04 KEEP STARING
ABOUT KEEP STARING
In “Keep Staring”, Live feels like he has nothing left to lose.
He feels that there's no other way his happiness can be restored,
unless he works hard and fulfill his dreams.
However, he is still aware of his past experiences; the fact that his efforts
often do not reflect the results he hoped for - just as the devil said in his second track
on the mixtape, "At this point".
In the first verse, we discover Live's love for poetry.
He references poems like "It couldn't be done" by Edgar Albert Guest and "Henry V" by William Shakespeare.
These poems encourage Live to be vicious and to fight for his dreams,
no matter what the odds of success are.
Live uses his pain to propel him forward.
He says he is a "fish swimming in the cauldron" to describe the severity
of his current circumstances and his vulnerability as a new artist in the hip hop game;
where there is a lot of competition and politics.
"Stiffen up my sinews, imitate the tiger's actions"
suggests that he now realises that he should develop and transform himself if he wants to succeed.
In the second verse, Live is addressing what he sees as a norm in this new world he is entering;
he discovers that it is rare to talk about love or peace,
and wonders if people would relate if he would talk about such topics.
This is because these are what he searches for in his music,
although life continues to give him the opposite. In this song,
we witness Live setting his path, while he continues to learn about himself.
We discover that it is not just about the love he has for music,
but that he sees music as a way of giving a clear voice to his powerful emotions.
Although, in this song Live claims that life is "brutal", in the following song,
"Love Song", life surprises him, and this is what makes Live's path more clear.
Read Less
Keep Staring
Live Mxaku
I'm a fish swimming in the cauldron, it's awful, it's hot water
My life's over, better jump over this bitches 'fore they come over
Read More