Ch 43.5 - We're Friends, Aren't We? Pt. 4.5

"So...coming in with 'I'm The General'. The chorus is basic. One thing I will say is something about the Calli line. You see...Calli's a reaper, and obviously, if you're a reaper, and you don't even know how old you are 'cause you're as old as time itself...when you say that you've seen more and even worse shit than a reaper, that means you went through a lot. Especially how 'dirt' is a slang for 'crime', so it's like saying 'I've seen worse shit than what the reaper has seen'."

"So...the first four bars. You know, it's the normal 'firing shots' thing. Just roasting people. Then there's this in the end...when I talk about 'the only thing you know is only snitching', I'm basically saying that, if they're a soldier, they're worthless 'cause they can't even act like a soldier, and worst of all, they become something that a soldier isn't supposed to be, a disgrace."

"'Echo chambers' here...if you don't know what that means, it's like this...take elders for example. I'm not saying elders are shit or assholes, okay? I'm just using them as an example, since this is really common among the elderly. So...an 'echo chamber' is when people that act like a bigot. If you agree with their opinions, they will non-stop agree with you, and if you don't like their opinions, they will even go as far as to find your address and kill you...I'm serious right now." I chuckled.

"And this 'You'll only be above me when I send you to heaven'. 'Cause...there are people, real assholes, trolls even, that say shit like 'Oh, I'm better than you. I can rap better, I can make content better, I'm above your level' and all that stuff that 9 year olds only say. And so...this line means that they'll only be above me if I send them to heaven, implying that they're really only above me if they actually go to heaven and not just in terms of skill, as well as insinuating that I killed them myself." I snickered.

"So...the 'Dewfoam' line is easy to figure out. Dewfoam is a brand that makes pillows and shit, and I'm basically saying they're actually softer than a brand that makes sleeping products. By the way, this brand is famous in the Philippines. Why did I choose this word? 'Cause why not? It makes this rhyme scheme easier to execute."

"'Specialty: Typing I'm a black belt in Judo.' I mean...we've went through this a million times on the internet. I don't care if you're Steve Jobs' son, you're a fucking idiot if you think I believe that you own Microsoft while you're on like...Call of Duty or something." I laughed.

"'I don't cut ties, I just cut lives.' ...that's self-explanatory. You know, like a reaper, I just end lives. 'Tough guy. Wonder what you're doing in the streets? You won't cry if I cut open your balls? LIES!' This connects to the last four bars where people try to act bigger and tougher than they are. So if you actually go out and meet these dudes. They will fucking run from you. They're just all bark, no bite...I'm being too savage right now." I laughed and clapped.

"Okay…so these next 8 bars talking about Calli and a bit about Kiara, I'm saying as if I actually can't die, and if any of you listened to 'A Soldier's Life', the last song in the EP, I said around the end of the first verse that I was able to not die and by sheer luck am I still alive. As well as…'male and immoral', 'cause I have such a sharp mouth." I chuckled.

"And these lines about how Calli takes too long in taking my life and wanting her to stop putting 'makeup on'. So...Calli is a reaper, right? And I've said here that I just can't die by normal means and I HAVE to die by her hands, right? I also said 'You're beautiful already, so take me. I'm ready.' meaning that I want her to end me, but because she's taking too long 'cause she's putting 'makeup on', meaning that she's trying to be fancy with the concept of death despite being as simple as death=afterlife, I can't die yet. As well how I said she's 'beautiful', 'cause it also means I think death itself is beautiful. I mean, it can be taken literally and figuratively, so...I'll leave that up to you."

"Hoowee...Lord, I'm about to get canceled right now." I said as I touched my forehead, stomach, and both shoulders to form a cross as I laughed.

"Well, y'all can't even cancel me even if you wanted to. You did it back when I debuted and now look, I'm streaming for all my dudes." I chuckled.

"So uh...these bars talking about Kiara's ass getting fucked by a banana...it might seem too sexual at first, but the next 4 bars explain it. Oh yeah, this 'Ain't talking 'bout rap, so you know the hidden meaning.'...you guys guessed it. This line pertains to saliva."

"So, the next four lines connect to the 'Fucking Kiara' lines. Like...I'm not actually into the thought of wanting to have sex with Kiara, but the point I wanted to make here is that, there are so many stans that would bash a male Vtuber just because their favorite Oh-So-Honorable female Vtuber interacted with a man...what's wrong with that? It's not like a damn harem anime where every male Vtuber is a protagonist...we're real people, dammit. Touch some grass for once!"

"Anyway...the 2nd verse. So, we all know that, as far as Hololive history has gotten, Sora and AZKi are seiso...for now. Anyway, so when I say that 'they do what I say so, so I guess now they're not seiso', it means...and note that I actually do not do this nor do I endorse this type of stuff, but the line means that they do what I say so, so now they're not seiso...and I'm pretty sure what innuendo I'm implying here. Wink wink." I said while winking.

"This line where I talked about thinking sentences in 10 seconds...you guys went crazy here when I saw the chat." I giggled.

"Yeah, I proved my rap and freestyling abilities throughout multiple streams, especially my starting streams, while these haters and all that can't even think of what to write for a song, let alone write it. And yeah...more shots fired."

"Going to the next lines. You know...Watame is a goat, and if you didn't know, G.O.A.T stands for 'Greatest Of All Time', so I'm at the top...a GOAT...and you can even say I am a goat like Watame, 'cause...it's a goat...even though she's a sheep."

"The next few lines as well are based off of a saying…'Wolves don't lose sleep over the opinion of sheep.' That saying means that you should be strong and firm with your beliefs and opinions, and not let yourself be swayed by others."

"The next lines...I'm sure people will have misunderstood these few lines. I'm not saying Calli or Sora-senpai are trash. I'm basically saying that you shouldn't compare me to these Vtubers. I've actually...seen some people compare me to others, regardless if they want to point out my flaws or my pros, and I hate that...Find my flaws all you want, but the moment you talk shit about me, these people, and especially my senpais...? Unless you're giving constructive criticism, go suck a dick, dude. Don't disrespect them or even compare us, 'cause there will never be a 2.0 of a person."

"And especially how I talk about having difficulty in starting innovation...It's true. I don't have it now, but when I started my rapping career...not my Vtuber career, but my rapping career, I had a fear that I might've copied a rapper somewhere. You know, Eminem was my biggest idol, but I feared that people might say my rhymes, flows, and even pronunciation would end up sounding like Eminem's, and I don't want that."

"Aaand the last few lines are just...talking about how 'I can offer something new and make you like me'. Just ordinary lines."

"NEXT! #SOUNDCLOUDRAPPER. There really isn't that much to talk about here. It's just me talking my shit, AND talking shit. Though, before we get into it...let's just admire the fact that Calli's 'Guh' is just so fitting in this song." I clapped and snickered.

"So...when we say rappers 'bit their style', it means they copied it from another rapper. It's also a triple meaning, since it can also mean that they bit a bullet to their teeth like literally as if I killed them, AND the saying 'bit the bullet', meaning that they were forced to do something. In this case, copy me. I explained this earlier from the last few lines of 'I'm The General'. And over here, when I say I'd 'never suck dicks and that's forever', I mean...I'll forever stay on the internet. Even if I graduate, I'll forever be imprinted on the face of the internet for as long as history may go."

"Over here, the line talking about T-Series...for those of you who don't know, this is a channel that beat Pewdiepie, a famous Youtuber, in terms of sub count. So saying that 'we could've went to the top like T-series.' means that if I went all out, I could have millions of subs too. It's also a play on words since it's 'T-series'...'T' can stand for 'Top', so...some fancy wordplay." I chuckled.

"'Harder shit than a dry stool.' Well...I'm pretty sure you know how hard dry shit is." I laughed and clapped.

"Oh god...I can't believe I'm laughing really hard right now. How the hell?" I wiped my eyes.

"Anyway...this line about Calli, talking about how she 'comes way faster than one certain bitch I fucked last night.' Can have three meanings. One, it can mean how she came by faster in her Vtuber form than I was able to kill a guy. Second, it can mean the same thing, except instead of Calli herself, it's the actual reaper himself, and third...well, I'mma put it bluntly with one word. Sex." I giggled.

"And for this 'Fa' line...I won't say what the word is supposed to be, but the only hint I'll give is that this word used to be used back in around 2010 or so. It's also a huge offensive slur against some men, so...Thankfully, my manager gave me a thumbs up and let this song pass." I laughed.

"NEXT! For 'Tabetai', the chorus...well, the Marine line, you can sort of guess again. References to sex. This line too talking about a 'knife to a gunfight'. We know what this means. Not only does it reference guns and knives, something that soldiers have, but even about how you should never go unprepared when you fight against me."

"So, for the verses...The Noel and Flare line is obvious. It's me talking about how I'll third wheel them and eventually hit a 'home run'. For this glasses line, there are two meanings. You guys are correct with it being a reference to the infamous doujinshi, Metamorphosis a.k.a 177013, but the second meaning...I have yet to see if any of you know the second meaning to this. I won't say it, 'cause I will get into a lot of trouble if I say it, but...just know that the second meaning to this is that it also refers to a girl with glasses. And I'm already seeing some Privates reacting. Yeah, I KNOW! THE SECOND MEANING IS DARK AS HELL TOO!" I snickered.

Some of the Privates were commenting these:

"OH GOD NO. HOW THE HELL DID HIS MANAGER APPROVE OF THIS LMAOOO"

"OH SHIT, "THAT" GIRL WITH GLASSES"

"Welp...as they always say: "Some secrets are better left untold""

"Oh...WELL, NONE OF YOU SHALL SNITCH, OKAY?! HE CAN ACTUALLY GET INTO TROUBLE FOR THIS"

"BWAHAHAHA! Oh man...I'm stepping on a really thin line right now. I'm very sorry, moderators, but uh...yeah, if any of you know the second meaning to the 'glasses' line, please shut up. If you all still don't know, just go to Discord or something and discuss it with your friends." I snickered.

"So uh...these next few lines are simple similes, like this 'Jack Harlow' line and the 'volleys' line, so nothing too much. And yeah...this line about Marine is also talking about stans and how they're sensitive to their idol interacting with a male."

"The next verse...despite me saying that I don't know what I'm saying, I actually know what I'm saying. I won't say it...but don't worry, 'cause the true meaning is actually not dark, so...I'll leave it up to your interpretation as to what it actually means."

In reality, the meaning behind the "Coco" stanza is that, I just wanted to piss the antis off by just mentioning the name "Coco". Cause why not? Seeing antis suffer is my pleasure. Matter of fact, it's straight up what I watch as porn every Sunday.

"Okay...people are quite confused at this 'shinetae' line. Now, in this, there are 2 languages being used. Japanese and Tagalog. The thing is, there's a Tagalog word that means 'poop', which is 'tae'. It's supposed to be 'omaetachi shinetai' which means 'you all wanna die?', but I change 'tai' into 'tae', and because the previous line is 'Lemme take a shit, hope you eat it', I'm not only saying that they want to die, but I'm also saying that they also wanna eat my shit." I giggled.

"Yeah...this is a Japanese-Tagalog line. The next lines...well, the usual Calli-reaper punchline, and this Ollie line as well that talks about zombies' heads popping off. And then finishing it with just my misogynistic behavior." I chuckled.

"The bridge over here...well, I actually got inspired by Matsuri's song where she sang the lines 'TABETAI! TABETAI!' I can't remember what the song was, but it was a song where Matsuri was like...in mid-air and Ebifrion was around the top-left corner. It was that song where it was just full of energy. And…oh man, going to 'A Soldier's Life'..."

I breathed out and clenched my fists a bit.

"You know...um...this song is a bit personal for me. Umm...well, it is true, guys. I was a soldier. Although you guys might think it's cool, holding weapons and stuff...you're technically not wrong, but with that comes a huge price. And that price can be way bigger than you think. Like, for real. That's what I'm gonna discuss here."

"So...it starts with these few lines. 'Yellow sign' here might be a bit obvious. You know...the peace sign is yellow, and it's usually pointing upwards, but when it comes to being a soldier, you think of war, violence, and especially like...just graphic horror. So what happens when you flip the peace sign downwards? It signifies war, violence, and anti-peace. Obviously, it doesn't just mean war, and it can even still mean 'peace' and even reference 'life', 'cause of...runes, like Algiz and Yr, but the contemporary meaning is that, when it points upwards, it means peace, and vice versa."

"You know...the next line as well justifies it. 'Blood on my hands'. Then this 'superman' thing. 'Cause...soldiers are still human on the inside, but because they're trained to break out from being a civilian and have to adapt to the soldier mindset, they have to solidify and become stronger. Especially this fourth line supporting it as well as giving a double meaning. You'll get to the point where, you've already experienced so much shit in the army that you'll start developing coldness and start not giving a shit anymore. As well as how, if the atmosphere is cold, your breaths form clouds, which gives 'visual breathes' a double meaning."

"This 'bloody hours' line also has a double meaning. It can just mean 'hours' and it's just emphasized with a swear word, but it also means 'bloody hours', referencing the line where I said 'blood in my hands', so it can mean hours spent in killing."

"Then these next lines. You'll only be able to understand the 2nd and 3rd line of this stanza after hearing the 4th line. When you put it together, the plants growing in the plateau, and the decomposed matter from living things, you'll know that what I'm referencing here are the soldiers that passed away, and I put a red rose to let them know that they didn't die for nothing. You know...I've experienced this a lot of times. When you see your dead comrades...people you shared pain with, and even those that were just starting out like you...it's harsh, man. War is violent and terrible. It's a great teacher to give you life lessons, but it's also very harsh."

"And for Subaru...this guy…" I said, licking my lips, blinking a lot as I kept clenching my fists.

"I'm sorry, guys. I'm just...I'm just trying not to cry and lose myself...you see...the Subaru mentioned in here isn't Oozora Subaru." I chuckled.

"It's...my best friend...my brother-in-arms...and one that I also sadly lost on the battlefield...he died from...an incoming mortar…that's what the 'thing in the sky' is..." I clenched my fists more and looked up.

The chat started speeding up in my peripheral vision.

"Oh shit. Dude just lost a brother."

"o7 Whoever Subaru is, may his soul rest in peace!"

"O7"

"It's okay, Shiro. Let the pain out. It's not easy to lose a loved one."

"Hah...even till this day, I still remember every moment I had with him. I loved him a lot, you know? Me and him had great synergy…" I wiped my eyes from some small tears that leaked out but wasn't enough to make my eyes cry.

"Anyway...it's uh...I mean, I get occasional episodes where I break down if I suddenly get a flashback, but other than that, I'm fine, I guess. Continuing on, these next few lines, you can get the meaning behind it. I'm very lucky and thankful to be alive right now. I'm very thankful to God and everything that was able to keep me alive and do what I love doing, which is music and, recently, streaming! But to all my comrades that spent years wanting to be a soldier, only to then be met with their unfortunate fate, I salute them. With all my heart, I give them my deepest respects."

"And yes, guys...I served the military for 7 years." I chuckled.

"And if you're wondering, especially if you're a part of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, you'd think 'How the hell did you become a general after 7 years of service?' To answer your question...I actually served almost 8 years, but you know that your years of service do have to be precise for salary, data, and other reasons. Me, I was a special case. So I was lucky enough to promote through the ranks quick and even be able to become a General."

"The next couple lines, it talks about my experiences. I've seen bloodshed, poor people, corrupt people, terrorists, war, and I've also had my fair share of fuck-ups, ESPECIALLY really big fuck-ups."

"But this line especially talking about how I NEEDED to be a soldier...I think I talked about this before, I can't remember, but I actually wanted to be a soldier when I was a kid because, when I would see those soldiers on TV, saving kids, sacrificing themselves, and especially how they're both heroes and normal people having families at the same time, I knew that's my path. I knew I needed to be a hero too and serve my country. What could be more than being a soldier, man? That was my focus."

"And especially this next stanza, it supports why I wanted to be a soldier as well as how my mentality changed. I live for making people live happy lives, but at the cost of that, because of how trainees need to be converted to soldiers and strip their 'civilian' mentality away, you also start seeing everything as well as becoming something else yourself. I've gotten to the point where...I would not shiver at all, nor would I get nervous if I fought against people. This mask line doesn't just refer to my actual mask, but even a mask as in trying to hide my actual personality itself. What my character is as a human."

"These next few lines as well talk about my character even after becoming a soldier. I'm still human, guys. I may be like...cold-blooded or whatever, but just know, I'm just as normal as you guys. I have friends and families that I just wanna relax and hug. Sometimes, I wanna go back to being a civilian too. And uh...Just know I'm not an advocate for war. Matter of fact, I'm actually really against it, but these 2 lines are part of my belief. I believe in the saying 'The best defense against evil men are good men skilled at violence.' Matter of fact, the next line after that is what the saying is, paraphrased."

"'Cause...there are two types of people when it comes to violence. Evil men, and good men that are skilled at doing evil. The difference, although it sounds almost the same, is very different if you actually see it in real life. The line AFTER that line is also supporting it, saying that I already am doing evil, so what's wrong if I go deceitful, being even more evil? I mean...I know how to kill, I know what to kill, I know I have to fight and put my life on the line, so what's wrong if I push over my limits and have to commit more evil? You know...not saying soldiers always tend to do evil, but...when push comes to shove, we need to resort to these horrible and barbaric ways."

"It's also funny, 'cause...the more that I grew up and served the military, I've always wondered why soldiers 'defend' their country. 'Cause if you think about it...if people are 'defending' their country, that implies that somebody started an 'attack' against the country. But...you know, by the words of my mother, and I'm gonna paraphrase to summarize it, she said that soldiers first think that their enemy is their enemy, but the more you mature and grow up, the more you'll realize that there was no hate to begin with, and these soldiers were merely following orders from their higher-ups and doing their best to protect their loved ones."

"So when we say that we go to war and 'defend our country', the only ones that asked and committed war are these strategists, Generals, and these other higher-ups. But then, you can't avoid that. You have to go to war to 'keep the people peaceful'. And um...I've asked my mom as well, when I was young, what would happen if all the evil were to be purged from earth? She gave such a simple reply."

"'History repeats itself'...That's all she said, but I instantly knew what she meant. You know...I hate evil, dictators, and all that, but you gotta know, even if you eliminate, assassinate, or even kill that evil person, history will repeat itself. The dictator's future family may not be evil anymore, so that ends their dictatorship, but another dictator from another family will take that position and continue the former dictator's original plan. That's why it's very ironic how, in order to keep peace and order, you need to cause war and chaos. For as long as we'll be here on planet earth, you will never achieve real peace, real good, real serenity...without committing a bit of bloodshed. It's like life, man. You get a problem in life, you solve it, another one comes in. You solve it again, another one comes in. It's a perpetual cycle, never-ending. That's why 'history repeats itself and the cycle continues.' Say that soldiers and warriors are useless all you want, there will be a time you need to raise your fists and commit bloodshed to survive and live peacefully, and who'll do that? ...The ones who are skilled at violence..."

"And so, that ends the breakdown, Privates! Very long...but I enjoyed it." I clapped and chuckled.

"It was also nice to see how some of you broke it down yourselves. Shout out to Scru Face, Knox Hill, Velo City, and every other reactor there that also would like to give in their own 2 cents, 'cause I love seeing different interpretations, reactions, and breakdowns of my music. I also saw Scru Face reacting to my music. Ayo man, props to you. You're one of my favorite reactors. I also love that song you did with EZ Mil. Keep it up, bro!" I giggled.

"So yeah...hopefully you all enjoyed it. Please, drop your own thoughts in Reddit. I saw there was a post in Reddit done by T-chan where you guys can talk about your interpretations and stuff. Please do, since I wanna see what you guys see as well. With that done, I'mma end the stream! Please look forward to the superchat reading stream tonight!"

"Shiro on the mic, Shiro on the beat, Shiro with the heat, everybody, thanks for coming to my stream! Yeah, and you know I got the big dreams. Privates, I'mma see you all in the next stream!"

"Phew...well, at least I got through the Subaru part, so...thankfully, my PTSD didn't kick in."

Well...as long as I don't get any vivid flashbacks or reminders back to that time, I could...handle it, I guess.

"But hey, I get the money, I make more investments. This album was very worthwhile" I chuckled.