Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun – English Lyrics

• By: Beastie Boys

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the intense soundscape of Beastie Boys' "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun," a track packed with complex samples and vivid lyrics. Dive into the song's dark themes and discover the cultural references that make it a standout piece from *Paul's Boutique*. A great song to explore the meanings of violent imagery, and sample based music.

[English]

("Looking Down the Barrel" by Beastie Boys)

♪ Ah ♪

♪ Rolling down the hill, snowballing getting bigger ♪

♪ Explosion in the chamber, the hammer from the trigger ♪

♪ I seen him get stabbed, I watched the blood spill out ♪

♪ He had more cuts than my man Chuck Chillout ♪

♪ 24 is my age and 22 is my gauge ♪

♪ I'm writing rhymes on a page, and going up in a rage ♪

♪ 'Cause I'm out on a mission, a stolen car mission ♪

♪ Had a small problem with the transmission ♪

♪ Three on the tree in the middle of the night ♪

♪ I have this steak on my head ♪

♪ 'Cause I got into a fist fight ♪

♪ Life comes in phases take the good with the bad ♪

♪ You bought the coins on the street ♪

♪ And you know you got had ♪

♪ Because it's all high spirit, you know you got to hear it ♪

♪ Don't touch the mic baby don't come near it ♪

♪ It's gonna getcha, it's gonna getcha ♪

♪ It's gonna getcha girl, it's gonna getcha ♪

♪ Looking down the barrel of a gun, son of a gun ♪

♪ Son of a (beep) getting paid getting rich ♪

♪ Ultra violence be running through my head ♪

♪ Cold medina, y'all, making me see red ♪

♪ Rapid fire Louie like Rambo got bullets ♪

♪ I'm a die harder like my kid Bruce Willis ♪

♪ I love girlies, waxing and milking ♪

♪ Coordinating shit is my man Dave Scilken ♪

♪ Predetermined destiny is who I am ♪

♪ You got your finger on the trigger like the Son of Sam ♪

♪ I am like Clockwork Orange, going off on the town ♪

♪ I've got homeboys bonanza to beat your (beep) down ♪

♪ Well I'm mad at my desk ♪

♪ And I'll be writing all curse words ♪

♪ Expressing my aggressions ♪

♪ Through my schizophrenic verse words ♪

♪ You're a headless chicken chasin', a sucker free basin ♪

♪ Been lookin' for a fist to put your face in ♪

♪ Well get hip, get hip, don't slip ya knuckle heads ♪

♪ Racism is schism on the serious tip ♪

Key Grammar Structures

• ♪ I'm writing rhymes on a page, and going up in a rage ♪

  ➔ Present continuous tense

  ➔ The phrase 'I'm writing' and 'going up' use the present continuous tense to describe actions happening now or around now, emphasizing ongoing activity.

• ♪ Life comes in phases take the good with the bad ♪

  ➔ Present simple tense with imperative

  ➔ 'Comes' is in the present simple tense, indicating a general truth. 'Take' is an imperative verb, giving direct advice or instruction.

• ♪ Because it's all high spirit, you know you got to hear it ♪

  ➔ Present simple tense with modal verb

  ➔ 'It's' is a contraction of 'it is' in the present simple tense. 'Got to' is a modal expression indicating necessity or obligation.

• ♪ It's gonna getcha, it's gonna getcha ♪

  ➔ Future with 'going to'

  ➔ 'Gonna' is a contraction of 'going to', used to express future actions or predictions.

• ♪ I'm a die harder like my kid Bruce Willis ♪

  ➔ Present simple tense with comparison

  ➔ 'I'm a die harder' uses the present simple tense to describe a characteristic. 'Like' is used for comparison, relating the speaker to Bruce Willis.

• ♪ You got your finger on the trigger like the Son of Sam ♪

  ➔ Present simple tense with simile

  ➔ 'Got' is in the present simple tense, describing a current state. 'Like' introduces a simile, comparing the subject to the Son of Sam.

• ♪ Well I'm mad at my desk ♪

  ➔ Present simple tense with prepositional phrase

  ➔ 'I'm mad' uses the present simple tense to express a current emotion. 'At my desk' is a prepositional phrase indicating location or cause.

• ♪ Through my schizophrenic verse words ♪

  ➔ Prepositional phrase

  ➔ 'Through my schizophrenic verse words' is a prepositional phrase that describes the means or manner of expressing aggressions.