Jon Bellion, The Human Condition | Lyrical Spotlight

On his debut album The Human Condition, Jon Bellion covers a wide range of themes and emotions. Lyrically, there’s plenty to analyze.

Jon Bellion is an extremely talented artist that many don’t know…YET.  On his debut album ‘The Human Condition,’ he “knocks it out of the park,” covering a wide range of themes and emotions.  It’s safe to say, The Human Condition is a jam-packed 55 minutes. Lyrically, there’s plenty to analyze!

1. “Same kids from the high school, jump shot still flame / couple million in the bank, but / nothing has changed, he is the same”

– “He Is the Same”

Commentary: Jon Bellion hasn’t changed since his ‘come up’ aka become famous – “he is the same.”

2. “His assistant is his best friend / lost his dad that day / really puts it in perspective / what the f*ck’s a bad day?”

– “He Is the Same”

Commentary: Jon Bellion’s “bad days” are nothing compared to losing a loved one to death.

3. “We just need a night like this / take me back to 9^th grade / take me back to 9^th grade shit” – “80’s Films”

Commentary: Bellion is going back to high school days and what ‘love’ felt like back then, etc.  

4. “Just like the 80s films / we’ll hook up in my backseat and let my best friend drive” – “80’s Films”  

Commentary: Jon and his girlfriend are going to have sex in the backseat while his best friend drives. #Self-explanatory.

5. “I can’t let go and your lips feel retro / you’re my Breakfast Club / you’re my song from Cyndi Lauper…/take me back into the future”

– “80s Films”

Commentary: Adding to the 80s vibe, Bellion references the most 80s movie ever (The Breakfast Club).  He also references one of the most 80s artist ever, Cyndi Lauper.

6. “I was the knight in shining armor in your movie…/now I’m a ghost, I call your name, you look right through me / you’re the reason I’m alone and masturbate”

– “All Time Low”

Commentary: Bellion is at an “all-time low” because his relationship has ended.  Bellion goes from being a “knight” to being a “ghost.” He resorts to self-pleasure as opposed to the intimacy he once experienced with HER.

7. “I’ve been trying to fix my pride / but that shit’s broken, that shit’s broken”

– “All Time Low” 

Commentary: Although Bellion is trying to better himself, his “pride” is already a broken, but so is he in general due to break-up – he’s messed up bad.

8. “Records are very pop with a pocket deeper than sand / a juxtaposition, Sam Cooke, Billy Joel, Steely Dan / Changing the f*cking spectrum, I need you to understand / Like I took the fall for some drugs, I’ve been nominated for Grams (it’s Grammys)”

– “New York Soul (Part II)”

Commentary: Jon Bellion is very eclectic with lots of different musical influences, hence why he’s “changing the spectrum.”

9. “Wait, see all them lines is f*ck boy chat / don’t be so impressed by all that f*ck boy rap / this money gon’ leave you empty if you just want that / see, my joy lies in the son and you should jump on that”

– “New York Soul (Part II)” 

Commentary: Prior to the featured lyrics, Bellion raps on clichés that aren’t “brand new” or particularly important.  He mocks hip-hop without substance, tell listeners, “don’t be so impressed by all that f*ck boy rap.” Even greater is when he seems to reference God and spirituality as he spits at the end, “see, my joy lies in the son and you should jump on that.”

10. “I hit ‘em with the boots in July / b*tch, I don’t need snow / I gotta go bigger, I gotta go bigger / five thousand on a coat cause it’s fly…”

– “Fashion”

Commentary: Bellion satirizes materialism brilliantly. 

11. “Although I guess if I knew tomorrow / I guess I wouldn’t need faith / I guess if I never fall, I guess I wouldn’t need grace / I guess if I knew his plans, I guess he wouldn’t be God.”

– “Maybe IDK”

Commentary: The key word here is God.  Throughout the song, Bellion asks questions, but ultimately comes to the conclusion everything is in God’s hands. 

12. “Take your clothes and rip ‘em, rip ‘em off / call these hos and tip ‘em, tip ‘em off / you can tell them you are mine / I’m sick of, sick of games / no more time, you lit the, lit the flame”

– “Woke the F*ck Up”

13. “Last night I woke the f*ck up / I realized I need you here, as desperate as that sounds”

– “Work the F*ck Up”

Commentary: Bellion is clearly infatuated with her…

14. “Overwhelming / everything about you is so overwhelming / when I think about you, it gets overwhelming / come over here and overwhelm me”

– “Overwhelming”

Commentary: “Love.”

15. “We’re playing suicide but not by choice, by choice / was calling out for help, but heard no noise, no noise // only the sound of my hands shaking / but ever since you and your arms saved me // I don’t hold the weight of the world anymore”

– “Weight of the World”

Commentary: The key lyrical excerpt is “Ever since YOU and YOUR ARMS SAVED ME.”  

16. “Your heart’s a vine that I’ve bled trying to climb / Yeah, you’re making a ruin of me / try to survive, keep my spirit alive / but like a knife in the woods / yeah, you hunt down the good in me…”

– “The Good in Me”

Commentary: She’s a killer, metaphorically. 

17. “We’re secretly out of control, nobody knows It / but my mom’s got a problem with oxy’s and she’s angry / cause my dad’s office door’s always closed / but I stopped knocking / yeah, we’re secretly out of control and everyone knows / oh, it’s morning in America”

– “Morning in America”

Commentary: Young America has its fair share of idiosyncrasies that are quite scary.  Throughout “Morning in America,” Bellion describes some hypothetical scenarios.  

18. “I was a human, breathing and thinking / eating and drinking, philosophizing / I was a human, before you killed me / and ripped my heart out, I knew what love was”

– “iRobot”

Commentary: She destroyed him and now, he’s a robot. 

19. “The secrets you tell me I’ll take to my grave / there’s bones in my closet, but you hang stuff anyway / and if you have nightmares, we’ll dance on the bed / I know that you love me, love me / even when I lose my head”

– “Guillotine”

Commentary: She’s with him through “thick and thin,” even if he’s headless.

20. “Tears at a funeral, tears at a funeral, I might break / angry at all the things, angry at all the things I can’t change / when you’re lost in the universe, lost in the universe / don’t lose faith / my mother says, ‘your whole life’s in the hand of God’”

– “Hand of God (Outro)” 

Commentary:  GOD, and not the Jeezy song (even if it bangs). 

Photo Credit: Capitol