☝️ Key Points
- The song addresses the challenges and pressures associated with living in a big city.
- It describes feelings of uprootedness and the struggle against a system perceived as unjust.
- The song's lyrics emphasize the sense of isolation and loneliness amidst the masses.
- The song makes it clear that the singer has chosen a life of constant movement, but it has led him to a 'big city prison'.
- Despite the challenges and difficulties of urban life, the love for home is strong.
Interpretation
The song 'Big City Life' by
Mattafix is about the challenges and pressure that come with living in a big city. The lyrics describe the constant struggle to get by ('Me try fi get by, Pressure nah ease up no matter how hard me try'). The singer feels uprooted in the city ('Here my heart have no base') and believes that the system ('Babylon') is against him.
The lyrics also emphasize the isolation and loneliness one can experience in a big city, despite the mass of people ('People in a show, All lined in a row. We just push on by, It's funny, How hard we try.'). The singer calls for taking time and not letting the system get you down ('Don't let the system get you down').
The line 'The Linguist across the seas and the oceans, A permanent Itinerant is what I've chosen' suggests that the singer has chosen a life of constant travel and movement, which has led him to a 'Big City prison'. Despite the challenges and difficulties, his love for his home remains strong ('Back a yard is where my heart is still I find it hard to depart this Big City Life').
Overall, the song portrays urban life as a place that brings pressure, loneliness, and isolation, but also has an irresistible allure that makes it difficult to leave.