Flies by Death Grips Lyrics Meaning – Decoding the Chaotic Symphony of Dissent
Lyrics
Flies vomit me, together’s unwise, sever all ties
Should the opportunity arise, vomit me flies
Flies vomit me, vomit green eyes
Half-lidded coolers, half lies as cures
Warm blanket statement, Denver air terminal patient
Rubberized, skin rubberized
For your entertainment, got two cents save it
Dozing at the helm, road paved with vagrants
Closed casket make up, lavish euthanasia
Necro Winnebago, worship on shroom in safe zones
Hilo loose brown recluse, murdered out rainbows
Should the opportunity arise, vomit me flies
Flies vomit me, together’s unwise, sever all ties
Should the opportunity arise, vomit me flies
Flies vomit me, vomit green eyes
Cyanide protocol, capsule wipe too involved
Can’t hear answers I, try for wait signal my
Wait for my signal try, too late to whisper why
Besides don’t waste this fry, had to take it all at once
As yet unknown, as yet as fuck, back in the town
Now what, know what, no rush
So what, what now, fuck now
Blackish green spirits of Kraków (reptilism)
Only fog I’ve felt with features
Exception complexion of silver drinkers
Oppressive dense fog with modest demeanor
Should the opportunity arise, vomit me flies
Flies vomit me, together’s unwise, sever all ties
Should the opportunity arise, vomit me flies
Flies vomit me, vomit green eyes
Demeanor, dark, dark, dark, dark, dark, dark skills
Dark skills
(Raise the dead, raise the dead, shit is mine
Serpent tongue, serpent tongue, serpent tongue
Serpent tongue, serpent tongue, serpent tongue)
One, two, three, four
The sonic architects of chaos, Death Grips, have thrown us into the turbulent waters of their psyche with ‘Flies,’ a track that defies conventional interpretation. The lyrics compel us to navigate a labyrinth of layered meanings, each turn and twist revealing depths of existential and societal critique.
Yet, beneath the seemingly impenetrable surface of Stefan Burnett’s lyrical prowess, a narrative emerges—a soliloquy on disconnection, disillusionment, and the struggle against the banalities of existence as viewed through a post-modern lens.
The Visceral Visual: Unraveling the Flies Motif
The repeated invocation of flies stands as both vehicle and symbol—a representation of decay and a natural response to the odorous process of decomposing matter. But the symbolism runs deeper—Death Grips infuses this imagery with a sense of relentless pressure and anxiety that buzzes around our daily lives, begging the question of what societal ‘corpse’ they allude to.
The imagery of flies vomiting the narrator back out paints a disdainful picture of rejection. It’s as though the chaotic world, symbolized by the flies, cannot stomach the individuality presented by the protagonist. This regurgitation is a perverse form of birth, both liberating and unsettling.
Sever All Ties: The Cry for Autonomy
The line ‘together’s unwise, sever all ties’ operates as a stark rejection of conformist social structures. Death Grips proposes a radical autonomy, urging listeners to cut themselves free from the suffocating entanglements of societal norms. It is an endorsement of isolation as empowerment.
The relentless pursuit of individuality is a core theme of ‘Flies,’ placing the listener in a paradoxical state of connection through shared disconnection. The unease lies not in the state of being alone, but in the necessity of the severance, hinting at the existential weight we carry in contemporary life.
Navigating the Sonic Labyrinth: The Inescapable Noise
Death Grips are renowned for their sonic experimentation, and ‘Flies’ is a quintessential exhibition of this. The cacophony of beats, the discordant synths—they create an atmosphere of disorientation that mimics the confusion of the lyrics. This is not accidental chaos, but deliberate, a crafted destabilization.
Fans of Death Grips know to expect the unexpected, and ‘Flies’ delivers, serving as an auditory maze. The track forces you to surrender to the chaos, to accept the absence of a clear path forward—a poignant metaphor for life’s unpredictability.
The Hidden Meaning: A Theatre of Nihilism
Beneath the confrontational soundscape, ‘Flies’ whispers a bleak philosophy. Phrases like ‘lavish euthanasia’ and ‘Cyanide protocol’ suggest a grappling with the notion of a graceful exit from life—Death Grip’s own macabre brand of nihilism.
Yet, nudging the listener toward a negation of values, the group simultaneously calls to reject passivity with ‘Raise the dead, raise the dead, shit is mine.’ It’s a contradictory invitation to partake in the act of both annihilation and active rebellion. The hidden meaning resides, paradoxically, within the celebration of life through an acknowledgment of death.
Memorable Lines: Echoes of Resistance
‘Dozing at the helm, road paved with vagrants’ serves as a poignant critique of a society asleep at the wheel, setting a course down a road built on the backs of the displaced and disadvantaged. Here, Death Grips strikes a chord with their awareness of social injustice.
In a similar vein, ‘Denver air terminal patient’ evokes a sense of fatalistic resignation—trapping characters within the transitory limbo of an airport, awaiting departure to an unknown fate. These lines reverberate with the discontent of an era, shaping the song into a vessel for the voiceless, the misunderstood, and the defiant.





