I’m a Millionaire

I remember in October 2004 when I heard the new release “Millionaire” by Kelis and Andree 3000, being a fan of electro beats this tune was explosive for me. As I began to listen to the lyrics I laughed because I actually woke up mad early that morning…but as the song progressed I took interest to the main message which was like a word to me. Now four years later I listened to the same song and thought about the lyrics, so have a listen to the song than read my thoughts from a few of the highlighted lyrics.

Mama I’m a Millionaire but I feel like a bum. [Andre 3000]
Many people who are not rich feel that when they get money they will feel great because they can get what they want, but here Andre 3000 expresses that he feels less than great. In fact it seems like he’s feeling the same as someone who wakes up with no job or hope of ever feeling better.

I woke up early this morning, but i still ain’t seen the sun. [Andre 3000]
I don’t know what this meant but I thought as a Christian my mood would be the same as this song when I wake up and I don’t see the son aka Jesus in prayer and meditation for long periods of time. The piano keys in the song would best describe the mood and feeling of myself when I’m away from God for long periods of time.

I’m a Millionaire but i ain’t movin in the right direction, [Andre 3000]
Its so deep how she expresses feeling out of place in a world where affection isn’t real and how she can feel something is not right in her life. I think back to when I was trying to make it big in the music industry and how there was something niggling in my conscious about me not going in the right direction, at face value my life seemed great I was on the way up but inside was a different story.

Some times we have noble motives for wanting to get money and fame but as we walk along the long road and listen to the promises money can bring we get excited then over time we see its not going to fulfill its promise and we then get overwhelmed by a feeling of entrapment, of slavery, of hopelessness because we have compromised for money and it has become our God and this God aka mammon is ruining our lives.

If you got riches,you got glitches. [Andre 3000]
I thought this was quite self explanatory but well worth highlighting, money does not get rid of problems, in fact the glitches continue and here Andree 3000 a rich and famous person confirms it.

What’s a girl to do when she just has dimes no time just play-yay-yay-yay. [Kelis]
The last bit of the song is the bit that hit me the most because as “normal everyday people” we are quick to say how we work so hard with no time to enjoy the fruits of life. We then buy into celebrity infested magazines that lie to us about how great celebrity lives are but here Kelis tells us different. In fact she says “whats a girl to do when she’s lost her long term friends? when she works with no time to play” when at the end of it all… “that is life”…and how she feels sad..

What’s a girl to do in a world of greed but kneel and pray-yay-yay-yay. [Kelis]
Kelis really brought the point home here, its a greedy world, and its a struggle to live in this world, we are helpless to do anything except to call on God through prayer.

Conclusion
This song really refreshed my awareness of the state of the world we live in, it reminds me of how sad it is for those who continue chasing the lies of this world , I don’t think Kelis and Andre 3000 can solve the worlds problems. I don’t approve of all the music that Kelis or Outkast produce but this particular song has touched on some real truths of life and God surely used this song to help me get closer to him at a point in my life when I was following the worlds lies….In my part 2 of this blog I will take you through how I followed the pattens of this world……Read part two here

Posted by Baliva