Meaning of "Handlebars" by Flobots

this song talks about how simple life use to be before government took over causeing mass destruction.

I believe that this song is about two kids who grew up together doing small fun things like riding a bike with no handlebars. As the kids seperate, instead of doing tasks like riding a bike with no handlebars, he becomes more greedy and wants more power. That is just saying how everyone always wants something better. When the kid realizes what he is doing, he thinks back on the good old days of him riding bikes with his friend.

Great song. Powerful message

i agree with 1ll_hellrazor_lll. The song is about two friends who take completely different paths. One becomes a tyrant ans the other rebells against the governments until the tyrant ends up killing him and brings back memories of his friend

a lot of inquisitive posts but what about the mention of de colores? that song in itself has a deeper meaning. I’m probably off base. anyone have a clue?

No its about what my post with the bolded writing is about cause that’s what the writer of the song says its about.

i think that, in a way, hes mocking (mockin isnt the best word) the world powers and ppl that hav had a big influence on the world (good or bad), that its good for them that theyve made a diffrence, but hes sayin that he can ride a bike with no handlebars, and thats his “power/contribution”.
i love this song, very powerful



I can ride my bike with no handlebars-him

I can keep rhythm with no metronome-him

And I can see your face on the telephone-him?

I can make a living off a magazine-sum1 that makes money n a mag biz

I can design an engine sixty four
Miles to a gallon of gasoline-inventor

I can make new antibiotics-scientist

I can make computers survive aquatic conditions-scientist

I know how to run a business-biz leader

I can make you wanna buy a product-salesmen

Cuz I can lead a nation with a microphone-him?/sum1 powerful/famous

And I can split the atoms of a molecule-scientist

I can hand out a million vaccinations
Or let’em all die from exasperation
Have’em all healed from their lacerations
Have’em all killed by assassination
I can make anybody go to prison
Just because I don’t like’em and
I can do anything with no permission
I have it all under my command
Because I can guide a missile by satellite
And I can hit a target through a telescope
-powers of the gov./world leaders

And I can end the planet in a holocaust-hitler(Mother F***er)

Here’s the true meaning Buy my shit I have taxes to pay off

the meaning can be interpreted whatever way the listener wants to, even if the writer has his meaning set in stone that doesnt mean that i cant interpret it differently.

De.Luxe wrote: i think the message of the song is that the government can do wateve it wants with no consiquences, hense the missle part and the assisinations and the prison along with the holocost part which in turn was part of hittlers rain in government. The phrase “I can ride my bike with no handle bars” the singer is saying it as if he were the gov. and they were saying “I can do whatever i want with no restrictions”

agreed

i agree with imyurlilxfantasi, also because I see when it says “I can hit a target through a telescope” i think its talking about the Iraq War

scwolves35 wrote: the meaning can be interpreted whatever way the listener wants to, even if the writer has his meaning set in stone that doesnt mean that i cant interpret it differently.

Well you can interpret it whatever way you want but there is a right way to interpret it. Just no wrong ways to interpret it but only one right way. Now that’ll take ya pretty deep til ya figure out what I mean. How can there only be one right answer but no wrong answers.

I think the meaning of Handlebars is to not let it get out of control. You can be anything you want in this life. You can follow any path. Learn the words to any song, make a comic book, design and build new inventions to enhance society’s well being.

You learn to know it inside and out. The more you know the easier it is to control the system you live under. Once you get to this point, you have absolute power.

I’ve heard “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”. The longer you ride a bike with no handlebars, the more likely you are to fall.

Its about Corporation and Freedom. What happens when you ride a bike with no handle bars? you cant steer it the way you want always so it shows 2 friends who end up taking 2 different paths, 1 freedom, the other corporation. The person who chooses freedom goes on to sing the song saying he becomes an artist who lives life to live life for happiness and just being free, being a patriot saying hes proud to be an American. Then it goes on to show his friends side talking about Corporations, saying he can make and sell anything he wants to anyone because he knows how the strings of corporation control everything threw mass media, and he can control anyone with a microphone (mass media) eventually showing him as president, then it shows a white free bird being killed and taken by a black bird while a fighter plane flys by, while a building with a white free bird is being destroyed and you see oppressed citizens looking helpless leading up to eventual rebellion as you see rebels spray painting over pictures of the govt. while a brotherhood or an alliance is made between the oppressed citizens of the US eventually try to make a stand being true patriots standing up to this corrupts govt, saying all intentions and actions being pure and for the well being of the people. Then it goes to the corporations last verse saying they have total control being able to destroy anything (missiles by satellite) and anyone (assassination) and they can control the mass and make them do what they want by punishing them (have them all heel to the lacerations or have anyone go to prison because they don’t like them) and it goes on to say i can do anything i want because i have a dog under my command (military) and then in the very end it shows everything leading up to a riot and then a mass murder showing the presidents face like he didn’t want that to happen symbolizing its not what he intended in the end but its what happened ending with the choice of freedom and free will ending in death. I believe this is what the songs meaning is and i believe the song is about current day US, i believe things will very soon end up like this song. The govt trying to take away peoples freedom and killing off anyone who trys to stop them.

This song proves the power of disillusionment... How is it that the same lames that post on this youtube board love this? Is it the rock & roll beat? Does that make it easier for you to stomach? For those who don’t get what I’m getting at here, I’m saying that I’m beginning to see a resurfacing of some Elvis-esque mimickery shit here, only now it’s happening in Hip Hop. You want proof? Flobots just got signed by Universal. You know why this little underground group got signed by Universal? Because they picked up on the new trend: Atmosphere’s If Life Gives You Lemons album sales didn’t go unnoticed.

So, why do I care about this? Because it means all the artists before this new sudden conscience boost in the mainstream are going to be ignored just like Elvis’s obvious influences (y’all do realize his career was founded on COVERS of other people’s music, right?). the concept and execution of “Handlebars” IS NOT NEW BY ANY STRETCH OF THE WORD. The only real difference is that he sings it more melodically than your average rapper and to a rockish beat so your average white (yes, I’m generalizing, but look at overall genre sales; more than 60% of albums sold are rock and the #1 consumer of modern rock is white teens) kid won’t listen to the 1st 5 seconds and dismiss it as “Retards Attempting Poetry”.

Because you know what? This really isn’t any different at all from what 99.9% of rappers were saying in the 80’s and continued to say (on a lesser scale admittedly) in the 90’s and even now. Ever heard of Africa Bambaataa?


In conclusion, I’m just pissed that 50 years from now rap is likely gonna be looked at the same way the beginnings of rock is... there’s gonna be one white guy that’s relatable to most all white youth that’s gonna be credited with the invention of conscious hip hop because white guys are the ones who write history... don’t believe me? In 90% of white rap fans' minds, Eminem is the origin of lyrically adept hip hop. Never mind that Nas, Rakim, KRS, Big L, Biggie, Pac and hundreds of other equally skilled emcees predated him. Eminem is an incredible emcee, but by no means is he the messiah... his technique was just like his contemporaries an improvement on what came before...


/rant

I thought it was about the military and being able to control everything, I guess it’s close to what MC Jonny 5 said.

i think it’s bigger than that. the statement in the song that is. it’s not just about one president or one war or one... anything... it’s saying that if you can get into power... you can do anything.

“This song is about the idea that we have so much incredible potential as human beings to be destructive or to be creative. And it’s tragic to me that the appetite for military innovation is endless..."

there is no one person to blame for the horrible things that happen in the world. the song, whether it be by white/black, rock/rap.... it’s a decent song

“If all you are creating are problems, you are not being creative at all”

the song is about bush, and it sucks ass. i prefer the blobots version.

This song is about our entire society and stupid and ignorant we all are to everything that is going on around us; politics, media, entertainment, americans' zero culture. It is about how eat the shit that is given to us like it is a fillet mignon, when in reality its a pile of rotting garbage, wake up! thats what the song is telling you to do.

Those are pretty good ladies and gentlemen, but guess what this is not just the govt. we have the power to do anything. The right person can influence millions of people. It is up to us as individuals to make and raise power (our children) to take the power that we have and use it for good. There are problems all over the world but yet people complain about gas and govt. control. Take that time you spent whining about gas and you could have given vaccine in a third world country.

The “I can see your face on a telephone” part is most likely about the accomplishment that we can use our brains for good or evil, as one person pointed out. I don’t think it’s about wire-tapping...Basically the song is saying humans can do all these wonderful things to better ourselves, but in the end we choose to create bombs and find better ways to kill each other.