As part of the dedication ceremony for Micheal “Eyedea” Larsen coming up on October 16th, 2011 we wanted to ask you, the fans, to suggest a concise lyric (a few lines, not an entire verse/paragraph) to appear on the plaque of the picnic table in Cherokee Park (St. Paul, MN) which will be dedicated in his name. After we have a list of choices, we will create an online poll with the top 5-10 lyrics, then let you vote on which one will actually appear on the plaque.
We will be accepting suggestions until Tuesday, July 19th, and shortly after that we will have the poll up so you can vote on your favorite.
To suggest a lyric, simply comment on this post below. Thanks.
A reminder that the dedication ceremony on October 16th in Cherokee Park is free and open to the public. There will be music by Mikey’s friends, food, stories, and break dancing throughout the day. To help make this a free event, please consider donating. Additionally, all profit from purchases made through this site will go directly towards the dedication ceremony. Thank you so much for the continued support.
Here are a few videos to get you started:
“You made me more me, and I won’t forget the times you helped my find my feet
When I was buried in my head. Thank you, for givin’ what you had to give.”
*helped me.
Sorry about that!
reading all this is making me sad 🙁 miss you mikey
Emptiness is the poor mans cocaine, and love is just a chemical by any other name.
*empathy is the poor mans cocaine …
i agree this is one of the best lines
I don’t know how it COULDN’T be:
“Empathy is the poor man’s cocaine
And love is just a chemical by any other name
I like the way your pheromones make me sleepy
This far away I still smell you inside me”
It will be a shame if it’s not this. EYEDEA never hid anything from anyone. He was literally an open book. I think this is what HE WOULD WANT. imho.
“It’s so fun to be in love… or so I’ve heard, the meaning has no feeling even though I understand the word” -Eyedea
either “genius by day, junky by night” or something really simple and short “smile”.
Think about what you typed.
Only the lonely resent angels for flying.
“We’re all born into this river without knowing how to swim,
And eventually we learn how to keep this water under our chins”
It’s so hard to pick a single quote.. He’s said so much, with so much meaning..
“When I watch myself float downstream, I see the beauty in it all and it feels like a dream”
“My hearts never been owned, im lonely but everyone is lonely so I know at least I`m not alone”
“All the pain we feel is a result of our expectations”
I have a few favorites, I’ll try to keep them to as few as possible though.
I’m no different I live in conflict and contradiction
but it can be so beautiful when I don’t reject what lies within
It’s beautiful the way agony connects us to the living
I think of the world when I hurt, and keep on existing in the now
We gotta learn to see the beauty in each moment of life
I feel that if you could see what I see
Then we as humanity could be free
“It
My absolute favorite eyedea line.
I love this line too.
“I can only build if I tear the walls down, Even if it breaks me I won’t let it make me frown, I’m fallin but no matter how hard I hit the ground, I’ll still SMILE.” -Micheal Larsen
Love this too.
Wow it’s so hard to come up with just one lyric exemplifying his body of work. Some of my favorites are:
“I know you feel alone, but just look up at the stars, and everything that is out there is what you really are”
“We gotta learn to see the beauty in each moment of life, everyone has different paths and we’re seeking the light, the world is divided between peasants and kings, but the truth is everybody’s looking for the same thing”
“I can only build if I tear the walls down, even if it breaks me I won’t let it make me frown, I’m falling but no matter how hard I hit the ground, I’ll still smile”
“There’s so much world to see, what’s stopping you from flying free?”
These are probably three of my tops as well.
In addition to:
‘Each person in an intricate piece of infinite
I feel like if you could see what I see
Then we as humanity could be free
I’m here for you, not for any self centered reasons
Because existence is interdependent and all’s related,
Connected as different manifestations of one single mind
You ain’t isolated from the world even though it feels like that sometimes.’
love the second one gotta see the beauty!
time taught me how to see every second as heaven even though they’re perfectly disguised as hell
And I refuse to let past bruises cover the light
it ain’t all good, but its all good enough,
so I know I’m alright
yes yes yes, always been one of my favorite songs, and this line, im sure, as gotten a lot of people through hard times
“I never came across a rapper that I’m scared of / ’cause ain’t an MC in this universe I can’t tear up”
OR the line right after
“I’m really iller than anybody, buddy, I’ll bloody your body / Your cruddy thoughts are probably soft like silly putty”
not sure his battle raps are really suitable for a plaque
I agree.
The world is divided between peasants and kings
but the truth is everybody’s looking for the same thing
Ain’t nothing quite as beautiful as music.
Like!
“When my soul steps to exit this frame, I will be reincarnated as rain.”
Ditto
so fitted ;(
perfect for a park bench
“I make music to ride to, to cry to, to die to,
Times two, and finally realize you’re alive to
I make music to vibe to, to close your eyes to
Break your mind from each vault that sits inside you
I make music for survival, to find you
To hide from the landscape humanity went blind to
I make music to rhyme to, to waste time to
To die to, to realize I’m alive to”
whats the name of this song?
Soundtrack of a Romance
my second favorite.
I turned my back to the angels and when I walked away to my surprise
I found myself in heaven
I Walked away, walked away, walked straight into heaven…
Maybe it is too literal, but I feel it’s appropriate.
RIP Eyedea <3
I was insane before it became popular…
The lyric I belive to be most fitting is “The river runs untill it’s dry, but, mine dies spitting my last drip into it’s mouth to keep it alive.” You are missed michael, your music reminds those special few we’re not alone, we’re not insane, and to be like the rest of them would be so much worse than death. I only wish you were here to keep us all beliving in the now.
“…only the lonely resent angels for flying.”
“Existence is interdependent and all’s related..connected..as different manifestations of one single mind, you ain’t isolated from the world even though it feels that way sometimes..”
Thanks for the pleasures…still can’t believe it
“I’m lonely, but everyone is lonely, so I know at least I’m not alone”
– from Spin Cycle
“I’m probably your favorite emcees favorite emcee”
Love it!!!!!
Face Candy – Pillowbite
“I’m polishing up my mind, and i’m leaving you with one thing to know/ I’m yours, your mine / and if the world doesn’t know, that’s fine…We decide.”
I was just about to put this one up as well. Love it!
Ill always remember the companionship and what it went.
I can’t help it. It was the way I was raised. Living everyday on the weird side
“I’m not grown up, the concept of adulthood is dead”
“This is the consciousness revolution,
You got the right to think,
Don’t think about it just do it”
“I feel like if you could see what I see
Then we as humanity could be free”
“The river ride ain’t always smooth, but with it I live
And everything is perfect, just the way it is”
“Here’s a ticket for the train, pay a visit to my brain
If you wanna know about the weird side”
more then 3, but it was really hard for me to narrow it down.
“how eye one the write too think”
“i’m lonely but everyone is lonely, so i know at least i’m not alone.”
“Heaven ain’t something someone else can give; its all inside of me”
Agony is truth, our connection to the living. Accept it as perfection and keep on existing.
Time taught me how to see every second as Heaven even though they
I can only build if I tear the walls down
even if it breaks me I won’t let it make me frown
I’m falling but no matter how hard I hit the ground
I’ll still smile
Seconded.
“The river ride ain’t always smooth but with it I live.
And everything is perfect just the way it is.”
awesome
“This is a big “Fuck You” to anyone out there that hates us
“Right where you are right now, is where your gonna stay. And as long as your moving with yourself you’ll never slip away.”
You can lead a horse to fresh water, but you can’t teach it to be okay when you decide to leave.
” We’ve rediscovered the long lost art of dyin’ “
“How Eye One The Write Too Think” Thank you.
oops. didn’t see yours already. heres some from more collab collections that has inspired me to write.
“Braile red your blind spot now we see Eye to Eye, cross the roads, cross the line, put me on your cross and watch my die.”
“I stay alive on fire, put out old flames, lower my standards and aim for higher, I cant bring myself to quite for the choir, every note sounds the same, either im insane or your inspired.”
“Eyyyyyeeee stay inside the right lines and barely break the mold, Eyyyeee’ve tried to be the nice guy and play the role, buts theres a certain arrogance thats carried with the air that shapes the pros, so be careful what spin stifle might explode.”
“That changes the whole scene, back breakin and no brain, you call it a lack a sleep i call it gods coke-caine sugar im Eye to Eye with what you’re lookin for, street smart, poison as a book worm, Eye took turns trying to heal, eye look like eye learned how to die when i fake a couple of lies just to feel.”
“Never had the time to count all the birthdays, besides all the true heros die before their 30.”
“We’re all born into this river without knowing how to swim, and eventually we learn how to keep this water under our chins.”
thank you so much for teaching me how to swim in the powdered water. Oxygen is no different from the same thing that will drowned you, your only missin the one most important element in life.
Agony is truth; it’s our connection to the living. I accept it as perfection, and keep on existing in the Now.
It’s impossible to explain Eyedea’s essence, but these are unarguably some of the greatest lyrics ever written:
“No matter how hard I hit the ground, I’ll still smile.”
“Time taught me how to see every second as heaven, even though they’re perfectly disguised as hell.”
“We gotta learn to see the beauty in each moment of life. Everyone has different paths and we’re seeing the light. The world is divided between peasants and kings, but the truth is everybody’s looking for the same thing.”
“I won’t forget the times you helped my find my feet when I was buried in my head.”
It’s impossible to explain Eyedea’s essence, but these are unarguably some of the best lyrics ever written:
“No matter how hard I hit the ground, I’ll still smile.”
“Time taught me how to see every second as heaven, even though they’re perfectly disguised as hell.”
“I won’t forget the times you helped my find my feet when I was buried in my head.”
“We gotta learn to see the beauty in each moment of life. Everyone has different paths and we’re seeing the light. The world is divided between peasants and kings, but the truth is everybody’s looking for the same thing.”
“I know you feel alone but just look up at the stars and everything that is out there is what you really are”
I thought of this too. There is so many good ones on “here for you”
I know, It was really hard to choose just one line!
“Sometimes gunfire is brighter than the sunshine,
And sometimes a child’s scream influences every dream.
Sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking we’ve moved on
But no way, no how, do we ever forget what we’ve seen.”
“The first to come and last to leave will never be immortalized
This sort of life is completely overrated
I’m sick of being the only one I know who’s trying to make it
So, right now I’m headin’ home”
-Exhausted Love
“I’m running out of words, but I haven’t yet made my message clear
So if none of this makes sense, I just want you to know I’m here”
-Here For You
“Kill my dedication
Put me on your medication
Drop me off in space and never come to get me
Nothing that I say has ever been that amazing
So when I die do me a favor and forget me”
-Forget Me
“You see, Heaven isn’t some place that we go to when we die
It’s that split second in life where you actually feel alive
And until the end of time, we chase the memory of that
Hoping the future holds something better than the past
So why do I spend my time runnin’ away?”
-Infrared Roses
“It’s always now and you’re never not you
So follow yourself because if nothing else your existence is true”
-The Dive (part 2)
“Turning these pages just as slow as I can
Reading every single word from the poet within
I float with the wind and stay content
Wherever it carries me
There was no beginning and there won’t be an end”
-Walking
“Frustrated with it all I turned my back to the angels,
and when I walked away, to my surprise,
I found myself in heaven.”
-Step By Step
Sorry, but I can’t seem to pick just one. How can anyone decide on which quote Eyedea is best remembered by? I’ve been listening to his records for about 10 years now, and still every time I play them I get inspired by something he said. Anyway, good luck to whoever has to choose…
Hey man, haha.. having the same trouble. Too much pure genious lines of his that popped into my head. First that comes into my head is the Infared Roses one, though in Walking, the momenth the second verse starts and the beat gets a bit more silent.. damn.
“Never been held in anyones arms, when you’ve never been moved it’s really hard to move on”
“we’re all born into this river without knowing how to swim, but eventually we learn to keep the water under our chins.”
“Curiosity killed the cat and taught the dog and them how to act/
It burned it
“You see heaven isn’t some place that we go to when we die
It’s that split second in life where you actually feel alive.”
“We set goals and desires to control our own fate
But all the pain we experience is a result of our expectations”
“I’m lonely, but everyone is lonely
So at least I know I’m not alone.”
“I got a rhythm but I’m eager to unplug my speaker ….and let my heart be my teacher”
I think this will be a top choice!
“i stand alone. burned every bridge over the troubled water.”
“We gotta learn to see the beauty in each moment in life. Everyone has different paths and were seeking the light. The world is divided between peasants and kings. But the truth is everybody
“If you only had an hour to sum your whole life up, would you spend that hour saying that an hour aint enough?”
Nice!
“I’m not really dead this casket’s for show”
I copy and pasted some of my favorite songs and a few excerpts I really like. There are some spellings errors I’m sure. (but they aren’t mine :P)
-On this I stand
Two sets of footprints placed ahead of the dirt softened from tear drops
And overlooking the earth as the son of the moon
protected by a forcefield of pure thought.. On this I stand
A rally of unemployed disgruntled words spawned from long journeys through somewhere
somewhere that only causes me pain as I strain my soul crammin it with (light?)
so I could bring some there.
I bleed the blood of a cold stone that roams without a shadow
I’m only deep enough to realize that I’m shallow
My head I keep it up but its hard to keep it straight
when you don’t believe in love,
and you just cant cope with hate
Metal rust, leaves turn into dust,
as the difference between love and lust clarifies as trust
if you only had an hour to sum your whole life up
would you spend that hour sayin that an hour ain’t enough
I’ve escaped the shell that bound me to cowardness
now I’m faithful to the wind but compared to it I’m powerless
the first step was made, and it was a fair accomplishment
the pond was sittin still, so I threw a rock in it
and as my reflection rippled it all became clear
the seasons always change so there’s no reason for fear
we made an autobiography of our pivotal years
-Take a deep breath there’s nothing to be afraid of
What you just did was fall to the depths of existence
The place the mind keeps you away from by it’s own process
of building models for understanding
This is not insanity, this is in fact the ultimate reality
The union you’ve acheived is only possible in thoughts no more
You never fall if you never fight
-I
From the Infared Roses:
“Heaven isn
“We gotta learn to see the beauty in each moment of life. Everyone has different paths and we’re seeing the light. The world is divided between peasants and kings, but the truth is everybody’s looking for the same thing.”
“Each person is an intricate piece of infinity” or “The second you can look into the sky and see you own reflection, you know your headed in the right direction” or “we got to learn to see the beauty in each moment of life” So many positive lines from “here for you” to choose from. Excited to see what this ends up being.
“the scenery we pass we’ll never see again, so we store it up as memories and dont let go of them” Seems appropriate. He gave lots of people lots of memories, and will continue to do so..
We gotta learn to see the beauty in each moment of life
Here for you- Oliver Hart
opinions are jaded experiences…this would be nice to have,i truely hope this one gets picked.all do respect,Daniel A Morales
“The world is divided between peasants and kings, but the truth is everybody’s looking for the same thing.”
~Eyedea
I am one of the strong, but also in the same trap
I am one of the strong, but also caught in the same trap
“My worst habit’s waking up at least once a day. Balance barefoot on a needle, heavens just a jump away.”
Love you Mikey.
“Heaven ain
‘Each person in an intricate piece of infinite
I feel like if you could see what I see
Then we as humanity could be free
I’m here for you, not for any self centered reasons
Because existence is interdependent and all’s related,
Connected as different manifestations of one single mind
You ain’t isolated from the world even though it feels like that sometimes.’
“This city runs fast, no one has time to sit with themselves,
No time to look into our pain or see the same despair in everyone else”
Smile-Eyedea and Abilities
I think this is such a good lyric to use for the plaque because for one its so true and i think this was the type of message mikey was trying to spread about the world, that we share this pain we’re all alike and were too caught up in other stuff or just conditioned not to think about it and if everyone really took time and thought about it we could all kinda love eachother for the pain we share.
“Still deaf to the bells that claim to free us,
But I pay homage to my melody, ’cause she’s the sweetest.”
From the same song:
“Ain’t nothing quite as beautiful as music.”
So many to chose from. I would just put the lyrics to By the Throat, it’s so raw it’s beautiful. I didn’t know Mikey, but this song just felt so deeply personal it deserves to be remembered forever.
You made me more me, and I won’t forget the times you helped my find my feet
When I was buried in my head
Thank you, for giving what you had to give
Taking what you had to take,
And making me believe in you.
Even though I might be gone forever there will always be a place in my brain that will think of you.
– By the Throat
I believe there’s never a place better than right where you are, although imagining and afterlife can tend to mend a broken heart over someone dead. It’s our way of coping with loss.
“We went through thick and thin came out separate on the other end but please know no matter what you’ll always have me as a friend” by the throat
“hopefully we can gather together and figure out what life’s about”
“hopefully we can get together and figure out what life’s about”
“Your living in a world made of windows and mirrors
Lucid safeguards cover crystallized tears
In and out different images same fear
One day it
“Heaven isn’t something someone else can give, it’s all inside of me.”
or
“I’m not shit, I’m champagne”
“Went on a journey, yearning for alignment. Searched the world for happiness, returned home to find it.”
Or
“Even Shadows have Shadows
So don’t judge my book by it’s cover
Cause my story’s just fucked up as any other.”
“Regardless of how far I see, I never see my travels end”.
Thanks for keeping the memory alive
Hi. I posted this on facebook last night, but i wanted to post it here again. I like this line from Eyedea’s song Infrared Roses:
“You see heaven isn’t some place that we go to when we die, it’s that split-second in life where you actually feel alive.”
I have to agree with this one!!
Hi. I posted this on Facebook last night, but i wanted to post it here also. I like this line from Eyedea’s Infrared Roses song:
“You see heaven isn’t some place that we go to when we die, It’s that split-second in life where you actually feel alive.”
“Now I want you to know
The role you play is part of the whole
Without you it couldn’t be, and I mean that with compassion
So if you need anything, I mean anything at all
I’m here for you; all you gotta do is ask man”
“Heaven isn’t someplace that we go to when we die, it’s that split second in life where you actually feel alive.”
“Poets play with words to keep themselves sane”
“Can’t tell if i’m done or just uninspired”
“Winter takes the warm away, spring takes the cold away, summer takes the rain away and fall took away my friend”
I don’t think you could fathom how much you helped me get through and make sense of these last few months, for that I am forever grateful.
R.Eye.P.
“The second you can look into the sky and see your own reflection
You know you’re headed in the right direction”
Pretty’s so ugly
Sarah!
Sometimes everything’s not enough….
Sometimes everything’s not enough
“?Your expectations need a category of placement, ?but a renaissance man sits nowhere particular.” -The Many Faces of Oliver Heart
Sooo many choices of things, and this is further putting pressure on so many of his unforgettable lines to be streamlined into something worthy of representing him.
As he said “These songs ain’t me they’re just the way i feel at a particular moment”
but I’d say a couple universal ones that seem to resonate and capture what i imagine was collectively his cause:
“I’ll be writing until I’m dead, Maybe until I’m alive”
“If you only had an hour to sum your whole life up, would you spend that hour saying that an hour ain’t enough?”
“Time taught me how to see every second as heaven even though they’re perfectly disguised as hell”
“It’s always now and you’re never not you, so follow yourself, because if nothing else, your existence is true”
“I believe there’s never a place better than right where you are.”
Amongst others I’m sure, But I’ll cut it off there.
Thank you for the passion, memories, inspiration, hope and genius that you share confidently with us, you are dearly missed.
“The river ride ain’t always smooth but with it I live, and everything is perfect just the way it is.”
Super tough choice and I’m not gonna be content with it…because seriously every Eyedea lyric is too perfect so there’s no way I could chose just one. But I decided for this I should at least submit a lyric, and it would make sense for that to be from my favorite song so:
“The snow melted right when the smoke cleared,
I turned love inside out a thousand times trying to see if it was ever anything more than the will to persevere,
but the two go hand in hand, the clouds surrounding you eventually will clear.”
“I can breathe I found contentment in the end,
Telling a god I don’t believe in to go to sleep so I can think again.”
“We went through thick and thin,
Came out separate on the other end,
But please know no matter what you’ll always have me as a friend.”
I had to split it into three separate parts so it wasn’t too long…and I’m still not satisfied in just choosing that, I still wish I could choose his entire works. But that song hit me so hard, and I love that ending, especially the first quote.
RIP Eyedea.
“It ain’t all good, but it’s all good enough, so we gon’ be alright.”
the oasis of a limbo, adjacent to my generation;
facin’ out my window, waitin’ for some ventilation;
patient while the wind blows, graceful in its demonstration;
overall, innovation….
?”One day we’ll be holding hands instead of grudges/we’ll eliminate our territorial circuits and know what love is”
i think…. not in order.
1. “the curiosity that killed Schr
i never could of have known i would become my own missing link and it feels greater than i thought – thats how eye one the write too think
accidents….
could have known*
“The river ride ain’t always smooth but with it I live, cause everything is perfect just the way it is”
im’a be me, you be whatever you feel like! or
i wait for you in heaven on this perfect string of love
they made me think it was the world but it was me
one day ill be somebody’s hero but untill that day i’m just another fucking weirdo
the second your smart enough to recognize freedom your no longer free, you see haven isnt some place that we go to when we die its that split second in life where you actually feel alive
sorry for posting so many but mikey was to talented and has to many damn quotable lines
much love!!!!!
“The best thing to ever happen in the history of hip hop”
“Without the water, you can’t have the flame
Some are content holding ground in their game
But when my soul steps to exit this frame
I will be reincarnated as rain”
now that i slept on this i realize that the only lyric that pops out when i think of Micheal is:
“Im here for you.”
that always cheers me up. =)
“There’s no hell more harsh than a memory. No home more hell than an empty nest”
“I’m here for you in the same way that you’re here for me, each person is an intricate piece of infinity.” “I love you no matter what.” The first quote from Here For You, and the second is from his poem titled, “dream.”
perfect!
“I’ll Still Smile”
” I’m dying without you but its teaching me to live.
Heaven ain’t something someone else can give its all inside of me”
Really, I think Mikey truly is teaching us this right now. 🙁
“I see the hurt when I look into your eyes
How you struggle to hold it and keep it bundled inside
It drives a dull blade deep in my heart; it makes me want to cry
So I offer you a hand to help wash away the rainy skies”
or anything from the song “Here For You”
“Heaven ain
1. “See, I can look at a painting and admire the colors
Or appreciate any type of art that I discover
But what I dig’s invisible
It’s my teacher and I’m its student
Ain’t nothing quite as beautiful as Music”
2. “Storm is prerequisite to mental gain”
reading all these is awesome, wish it was under different circumstances. diggin through my records and cds studying… best i got so far is one from a mix cd that a buddy gave me (first experience with Eyedea) after i heard it i have said it many times “what would you do if you could turn back time” doesnt sum up his work or really fit for the plaque but for me its one of the most important.
” So if none of this makes sense, I just want you to know I’m here; as a musician, as a friend, as a teacher, as a student, to grow and realize that everything’s in constant movement.”
“A god imagined a god that imagined me, and I am god”
and so on, and so on, and so on…
“I’m falling, but no matter how hard I hit the ground, I’ll still smile.”
R.I.P.
“damn Eyedea, you was a good lookin’ cat”
“I’m fallin but not matter how hard i hit the ground, ill still smile.”
“I think of the world when I hurt, and keep on existing in the now”
“I tell ya, Ain’t nothing quite as beautiful as Music”
“never been held in anyone’s arms, when you’ve never been moved its really hard to move on”
One – First Born.
“This world is my cave
And the cave molds the background
of a picture painted by you.”
“It’s not all good. But its good enough.”
One last goodbye before I take my .45
Shoot a hole in the sky, rip it open
And climb inside.
perfect.
“I’m here for you/in the same way that you’re hear for me/ each person is an intricate piece of infinite/ I feel like if you could see what I see/ then we as humanity would be free”
Some of his friends might remember the exact line, but I remember roughly him spitting “Verbally I’m sittin on some lyrical furniture.”
This was a “freestyle” line that I’ve always remembered Mike saying. It made me laugh then. It makes me laugh now. I’d like to believe that he would appreciate such a line being inscribed on a bench.
As much introspective and beautiful material as he’s put out there…well, that kind of encompasses the spirit behind everything – in my opinion anyway. Of course, I can’t speak for anyone else, but…that’s just too great.
“I
Metal rusts, leaves turn into dust,
as the difference between love and lust clarifies as trust
if you only had an hour to sum your whole life up
would you spend that hour sayin that an hour ain’t enough?
Even though I know I hate to love you so much
I got no better place to go that’s why I always show up
I am here for you…
1.”even shadows have shadows”
2.”I can only build if I tear the walls down”
3.”I haven’t yet found a good reason to be awake”
“This city runs fast – No one has time to sit with themselves.”
“No matter what side you see it’s just one side” R.EYE.P.
heaven isn’t some place that we go to when we die
It’s that split second in life where you actually feel alive
One day we
‘I’m floating on the soft clouds of positive creation
See, I can look at a painting and admire the colors
Or appreciate any type of art that I discover
But what I dig’s invisible
It’s my teacher, and I’m its student
I tell ya…
Ain’t nothing quite as beautiful as Music’
R.eye.P
You didn’t know it but you were the fish all along.
Regardless of how far I see, I never see my travels end
Were carried by the current, being driven by the wind
The scenery we pass, we’ll never see again
So we store it up as memories and don’t let go of them
We’re under a spell thinking the river should go straight
We set goals and desires to control our own fate
But all the pain we experience is a result of our expectations
– here for you <3
I can only build if I tear the walls down
even if it breaks me I wont let it make me frown
I’m falling but no matter how hard I hit the ground
I’ll still smile.
“I write with my past, about the future, for the present…”
Call me when the miracle reduces to coincidence.
or,
My casted wings are almost stubs now.
There’s a natural flow
That’s attached to your soul
It don’t ask you to go
It just gradually pulls
It’s always now and you’re never not you
So follow yourself
’cause if nothing else, your existence is true
I’m not a poet or a communist, a comet, or a star
You’re not a genius or a prophet you just are
I’m not insane ’cause I have no need for my sanity
It’s just another chain that keeps me from reality
Reality is mine; to play with and mold
The best thing I ever did was let go
So let go of the models
Transcend the physical mind
And peacefully become part of the whole
The walls came tumbling down
But this time it was for keeps
I’ve been running around
Looking for my feet
Now they’re part of the ground
And make the ground complete
Live in the now and forever be at peace
Live in the now, don’t stray away from the cycle
I’m one with the universe
One with the life flow
When you know that that which is below is above
The fear you once had will become love (feel the love
Any part of this. I love this song. Miss you mikey
Ain’t nothing quite as beautiful as Music
“mark today the day that dedication died,
instead of saying goodbye, I’m staying praying that’ll I’ll stay alive
because even though I know I hate to love you so much
I got no better place to go… that’s why I always show up”
-Exhausted Love
“No matter how hard I hit the ground… I’ll still smile”
“everything is old, every one is alone”
“run from the feeling, lay your empty down”
don’t trust your choices, run when you get sore
eager for the next chapter, still stuck in the one before”
” Glove ” – Micheal Larsen, Rest In Peace
“heaven isn’t some place that we go to when we die. It’s that split second in life where you actually feel alive ”
“Empathy is the poor man’s cocaine, and love is just a chemical by any other name”
“agony is truth its our connection to the living i accept it as perfection and i keep on existing in the now”
Heaven isn
You made me more me,
and I won’t forget the times you helped me find my feet,
when I was buried in my head.
Thank you, for givin’ what you had to give,
Takin’ what you had to take,
and makin’ me believe in you.
“you see heaven isn’t some place that we go to when we die
It’s that split second in life where you actually feel alive”
This is it!
yes. this is a very strong one.
Favorite verse, ‘Now’ Fav battle line from when he eviscerated PEACE at one of the MANY Scribble Jam’s he dominated- ‘Peace beating me is not something you’ll be able to accomplish, what ever happened to we will never fall the fuck off we promise’ But on a personal note after a show when I lived in the twin cities over a decade ago and was in college aspiring to be the first white, female battler of all time. While sitting with the dearly missed benevolent Mr. Larsen after a show I threw through out of few moderately poignant lines to get an assessment and this was his response, which was endlessly humbling and simultaneously inspiring; ‘You may be a ravishing, ravenous raven but when I spit you’ll be left split like the hot chick in a flick from Wes Craven, like murder this verbal throddling will make you scream & abandon that dream and try modeling’ Still can hear those excoriating words as if it were yesterday. My biggest regret- that he never battled eminem, to defame, erase, that farce of a battle MC to the Nth degree and reclaim his fame displaced & harshly return it to it’s proper place.
Anyone wants to regale me with similar tales of Mikey’s life feel free to look me up on face book email is megan_southerland13@yahoo.com I’m a brunette from Osaka Japan, am a raven but certainly not ravishing as Mikey so graciously decreed. Good luck with the project and again RIP Mr. Larsen you the only thing that eclipsed your talent was your magnanimous soul.
Best compliment I can offer is that I can’t chose. Battles today are just more canned written punchlines, damn I miss Eyedea does anyone bring their mind to a battle or just rehearsed verses? pre-plotted comstockery a mockery, hard to adjust my ear’s lust to this unjust vapid rape unoriginal drivel for morons who think 8-mile was a pivotal? documentary.
The most mellifluous sonorous rapid rapper/freestyle/battler of all time was Eyedea RIP you are dearly missed seems the axiom proves itself ‘only the good die young’ Micheal was as solid and real as it gets in skill and benevolence, greeting fans with hugs and handshakes before and after a show. In his spirit I decree, LEAVE THOSE CANNED PUNCHLINES @ HOME & BRING YOUR MIND TO BATTLE.?
I’m a man
that
“to live forever, all you gotta do is learn to sing” I figure other people have already suggested this, but I think it’s fitting for Michael’s memorial. Maybe you can throw in a whole collection of good one-liners from Eyedea’s songs etched in random spots on the table.
“To be an angel, you gotta earn your wings
To control your own, you gotta burn your strings
To hit blackjack, you gotta turn a king
But to live forever, all you gotta do is learn to sing”
I came here to post those lyrics. They would be perfect
Micheal’s spirit will always be around because of the music he made. It’s fitting.
success ain’t only based on self-esteem; it takes the sense to differentiate between what’s yours and someone else’s dream
“Each person is an intricate piece of infinity…”
I think you had it with the quote behind the CD on the new Face Candy.
“Heaven isn’t some place we go to when we die,
It’s that split second in life where you actually feel alive”
I don’t really like this one but I keep thinking of:
“Nothin that I say has ever been that amazing,
so when I die do me a favor and forget me”
Whoops didn’t mean to comment on yours.
When last saw Eyedea it was in Toronto at sneaky dees he bought me a shot 🙂 I asked him to sing a song from his first album but he said he made the song when he was young. I don’t know if that ment he didn’t like it anymore but all in all he didn’t sing it that night. I still liked the show so much that it made me vary sad when I heard he passed away. Here are some lyrics I like out of some of his songs:
I
I think you had it with the quote behind the CD on the new Face Candy.
“I wanna brake the ozone and go home to my own planet”
“i’ll still smile ear to ear, like its all that i’m here for
despite the wars founded by the rich, funded by the poor.
kids barely 18 are dying so billionaires can make more,
elsewhere hungry mothers watch their babies starve to death
in a beat up shack on a dirt floor”
I’m not shit, I’m champagne,
Let’s all go home kill ourselves and our radios
One last goodbye before I take my .45
Shoot a hole in the sky, rip it open
And climb inside.
Felt i left a few details out in retrospect reading my first post as well as using an expletive, and wanted to provide my face book page for anyone to post memories or nostalgia on my wall or to just meet/chat with like minded hip-hop fans who know where the real talent resides.– ———————–Favorite verse,
“All Mikey ever wanted was oliver heart, I’ll go for a short walk in the long run”
Perfect Medicine.
Megan, I saw your face book and ravishing is actually is as apt, quite accurate as your depiction of Michael. Was a blast to meet in person and I see you appreciated, as did all who had the pleasure. Personally I’m partial to his dazzling freestyles. Not discounting his written work which is also astonishing, but his off the dome cacophony of phenomenal patterns and speed is the apex of anything I’ve ever heard extemporaneously and a rare talent even Carnage (whose syllable per measure count makes Busta Rhymes sound like he’s on Valium) appreciated. Not the garbage studio ‘g’ Carnage the real one who is one of few near Eyedea’s pure, surreal speed, I’m sure anyone who knows the true underground can discern. But to chose a line as reluctant as I am to do so since, again that is like having a million intelligent, gorgeous women you are in love with and having to choose. However, always had a special penchant for; ‘I read books on nova & quantum mechanics/psychology, philosophy peyote and acid/ I like Jimmy Hendrix more than any rap ish/ and my favorite movie’s Dr. Strangelove, that’s a classic’. ‘or ‘Got knocked-out one time/stupid m-fer thought peace was a gang sign’ –great joke. OR ‘Didn’t watch the superbowl, don’t drink alcohol, don’t carry ID, don’t go to the mall/ I’m extra argumentative and really good at fast talk, I can’t dance and sing but I can rap my a$$’off’-all from Weird Side or course. Just a fun, upbeat whimsical song. Though I of course appreciated his more scathing and insightful diatribes regarding the human condition and general angoisse, but I’d prefer to reference that particular track since he knew the world is collapsing and humanity is devouring itself but didn’t have to put it in all his music like some rappers who target disenchanted, suburbanite trust-fund brats who don’t appreciate their cushy, nerf lives. And actually harbor disdain for their parents for giving them more then they could ever appreciate and rebel by embracing a ghetto lifestyle portrayed by actors not artists since it’s the antithesis of the uneventful, bucolic, urbane bliss anyone whose lived the events detailed in the lyrics of that pimp-hop drivel would literally kill for. He also could drop a gem that could get a party going, that is how I’ll remember the master…Apologies for the jeremiad, just hard to describe how devastating losing an idol/friend is. I don’t think he’s really gone or done, just demonstrating to his god how to freestyle 😉 RIP Michael.
My two favorites are both from Smile:
“I’m fallin’ but no matter how hard I hit the ground, I’ll still smile.”
“When you’ve never been moved its really hard to move on.”
I love this!
and now for a less serious line:
I chose this one because it always makes me laugh, from the freestyle with Slug at the wake up show:
“I know the fact is my moustache is dirty
but I’m 20 but with this chicks think that I’m thirty”
(so they’re like man I like you, you wanna just dance, but MC’s know they never could advance I’m like an avalanche, the battle pants are shaking)
Thanks Micheal for al the times you make me laugh for the fun you put in your freestyles and battles.
“To be an angel, you have to earn your wings,
To control your own, you got to burn your strings,
To hit blackjack, you got to turn a king,
But to live forever all you got to do is learn to sing!”
“Winter takes the warm away,
Spring takes the cold away,
Summer takes the rain away,
And fall took away my friend.”
R.I.P. Micheal “eyedea” Larsen
November 19th, 1981 – October 16th, 2010
“I don’t need you out there somewhere if I have you in my thoughts.”
We gotta learn to see the beauty in each moment of life. Everyone has different paths and we’re seeing the light. The world is divided between peasants and kings. But the truth is everybodys looking for the same thing. – Here for you
Or any part of that song, so much truth, so much love. He’s been there for me even thought i didn’t knew him personnaly. Much love to everybody. RIP my man Eyedea.
his most concise message to humanity:
” You got the right to think”
“The stars in your eyes are almost blinding
I know I should look away, I’m honestly trying”
Pretty obvious:
“Don’t front you know you love me
Girls never wash they hands after they get a chance to touch me”
Tie me down to my sweet nothing sour
I screwed up trying to squeeze 65 minutes from an hour
Outnumbered by such a large amount
No wonder why we lost the battle, the counterculture can’t count
so i got two oldies,
-Becoming Became Undone
When are we leaving isn
This is one that i think sums Eyedea as a person and as an artist..
“Now i put my face down.
You can stand on my back
If i drown, please know that
I’m happy to see you get where you had to get.”
This is just one of my favorites i thought i would also add.
“My ribs break everytime i get a hug
a billion stars in the sky and i only wanna taste one
Your my jupiter im your junky
I know your pretty i can see it in my ugly.”
ohhh… off of, “this will work for now” yeah eyedea kills on every track he is on with mr. krane
I also really like the lyric and find it fitting
Two critical lines he subtlely emphasized. Don’t think anyone has caught them yet.
Album: The Many Faces of Oliver Hart
Track: Soundtrack of a Romance
“Make music and die. That’s the only way.”
Album: First Born
Track:One
“He slept with faith and found a corpse in his arms on awakening. He drank and danced all night with doubt and found her a virgin in the morning.”
The curiosity that killed Schrodinger cat, was the only thing that kept it alive, matter of fact.
Just like the concept of Schrodinger’s cat, Eyedeas lyrics were a thought experiment.
well all of my favorites are above, so ill just add this:
“Kinda just turned around from the whole situation
Rejecting everything that was going on
Thats how I walked into heaven”
But I think my vote will be for:
I can only build if I tear the walls down, Even if it breaks me, I won
“What don’t kill me will just make me crazier”
So much emotions in those words
For me it was a hard choice i narrowed it down two these two seperate ones:
Have you ever felt yourself slipping away? I am, I mean, I was slipping away
But no matter what I am I’m me, and I know me so I’m ok
I’m not insane cause I have no need for my sanity
It’s just another chain that keeps me from reality
Reality is mine to play with and mold
The best thing I ever did was let go
My choice would be:
This is one of my favorites. It captures the underlying positivity of his message and his unique ability to convey how we can all find comfort in the bigger picture.
“I refuse to let past bruises cover the light. It ain’t all good, but it’s all good enough so I know I’m alright” RIP Eyedea
Heaven isn’t some place that you go to when you die it’s that split second of life where you actually feel alive. And ’til the end of time we chase the memory of that, hoping the future holds something better than the past.
Also the lyric from Void (Internal Theory). “I lost my mind and I’m tryin’ to find it in the dimension between base and treble.”
lol I put that in around the same time u did even though it says different times.
“I lost my mind and I’m trying to find it inbetween the insterments of bass and treble.”
….You’ve got the right to think…
These songs ain’t me, they’re just documentations of momentary thoughts
“She made that violin sing with so much pain
You could almost hear her scream through the strange vibrations”
“One day I’ll be free from the brain that makes me me. Now that I know that I’m in control I can cut my own puppet strings.”
“There’s a natural flow that’s attached to your soul, it don’t ask you to go, it just gradually pulls. It’s always now and you’re never not you, so follow yourself ’cause if nothing else your existence is true.”
Thanks, Mikey. We miss you.
Every song he crafted has a few lyrics that are perfect for this, so narrowing it down was extremely difficult. All of these stand out and are special to me
I know you feel alone, but just look up at the stars, and everything that is out there is what you really are
Heaven isn
When you know that that which is below is above
the fear you once had will become love.
“Even though I might be gone forever, there’ll always be a place in my brain that’ll think of you.”
“I will be reincarnated as rain.”
“Aint nothin quite as beautiful as music”
Empathy is a Poor Man’s Cocaine, and love is just a chemical like any other name
tell me again why 7th grade was so brief.
“It ain’t all good, but its all good enough
so I know I’m alright”
“Agony is truth its our connection to the living I accept it as perfection and keep on existing in the now”
“how eye one the write too think”
why not tag a bunch of his great quotes on the table and then have the top quote on the plaque?
i wonder if they would consider that, he has so many amazing quotes that would be awesome
“No one knows what happens when we think therefore we can never really ever know anything” -Eyedea
First Born: Powdered Water Too
great quote.
“So if you need anything, I mean anything at all
I’m here for you; all you gotta do is ask man”
“All mikey wanted was Oliver Hart”
One day we’ll be holding hands instead of grudges…
“I’m here for you, the same way you’re here for me, every person is an intricate piece of infinity”
THIS should be it imo, i love it..
“Hey yo, shut the fuck up and die is what I really want to say to you,
hope someone hits you in your face till it’s 80 different shades of blue.”
I have a few suggestions, i love him too much to submit one, i’m sorry.
“now it took me a long time to get adjusted to this tank, but now I know what I am, and so to that man i give thanks”
“reality’s what you make it, and if you take it away, you’re just a fish like me..”
I just really like birth of a fish haha.
“Ain’t nothing quite as beautiful as music” from music music.
The first to come and last to leave will never be immortalized
“My death is only as shallow as time and spaces.”
Needless to say, capturing the essence of an artist such as Michael Larsen in one quote is impossible. Like any great artist, he changed and grew so much from the teenage battler to the later philosophic young man, and each phase of his work reflected that growth. As a man of the same age, this is what I always loved most about him as a fan … it was like growing up with a buddy puzzling over the same apathy, frustration, and endless search for more.
In my opinion, this quote does about the best job of anything that comes to my mind. In the same vein as some of the greatest thinkers the world has ever known, Michael “Eyedea” Larsen, I believe, was really trying to make the individual, the human being, something special. Something powerful. Something beautiful. Something greater than another cog in a machine. Something more than an object or commodity as it has become in a world of mass culture.
To me, he is like the hip-hop Friedrich Nietzsche or John Paul-Sartre. I don’t know how much formal philosophy he read, but I’m guessing it was more than most people. “My death is only as shallow as time and spaces” really relates to that idea that we are more than we realize, and death isn’t something as simple as “the end.” Our spirits and our energy are something much greater, complex, and abstract. And I just really feel that line hits the nail on the head, so to speak. And it is flexible and representative enough of that whole body of work that, again, I believe, was trying to remind us how much more we can all be.
“the first to come and last to leave will never be immortalized” – exhausted love
and “it’s beautiful the way agony connects us to the living, I accept it as perfection and keep on exisiting in the now.”
michael was an amazing lyricist, and an incredible performer, this is inarguable. Bu what was more amazing was how his words so personally touched the lives of those who heard them. His music helped reach and inspired at a time when I had all but gven up on myself, and after speaking with him, the musicians that toured with him, and the devoted fans at his shows on numerous occaisions, I know that I am not alone. Eyedea has the power to change lives for the better, and I will always remember and honor him for it.
i knew i was gonna post this before i saw that they put up spin cycle
but
‘I’m lonely but everyone is lonely so at least i know i’m not alone”
r.i.p
Any lyric from ‘Smile’… even just the title would appease me.
“I got a rhythm but I’m eager to unplug my speaker
And let my heart be my teacher
It’s hard to tell where all this comes from
It’s like my soul holds a song that eternity left undone
But it’ll never be finished
That’s the point
I got to get going
Thanks for the inspiration”
-from “Walking”
“I’ll still smile”
The world is divided between peasants and kings, but the truth is everyone is looking for the same thing.
Honestly, Mikey inspired me to look at the good side of life. To take in every minute and view every bit of scenery as something beautiful. It’s sad to know that he’s gone. I never got to meet the guy in person and never got to make music with him like I wanted. But he had such a creative mind for words and a great introspective on life. Anybody that heard his music could see the true person behind the mic. He definitely wasn’t afraid to show his emotions or speak up on topics he believed in. That’s what makes a great person and a Mc.
Rest in Paradise.
“I used to try to make heaven right here on earth but that’ll only happen if you find someone else to do the work”
‘I’ll always remember our companionship and what it meant,
And on Saturday, October the 16th you took your last breath,
and you will be missed.’
This is from hay fever. He actually says sunday october the 5th but i thought it would be fitting if it was when he pasted away. At least when i sing this song i always say october the 16th
or
“Winter takes the warm away.
Spring takes the cold away.
Summer takes the rain away.
and Fall took away my friend.”
“All things come to pass…after a while.”
Absolutely my favorite.
Heaven isn’t someplace that you go to when you die, its that split second in life where you actually feel alive
Im falling but no matter how hard i hit the ground ill still smile
This river ride aint always smooth but with it i live and everything is perfect just the way it is
Im here for you in the same way that your here for me each person is an intracite piece of infinity, i feel like if you could see what i see that we as humanity could be free
then*
“The second you can look into the sky and see your own reflection, know you’re headed in the right direction.”
1.Ill still smile 🙂
2 Here for u. All you gotta do is ask man.
3.And In a world this beautifull ill be walking forever.
4.Harvested love only comes after rain. Eventhough it brings overwhelming strain.
It falls from all skies so I can’t complain
Without it, our growth would not be the same…when I die I will be recaranted as rain.
5. Ill always be a candle bc on a cold day I need a place to stand to.
6. It ain’t all good butt its all good enough so imma be allright and urr gonna be allright.
7. So I offer you a hand to wash away the rainy skys. I’m running out of words but I haven’t yet made my message clear. So if none of this makes sense I just want you to know I’m here. As a musician, as a friend, as a teacher, as a student
To grow and realize everything is in constant movement
8. I’ve been runnin around, lookin for my feet
And now a part of the ground, and make the ground complete
Live in the now and forever be at peace
Live in the now don’t stray away from the cycle
I’m one with the universe, one with the life flow
When you know that that which is below is above
The fear you once had will become love (feel the love)
9. Broken mirrors don’t bring back love they cherish image ;one day its all going to shatter and I hope ur still here.
10.Eventhough eye might be gone forever there will always be a place that will think of u. Keep going there’s a lot of world you haven’t seen. And you have my best wishes even if in silence you deserve everything you’ve ever dreamed.
I make music to ride to, to cry to, to die to,
Times two, and finally realize you’re alive to
I make music to vibe to, to close your eyes to
Break your mind from each vault that sits inside you
I make music for survival, to find you
To hide from the landscape humanity went blind to
I make music to rhyme to, to waste time to
To die to, to realize I’m alive to
‘I’m not really dead, this casket’s for show’
I’ll 2nd this one.
“The curiosity that killed Schrodinger cat, was the only thing that kept it alive, matter of fact. When life takes your life away, how do you get it back? Like that”
No matter if your chain is 10 feet or a thousand feet, the fact remains the same, you’re still bound by chains.
“We’re guaranteed that the season will change
‘Till then, I’m keeping sunshine on my brain”
A million stars in the sky and I only want to taste one . Ur my jupiter imm your junky. I know ur pretty I can see it in my ugly
“The Pond was sitting still so I threw a rock in it.” Seems to sum it up well, too bad I’m 2 days late. He certainly created many ripples and you can see that on this post alone, even if you were the living under a rock or in a hole type.
“Heaven isn