is reference to him owning disobedient/bad pets Like, I have a dog that bites and a bird that can talk but just curses...

Push foot, I go mach 1 blah blah could be referring to pushing on a skateboard to achieve that speed - makes sense with one of the videos where a skeleton is skateboarding

It sounds me not only to be him describing his trip through the levels of hell but that it starts at the gates of hell but I believe he is describing what he is seeing and experiencing

Push foot=skateboarding. Drop zone= dropping in on a trick. All skating references

You're reading too far into it. I'm all what what what means he doesn't feel like he belongs

“My kind sleeps upside down” part might be talking about vampires

Genuis well read knows a thing or two about a thing or two and all of the ins and outs and what have yous....

"I go marching in, I'm all OH-eee-OH" is a reference to The Wizard Of Oz.

16:19 He could be talking about skateboarding, next line supports it

A red tide is when everything in the sea dies, in particular when a certain algae with reddish tint overpopulates due to lack of rain and heat from sun. The algae locks the surface like a blanket causing no ability for gas to excape, killing all the fish and other creatures via suffocation. Also gives the water a red tint. “It’s a science fiction ocean of the dead” essentially :). As with a lot of Aesop’s work there are sometimes multiple meanings to each bar. That’s what makes him truly a mastermind and unique artist. It’s one thing to write a bar like that once or twice or a song with such features.. but he has an extensive catalog. People who think he’s just talking gibberish are not listening.

This reminds me of how i felt doing DMT. Could be relevant.

This deserves far more views. Great breakdown, subbed.

I think he went to hell and back and was given a vision of the gates to above and below.

A square is slang for a cigarette. He says it’s glowing so I’m assuming it’s lit.

aesop rock is just a genius

naww, homeboy sandman throws lightning bolts

Fuuuuuhhhh! Aes and DOOM just have the most dense lix.

forgot about the WKUK guillotine bit lol

You know that poem The Wasteland ? Has the line “I can show you fear in a handful of dust” among other badsss lines. Aes stil uses the English language better than TS Elliot or any other American or Brit poet I can think of. Sounds like blasphemy but I’m dead serious. Maybe not better but at least using language as well and in a mix of hi and low art. The references, the linguistic tricks, the play with meaning, with implications, with pronunciation…it’s crazy. Maybe I only see it in this high regard because I can decode it far better than I can some poet from a century ago or using a British vernacular of English. Aesop Rock has taken not hip hop, but American poetry to its logical conclusion. I don’t think there can be a BETTER technique from here, just maybe a different one. But this is as close to perfection as a person can get in a subjective field like art

Deepest line for me is the repeat…. “I know both sides of that tough love….they’re both mud.” He’s right. Again.

He was talking about the pearly gates

my interpretaion of the deicide by tea at five onto the bear paw my handshake verse is that the psychedlics are kicking in. ive seen squares around me when tripping once. the understanding of what we are, a few bare bones and air holes. the paranoia of spooky shit " who goes there"

Vocabulary. Dude has it.

I feel like we are interpreting the words of a genius that none of us can truly comprehend. I feel it though. "I was at the gates..."