From Thought to Studio
Getting behind the scenes on grandson’s “Bury Me Face Down.”
Thoughts | George David Sights | Marlin Kohler
“I think you can make a good song without a clear narrative, but a great song begins and starts with a narrative,” believes 23-year-old Jordan Benjamin, applying this principle in his own work. The Toronto-raised artist has been producing music under the name grandson for around 18 months. Although he has only six songs publically released, he has amounted over 5 million total plays, including 2 million on “Bury Me Face Down” on Spotify.
The idea for “Bury Me Face Down” came to Benjamin so unexpectedly, he had to Google the phrase to make sure he didn’t pick it up from anywhere. After seeing that his idea was original, he grabbed his notebook and wrote the song in roughly 20 to 30 minutes. In large part the song was influenced by what Benjamin imagined, before being transferred into a song. The visualization for the song is that of an 1800s Salem trial, where he wanted to show a character who was designated as the underdog, delivering their last statement. However, this speech isn’t one of a submission, in fact, it warns his capturers. The message being sent states, “that if you don’t bury me face down, I’m going to come back to get you”. Benjamin wanted to write a “revengy” song, attributing his influences to Quentin Tarantino’s movie Kill Bill (2003), specifically the scene where Uma Thurman is one-finger punching her way out of a coffin, digging up the dirt, to get her revenge.
[Chorus]
When I go into the ground
I won't go quietly, I'm bringin' my crown
When I go into the ground
Oh, they gotta bury me, bury me face down
“I'm bringin' my crown, When I go into the ground”
Starting at the beginning of the song, grandson begins with chorus. However, he doesn’t directly give the character attributes of royalty, but instead uses the crown as a metaphoric symbol for pride, that allows the listener to interpret. “I liked the visual of a crown. I’m bringing my crown could be interpreted both literally or metaphorically, you’re not getting my dignity, or my sense of self, I’m taking this with me.”
[Verse 1]
From the rubble, what do I see
There's a whole damn army thinkin' that they’re gonna harm me
Say goodnight, I'll never get free
Oh I got troubles
They won't let me be
But I won't get tired set the town on fire
'Till my troubles got trouble with me
“From the rubble, what do I see”
Moving towards the first verse, grandson explains his visual of a great battle. This battle is the reason we have the underdog’s final statement; it is what would have had to occur to catch the protagonist. The verse’s opening lyrics are written to show the awakening and the first realization of capture and restrain.
I got troubles, They won’t let me be, But
To Benjamin, the But is the main point of the entire song, “it’s not an acceptance of, but a response to, all the reasons you could give up,” says Benjamin. This alludes to what he later calls the ‘underdog feeling,' when you’re ready to give-up, the only thing you can do is to keep your head high.
[Refrain]
Thinkin' that they've won
It's only just begun
“Thinkin’ that they’ve won, It’s only just begun”
The refrain is what grandson imagines the death row inmate’s speech to be, a reminder to the capturers that just because they have him caught, doesn’t mean things won’t change. It serves as a reminder that it’s not over until it’s over, which plays an intrinsic part in the song’s meaning.
[Chorus]
When I go into that ground
I won't go quietly, I'm bringin' my crown
And when I go into that ground
Oh, they gotta bury me, bury me face down
[Verse 2]
I've been on the run
Since I was a boy
But now I'm done runnin' got another thing comin'
Watch my enemies get destroyed
Oh, I've got troubles
Of more than one kind
But I never sleep gotta bury me six feet deep
Where the sun don't shine
“Since I was a boy, But now I'm done runnin' got another thing comin'”
The beginning of the second verse, grandson shines light onto the character’s backstory, showing that they had past histories of fleeing from problems, but now that’s changed. The running has stopped, and the real fight is beginning. The song continues the theme from the first verse, you may have lost the battle, but you will not lose the war.
[Refrain]
Thinkin' that they've won
It's only just begun
[Chorus]
When I go into that ground
I won't go quietly, I'm bringin' my crown
When I go into that ground
Oh, they gotta bury me, bury me face down
[Bridge]
I've been counted out, left for dead
Wanted with a bounty on my head
But somehow, someway, I'm-a keep movin' along, movin' along
Been counted out, left for dead
Wanted with a bounty on my head
But somehow, someway, I'ma keep movin' along, along
While the majority of the song was written in 20 to 30 minutes, when Benjamin came in to record the song, he realized that he forgot to write the bridge. Thinking on his feet, he decided it would be best to just summarize the song in one stanza that highlight the underdog feeling that he creates in the movie of his mind.
“But somehow, someway, I'm-a keep movin' along”
Visualizing being outnumbered, being on his last breath, when everyone else has counted him out, grandson imagines his character putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward. Knowing that no matter what circumstances, he cannot stop trying to move forward, running, walking or crawling, just maintaining the goal of progress.
[Refrain]
Thinkin' that they've won
It's only just begun
[Chorus]
When I go (When I go)
Into that ground (Into that ground)
I won't go quietly (Won't go quietly)
I'm bringin' my crown (Bringin' my crown)
And when I go into the ground (into that ground)
Oh, they gotta bury me (bury me)
Bury me face down (bury me face down)
Oh, they gotta bury me
Bury me face down
The song ends with the character’s constant plea to “bury me face down”. “I have this picture of this casket slowly going down, and the towns people looking so relieved, but then they go in a year later to dig it out, and it’s empty,” Benjamin concludes on his “revengy” song, ending on a cliff-hanger.
As the song is heavily portrayed as an action movie, grandson worked closely with producer Tim Sooby to add additional elements to the track. With previous experience in film design and sound scoring, Sooby helped Benjamin add movie sound bites into the song, including a barely audible thunderstorm heard before the beginning of the bridge. Benjamin wanted to add these sound bites to help immerse listeners into his story.
Focusing largely on the narrative of the song, grandson’s song has the visual story of a movie using the melody of rock and hip-hop. While at the same time, providing a detailed insight into his motivation for the work, gifts each listener with the ability to experience and interpret the song in a personal way.