Heirplanes

## Song by Japanese Cartoon

"**Heirplanes**" is a song by American indie-rock band Japanese Cartoon. It was released as the third track from their debut studio album, *In the Jaws of the Lords of Death* (2010).

## Music video

The accompanying music video, directed by 13thWitness, was published to YouTube in October 2010. Fiasco said of the visual:

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> I want my music to sound like somebody chasing you through the forest with ax. That's what I want my music to sound like. Like somebody chasing you through the woods with a chainsaw. What does the soundtrack to that? "Heirplanes," video okay. Let's chase somebody through the woods with a chain saw.
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> The other part to it was spreading the message. If you listen to the record, the whole record is about social justice. It's about social change, but in a very vehement, almost violent kinda way. Where I think you should be violently peaceful as possible. You should be as vehemently peaceful and notoriously peaceful as you can in the same way some people are just violently violent or violently war-like.
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> That was just kinda like my ideology for the record, for the album, for the songs. It needs to be as energetically peaceful the same way people are energetic about negativity. People are very energetic and vehement about giving you negative things. They're very clever and witty about giving you the most negative most destructive thing from alcohol to cigarettes to what have you. It's very clever. Very energetic. But at the end of the day, it's something that's gradually destroying you.
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> That was kinda like our premise. That kinda bleeds into different parts, iInto videos, photos and different parts of the album. So specifically for "Heirplanes," it was just kinda like, ‘Let's have the setting like an old horror movie or something like, something kinda real cheesy, hokey.' We're chasing these people, and on the surface it's like, ‘Yo why you chasing these girls through the woods? Are you trying to like kill these girls? Are you trying to kidnap these girls? What is this?' It's like, ‘No, we're trying to change the world.'
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> The whole song "Heirplanes" is about no monarchy. No real need to question the people who are in power or the techniques and the tactics that they use. If you go through and start listening to the lyrics and break down the hook and different stuff like that, its kinda questions the authority of what's going on.
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> That's why we're chasing these girls through the woods. It's like that's the point. It may seem as not as direct as saying that, but it's like, I got somebody's attention because we're chasing these girls through the forest. Now that I got your attention, ‘Do you really know what your congressman is doing?'
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> It's just like that artistic thing, but less on a message thing and more on an art thing.It was just kinda like, ‘I want my music to sound like chasing somebody through the woods with a chainsaw.'
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## Personnel

Song
* Graham Burris – bass
* Le Messie – producer
* Matt Nelson – keyboards
* Wasalu "Lupe Fiasco" Jaco – lead vocals

Video
* Timothy "13thWitness" McGurr – director, editor
* AJ Crimson – makeup
* Josh Madden – stylist
* Lane Savage – associate director
* Marisol Martinez – creative consultant, video commissioner
* Sky Gellatly – executive producer
* Zack McTee – editor

## Lyrics

**Lyrics**
[Verse 1]

We are phantoms of the future

Ordinaries from the super but we are high

Sing your anthems to your rulers

Disconnect from their medullas and be alive

We are transients from the sewers

But please treat us like we're friends when we arrive

You can kill or just destroy them

Here's your pistol and your poison, please decide

Please decide

[Chorus]

Because heirplanes flying under the ground

Fireworks that don't make a sound

But oh what a lie

Oh what a lie

[Verse 2]

With the sun as my accomplice

So dear God please be my compass

Be my guide

I got my dowry for Medusa

Hopefully she'll take my ring and be my bride

We will gather information

Secret meeting in my basement

We are spies

You can kill or just destroy them

Here's your pistol and your poison, please decide

Please decide

Please decide

[Chorus]

Because heirplanes flying under the ground

Fireworks that don't make a sound

Because heirplanes flying under the ground

Fireworks that don't make a sound

But oh what a lie

Oh me oh my

Oh what a lie

No kings, no queens

No butterflies

No kings, no queens

No butterflies

No kings, no queens

[Verse 3]

Canaries in your cavern

While you sleep in your apartments

We must hide

Take the veils off of your killer

Take your place inside the search light

And be described

Lets see your eyes

[Pre-Chorus]

Because we are phantoms from the future

Ordinaries from the super but we are high

Just the transients from the sewers

Please don't treat us like we're friends when we arrive

When we arrive

[Chorus]

Because heirplanes flying under the ground

Fireworks that don't make a sound

But oh what a lie

Oh me, oh my

Oh what a lie

No queens, no kings

No butterflies

No kings, no queens

No butterflies

Butterflies

Butterflies

Butterflies

Butterflies

Butterflies

Butterflies

## References

1. ↑ Huynh, Davis (October 15, 2010). "Japanese Cartoon - Heirplanes (Directed by 13thWitness)". *Hypebeast*.