We ended the last bit of analysis considering how Aesop Rock is pointing towards some connection between the spiritualism that he was drawn towards in New York and what he is feeling on his trip to Lima. This inexplicable draw that he has towards creative expression has turned him into an outsider in New York, mainly due to New York not having a general culture that is particularly open to the sort of metaphysical searching that Aesop is engaging in. This is importantly not a dig towards the creative individuals around him considering that Aesop is readily talking with metal heads and the tour guide, it is more the general public. So let's get back into it by explaining the chorus and, with much of this song, there is a good deal to unpack here.
So if you haven't picked up on it yet I'll spell it out here: Aesop Rock has a lot of regrets. There is a line later that spells it out fairly clearly but the chorus importantly delves into this along side Aesop's perspective on his existence. We start off with the line "pay no mind to the bygones" which is a reference to the phrase "let bygones be bygones" meaning to forget or forgive past issues. This is importantly setting up the idea that there is a focus on the past issues in this chorus but an attempt to either forget or ignore them. The next two lines are referring to the phrase "strange hill to die on" which is meant to be dismissive of a point that a person feels importantly enough about to not move from. Aesop first states "find him a strange hill to die on" and then repeats the phrase "Never let me die on a regular hill". Between the repetition and the tone Aesop tries to get across the importance of this line to the point of it reminding me of a man on his death bed trying to get someone to promise to fulfill a last wish. This is still the core of Aesop Rock's identity, he knows that he is different and has come to embrace it. This entire venture is to try to answer what the difference is that draws him towards this creativity that seems weaved into his DNA. If he changed his stance and opted to conform to those around him then this could be seen as a death of Aesop Rock from his own perception, thus dying on a regular hill.
From the introspection of the chorus we move on to his travel down the river and further into the jungle. Aesop employs the same sort of pattern of providing something tangible and easy too understand before he gives way into the more metaphoric. In this case he details the nightlife of the jungle, moths and geckos, and what he ate, local fish and citrus sauces. The importance comes at the end of the verse, another instance of Aesop being reminded that he is a stranger in Lima but with an very interesting perspective this time. The hostility of the setting is put on display with these lines:
"You hit the labyrinth an ambassador of peace and love
You might return with the root of your superego plunged"
The labyrinth in question was the streets of Lima, which their guide was required to have a machete on hand to ensure their safety due to criminal activity. Still the point that Aesop is placing himself as "an ambassador of peace and love" is important since it dictates that he has entirely good intentions. This has been clear through out the song as he has engaged with Lima but it is important that this is a clear recognition of his outsider status. It is understood that he is not a traditional tourist. Still, in this place that he is finding some sort of connection Aesop finds himself in the position of an outsider. This connects perfectly into the second line because speaking about "the root of your superego plunged" which is talking about having this guiding good intention being put under scrutiny. To have the "super ego plunged" relates to the idea that it is out of its depth. These good intentions are inherently being muddied as Aesop is forced to consider why the location that seems so close to the spirit world is denying him. In this instance Aesop is considering his search for the spirit world and the clarity that it brings to be a good motivation. The possibility of this motivation now being for a selfish reason, possibly due to it being an escape from his past or present, is now rearing its ugly head.
The hostility of the setting is increased ever more in the next lines we look at but this time it is not criminals which pose a threat but rather the jungle itself, specifically the river reacting to Aesop. Aesop chooses to repeat the line "the river boils when it sees me" much like in the chorus regarding a hill to die on but seemingly not for the same purpose. In the chorus this repetition is akin to begging but in this it is more like an incantation, possibly due to the mysticism surrounding the river in question. There is a river in the Amazon that boils at lethal temperatures due to thermal vents from underground, thus the basis for this line (which I thought was a biblical quote and I am certain is somewhere in there but my searching turned up naught). In this instance the river is reacting to Aesop rather than naturally boiling. The ambiguity comes in with what is this display meant for. Is the river aggressive towards Aesop and is hoping that Aesop will fall in and be consumed by it? Is the river boiling in an attempt to scare off Aesop from his journey much like a porcupine showing off its quills to ward of predators? Either understanding is interesting but what is certain is that the jungle recognizes Aesop and is reacting to his being there as an outsider.
The danger of the jungle isn't just presented to Aesop however since the locals also have to navigate the dangers it presents but their interaction with it is different. Much of this song we don't have this perspective but there is a very good reason for this that also creates an interesting comparison with Aesop. The next verse begins with "electric eels killed two of my best friends" which is a statement by their local guide before he jumps into the same water that harbors these electric eels. This simple action shows exactly why we had not heard about the dangers of the jungle until later in the song, because the people here readily accept the dangers of the place. With this sort of acceptance of death and the danger of the place also comes along with the natural acceptance of the spiritual side of the jungle. To compare this with Aesop's pleading regarding dying on a regular hill it becomes apparent that there is a fear of death ingrained into him. This could then be further understood as the general difficulty that the people of New York have is a fear of the unknown. Aesop embodies the unknown with his outsider status but also has the same fear of the unknown baked into him from growing up around it.
Now that we are getting a clearer picture by the end of the song we come upon my favourite line as well as one that explains so much of Aesop's purview regarding himself and the world. He is speaking about the various wildlife that he and the crew are interacting with as they go down the river like wild pig, caiman, snakes, and the pink river dolphins. Of these he talked with the snake and the dolphin, specifically to the dolphin Aesop talks about his deepest regrets. Then comes the line "What's apparent via Occam is despondency is common" which is something that sounds like it come straight out of a long winded psychology text book but stay with me on this. The idea of Occam's Razor is that one should engage with a problem with the simplest solution possible. So Aesop is applying this reasoning to himself which leads him to the simple answer that he messed those things up, thus leading to despondency. Aesop has nobody to blame but himself for those actions that he took or didn't take and that is a heavy burden to bear. It is easy to see why Aesop is having a difficult time getting to the spirit world with this much baggage when the locals freely interact with death and move forward.
So, as the song meandered through the open cobblestone of Lima, through the jungle, and down the river Aesop was continually being forced to question himself in his pursuit of the Spirit World. We began with the Aesop's creating a simple comparison between Lima and New York regarding how the later was closed off to the creative and spirituality Aesop wished to engage in. Once Aesop was in Lima he continually was confronted with being a literal stranger rather than a figurative one, a lateral move for him but one that allowed him to engage with his outsider identity. Then once Aesop moved past what he embraced regarding his status as an outsider in New York he had to come to terms with his own personal issues, some might even say his real self. Which relates perfectly with the final lines, which are the first lines of poem called "Spleen" by Ruth White:
When the low, heavy sky weighs like a lid
On the spirit aching for the light
And when, embracing the horizon,
It pours on us a black day which is sadder than any night
This talks about the exact struggle that Aesop is going through. He is aching for the openness to be able to embrace his creative spirit but is consistently denied that benefit. The final question that is posed by this song is whether it is the environment and the people in it that are denying Aesop Rock his creative freedom or if it Aesop who is doing that to himself due to his regrets and his personal view of himself?