Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Paper Planes



The artist who created this song is Mathangi Arulpragasm aka M.I.A , she was born in Hounslow, London, England, but went back to her family's homeland of Tamil Sri-Lanka at 6 months old. The name M.I.A "Missing In Action" comes from her own experience of having her father be a political activist of the Tamil Militancy. M.I.A's songs come from the events in her life: father hiding, and the family having to move from place to place because the the Sri Lankan Civil War. When M.I.A's finally came back to London, her family were housed as refugees, struggling just to get by.

I fly like paper, get high like planes
If you catch me at the border I got visas in my name
If you come around here, I make them all day
I get one down in a second if you wait


I can't seem get this song out of my head because of its message. M.I.A. is trying to shed a light on the issues of our world; immigrants trying to reach a dream of freedom and prosperity, but are mistreated by the government. In the video it shows the different forms of hustling, people only caring about one thing "money." Yet money is the key to survival without it your left vulnerable, and not considered a valuable citizen.


Sometimes I feel sitting on trains
Every stop I get to I'm clocking that game
Everyone's a winner now we're making our fame
Bona fide hustler, making my name



What blew my mind was children's voices singing the chorus, blended with the sound of guns firing and cash registers opening. This shows are present and possible future, kids growing up, glamorizing crime, thinking by killing and robbing will give them as sense of accomplishment and self-esteem. I believe the paper air planes in the video symbolize the hopes and dreams of people wanting something more than life, but don't think they are going rise above their current situation because of their cultural or racial backgrounds.





For more Lyrics and info on M.I.A. check out:

www.metrolyrics.com/mia-biography.html

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