Little Death

## Song by Lupe Fiasco featuring Nikki Jean

"**Little Death**" is a song by Lupe Fiasco, released as the eighth track from his fifth studio album, *Tetsuo & Youth* (2015). It features guest vocals from Nikki Jean. They performed it on *The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon* with The Roots in February 2015.

## Personnel

* Bob Horn – mixer
* Charles "Chilly" Patton – executive producer
* Chris Gehringer – masterer
* Crystal "Røvél" Torres – horn
* G. Reynolds – writer
* Javohn "VohnBeatz" Griffin – writer, producer
* Larry "S1" Griffin Jr. – writer, producer
* Lorenzo "D-Madness" Jackson Jr. – bass
* Nicholle "Nikki Jean" Leary – vocals, writer
* Wasalu "Lupe Fiasco" Jaco – vocals, writer, executive producer

## Lyrics

**Lyrics**
[Verse 1: Lupe Fiasco]

Now bring it out like a finger in the back of your mouth

Cherubs and cerebellum

Terror at Sarah's wedding, Sam marrying Sam

Band pushed upon the finger of Sam's hairiest hand (OOOH!)

If that sickens you, you a bigot

If it doesn't, well then you're wicked

Such is life, odd as Egg McMuffins at night

No answers, so let us watch these dancers

Structure reformed gracefully being born

On the pallet of dark grays, concaves and spirals

Kaleidoscope into a Eiffel

It ripples then it tidals, vacillates then it virals

Babylons then it Bibles and others

And tell me of the spinning mothers

And today's mathematics for beloved

And beasts' bellies covered like the cummerbunds of butlers

[Chorus: Nikki Jean]

How was your day?

Can I make what you say what I wanna hear?

'Cause I want you here

The hell that we raised

To the heavens do anything for

La petite mort, la petite mort

[Verse 2: Lupe Fiasco]

They keep the bottles just to make glass houses

Then climb up to the second floors and throw rocks out it

Then expect not a volley in reply

Some place vulnerable like probably in the eye

What of the chicken? What is it missin'? Is it dry?

Did it die in some inhumane conditions so it didn't go relaxed

And the tension from its demise

Pulled all of the flavor from the fat and made it flat

And rather lifeless, well there's a place

That has a stunning turbot and more mercifully murdered Pisces

But barbaric are still the prices

It's rather niceless, apricot in dices and fromage slices

My son will call risotto rices

If and when he's left to his own devices, well

How is your memory? Is it returning like a lemon tree

To bear bitter fruit of what you meant to me?

Or was it slippin' like permission? Am I trippin' like field

I feel I'm grippin' but maybe the transmission

Still left out the life, also left out the will, grief

Will cheese never touch your teeth

Maybe like kosher beef

Is it real? Is it real? Is it real? Ha, hah!

[Chorus: Nikki Jean]

Howl at the day

Can I make you my prey?

'Cause I want you dear, ooh, I want you dear

The hell that we raised

To the heavens make symmetries for

Our petite mort, our petite mort

[Verse 3: Lupe Fiasco]

So glad you're back

But not glad at that you're glatt

Where is the glamour in collapse?

Where in the shatter of the facts shoves one back to a pattern of stab wounds?

Swoon ridden goons consumed and driven mad soon

The atelier slowly fills with baboons

And other monkey business

Where killers go free 'cause the junkie's a funky witness

Runny mascaras from the cunning mask wearers of death

Bygone errors, sittin' like two oil derricks

Separated by a sea of cooling num nums

Reminiscing of an every day playing hum drum

Where recognition went unnoticed

And then solidified till it was stoic

We should've been poets

Somewhere between amateurs and grandmasters of iambic pentameter

[Chorus: Nikki Jean]

How are your chains?

Do they make you behave?

Keep you over here, by your overseer

Fallen from grace

Down from Heaven to memories' floor

La petite mort, la petite mort

## References

1. ↑ Thompson, Paul (February 26, 2015). "Lupe Fiasco Performs 'Little Death' on 'The Tonight Show'". *XXL*.