Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Ecstasy and Angst of the Rave Era
Lyrics
Dirty numb angel boy
In the doorway boy
She was a lipstick boy
She was a beautiful boy
And tears boy
And all in your innerspace boy
You had
hand girls boy
and steel boy
You had chemicals boy
I’ve grown so close to you
Boy and you just grown boy
She said comeover comeover
She smiled at you boy.
Drive boy dog boy
Dirty numb angel boy
In the doorway boy
She was a lipstick boy
She was a beautiful boy
And tears boy
And all in your innerspace boy
You had
hand girls boy
and steel boy
You had chemicals boy
I’ve grown so close to you
Boy and you just grown boy
She said comeover comeover
She smiled at you boy.
Let your feelings slip boy
But never your mask boy
Random blonde bio high density rhythm
Blonde boy blonde country blonde high density
You are my drug boy
You’re real boy
Speak to me and boy dog
Dirty numb cracking boy
You get wet boy
Big big time boy
Acid bear boy
Babes and babes and babes and babes and babes
And remembering nothing boy
You like my tin horn boy and get
Wet like an angel
Derail
You got a velvet mouth
You’re so succulent and beautiful
Shimmering and dirty
Wonderful and hot times
On your telephone line
And god and everything
On your telephone
And in walk an angel
And look at me your mom
Squatting pissed in a tube-
hole at Tottenham Court Road
I just come out of the ship
Talking to the most
Blonde I ever met
Shouting
Lager lager lager lager
Shouting
Lager lager lager lager
Shouting…
Lager lager lager
Shouting
Lager lager lager
Shouting…
Mega mega white thing
Mega mega white thing
Mega mega white thing
Mega mega
Shouting lager lager lager lager
Mega mega white thing
Mega mega white thing
So many things to see and do
In the tube hole true
Blonde going back to Romford
Mega mega mega going back to Romford
Hi mom are you having fun
And now are you on your way
To a new tension
headache
With its relentless beat and hypnotic lyrics, Underworld’s ‘Born Slippy .NUXX’ is etched into the collective consciousness of those who lived through the ’90s. It’s a frenetic, heart-pumping track that became synonymous with the ecstasy of the rave culture. But the song is not merely an anthem of intoxication; it’s a complex layering of the era’s spirit, anxiety, and urban tales.
The lyrics, a looping mantra of disjointed phrases, speak of youth, excess, and the search for identity against the backdrop of a society in flux. It’s a song about coming of age in a world that’s both vibrant and decaying, where beauty and squalor coexist in a heady mix. Understanding the song is a journey through the highs and lows of a life lived at breakneck speed.
The Mantra of a Rave Generation
From ‘Lager lager lager’ to ‘Mega mega white thing’, the chant-like lyrics of ‘Born Slippy .NUXX’ became an emblem of the ’90s rave culture. These repeated shoutings are more than just catchy phrases; they are the core of a generation letting loose, reveling in the shared experience of the dance floor.
Each phrase in this song takes on a life of its own, encapsulating moments of hedonistic release. They are mantras for those who were there, feet pounding to the beat, living in the now, with music as their religion and the rave as their temple.
A Deep Dive into the Underworld of Urban Life
The gritty imagery presented by ‘Dirty numb angel boy’ and the ‘velvet mouth’ evokes the raw realities of urban existence. There’s a sense of living on the fringes, in the ‘innerspace’, where life is not polished but stained with experience.
Underworld does not shy away from the darker aspects—chemicals, the search for connection, and the angelic visage that emerges from the telephone lines suggest a life lived as much online and in confused encounters as in reality. It’s a song that’s not just heard but felt on a visceral level, touching on the loneliness and desire that pulse beneath the surface.
The Complicated Web of Gender and Identity
The song’s constant refrain of ‘boy’ serves as a pointed address but also blurs lines. When we hear ‘She was a lipstick boy, she was a beautiful boy’, the boundaries of gender and identity begin to melt away in the heat of the club’s strobe lights.
In this context, the term ‘boy’ becomes a universal moniker for the youth caught in the writhing mass of the rave, an everyman—or everywoman—character that could be any listener. It’s a detail that speaks to the fluidity of identity and the freedom to define oneself anew in the era’s subculture.
The Song’s Hidden Arc: From Elation to Desolation
Listening closely, ‘Born Slippy .NUXX’ takes the dancer on a journey from elation to desolation. It begins with a closeness, a connection to others, but as the rhythm drives forward, a sense of isolation emerges—highlighted by ‘remembering nothing’ and the ‘tube-hole at Tottenham Court Road’.
The song reflects the post-rave dawn, where the high of the night fades and encounters become fragmented memories. It captures the adrenaline surge of the dance floor and the inevitable comedown, sketching a narrative arc that mirrors the lived experience of its characters.
Quoting the Unforgettable: ‘Lager Lager Lager’ as a Cultural Credo
Perhaps no other line from ‘Born Slippy .NUXX’ is as instantly recognizable as the chant ‘Lager lager lager’. It’s a line that has transcended the song, becoming a shorthand for a time and a feeling that defined a generation.
In these three words, Underworld distilled the essence of an era’s excess and escapism, creating a catchphrase that endures in the zeitgeist. It’s a phrase that’s at once a call to arms and a swan song, a celebration and an elegy for a youth culture that at once reveled in life and flirted with the abyss.
