What does GZA mean when he talks about pulling the lid off the Dean Martin scandal in "Swordsman"? I really have no idea...
My overall interpretation of "Swordsman" is something along the lines of this:
GZA takes us through his own enlightenment journey. In the first verse he talks about superstition and how he overcame these irrational and religious tendencies (duck black cats, threw salt over my back) through the knowledge of self.
In the second verse he literarily outlines the knowledge of self, when he talks about slaveships and the pains the slavery policies inflicted on his own forefathers and own his mentality, until he gained the knowledge of self and became his own master.
When he asks the listener to reflect the light he shines, he asks the listener to make the same mental journey and become his own master and thus escape the slave mentality of the 85%.
Can someone tell me if I understood GZA correctly?
Here is the complete lyric (I copped it from ohhla.com):
Verse 1
Yo; I'm not caught up in politics
I'm no black activist on a so-called scholar's dick
I come through with the Wu and drop math
And versatile freestyles bombs and phonographs
and deliver, all things and other in weight
Searched to death, on how living things relate
Cause at a young age, I was molded in a religion
I relied on - and got caught up in superstition
Scared to split pole, duck black cats
Once in a while, threw salt over my back
But with knowledge of self from off the shelf
Made things seemed complicated now small like elves
So turn off the lights light a candle, and have a seance
Pull the lid off the Dean Martin scandal
Witches warlocks spooks and holy ghosts
RZA lets defraud the host
Verse 2
We were on the same ship when the slaves were checked
I had to pull your card you was on the top deck
So I plotted my escape, I saw the Thin Line Between Love and Hate
And fast from the hog on the plate
I suffered brutal pains, from whips and chains
Punishments that were set to wash the brain
So look listen observe and also respect this jewel
drawed up, di-tect and reflect this
light I shine, that cause my power to be find
through the truth, which manifest through eternal minds
Purified gases and masses the same elements
that helped spark civilization classes
I see brothers quote math plus degrees
Look at professor ass niggaz can't feed they own seeds
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