the truth

'the truth hurts because the truth is all there is'

recently i have been confronting truth, and it hurts.  the post will avoid further discussion of this as a courtesy to the reader.  this is about a brilliant hip hop work - 'the truth' - on the 'so... how's your girl' album released by handsome boy modelling school in 1999.

the song explores the pain and inescapablity of truth with technical skill and innovative conceptual structures.  it provides somewhat subtle but substantive commentary on philosophical and existential questions around the nature of truth that extends well beyond the direct lyrical content.

roisin murphy of moloko [no plus] is an essential collaborator, contributing vocals and credited as a cowriter. i suspect that roisin is largely responsible for her own lyrical content, but i am unable to verify this.  additionally, an extended sample from 'coffee cold' by galt macdermot provides a foundation and is skillfully integrated throughout the track.

'the truth' combines two separate but commonly used constructs from pop music - the love song and battle hip hop.  the track starts out as a love song with roisin discussing the role of truth in personal relationships.  her tone is largely negative and primarily focused on acceptance of the loss of love:

"""

And the truth is you can't hide from the truth
And the truth hurts because the truth is all there is
I realized some time ago
That I would have to let you go

"""

however she also questions the basis of loss, connected to the equal need for honest recognition of the positive aspects of close human connection:

"""

If happy times are too few and far between
It's a pity, dear
We can't erase the things we've seen
So disappear, vanish if you wish
Just go before you're swallowed up by bitterness

"""

so she is really confronting multiple truths here and making some attempt to reconcile these:

(a) her own understanding of the relationship

(b) her partner's understanding

(c) the meta reality of how (a) and (b) interact

(a) and (b) are further expanded to include explicit consideration of both positive and negative realms.  truth here requires a comprehensive and balanced perspective as well honest treatment of specific issues.

roisin finishes this first section on a rather bleak note:

"""

Just take a look at us, we are heading for a fall

"""

though she does not conclusively resolve (a) or (b), she seems to identify (c) as the overriding reality leading to deterioration of love.  naturally she has internalized thoughts around (a) and (b), since (c) is a function of these.  the exact permutation of (a) and (b) is not clear though.

j-live comes in on the bar immediately following roisin's last verse.  the macdermot sample stays on beat.  aside from this, this transition in uniquely abrupt.  there is no pause between lyricists, the vocal tones and styles are vastly different - from soft lounge female to assertive hip hop male. beyond the contrasting styles, it is difficult to identify much continuity in the lyrical content.

j-live stresses the need for hip hop artists to be truthful with respect to persona and artistic ability.  he employs continuous metaphor from the justice system as a play on the general theme of truth and for the expressive power.  naturally, j-live must evaluate his own capabilities as a hip hop artist, and he finds himself generally superior within the hip hop community.  his verbal ability and content support this:

"""

Stenographers are steady loggin, the jargon
That your counselors are barking, in hopes of a plea bargain
But when you read back verbatim
What they're saying to pursuade them
They realize exactly how i played them
I come with the truth, whole truth and nothing but
'Cause the truth hurts just as much as fuckin' with lies will
I brew skill with refills from now until
Plagiarizing MC's get their flows to steal

"""


roisen joins the 'truth hurts' lyric near the end of the j-live segment, reminding us of the larger issues around the meaning of truth and its intersection with human action.  he is talking about hip hop skills, and she is talking about human relationships, but they are instances of the same fundamental issue.

immediately after j-live has finished, roisin picks up the love song where she left off with only the sample providing continuity.  however in her final verses, she changes her assessment.  instead of resigning herself to the loss of love based on the meta reality, she asks her lover to return:

"""

Baby, I don't die without you by my side
As long as you return into these arms that burn
Baby, I won't die, just take a look inside
Into these eyes that burn

Come to these arms that yearn

"""

so ultimately she focuses on the truth of her own feelings and desires.

we all have truth to confront.  this includes need for balance and comprehensiveness. the universe of every individual's truth becomes another truth.  awesome track - i encourage everyone to own it.