Dissect - S4E6 - Pothole by Tyler, The Creator

Episode Date: May 28, 2019

Our season long analysis of Flower Boy continues with the song “Pothole.” Tyler takes his mother’s advice to heart and examines the various “potholes” in his life that hinder his personal growth. New episodes of Dissect release every Tuesday. For 60 free days of Spotify Premium, visit spotify.com/promo/dissect. Follow @dissectpodcast on Twitter and Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Spotify Studios, this is Dissect, long-form musical analysis broken into short digestible episodes. I'm your host, Cole Kushner. Today we continue our serialized analysis of Flower Boy by Tyler the Creator. On our last episode, we dissected the album's fifth track, Who That Boy, a song that we realize works on a multitude of levels. On one hand, as implied by the song's title and opening lines, Tyler is continuing his search for the dream lover he fantasized about in the previous track, See You Again. On the other hand, Hu-Dat Boy finds Tyler at his most egotistical, bragging about his fashion, cars, and wealth alongside guests Aesap Rocky. When viewing See You Again and Who That Boy as a contrasting but intricately linked pair of songs, we understand how they represent in large form, the dichotomy between the material and the natural, the superficial, the superficial, the superficial, versus the meaningful. See You Again is all meaning, all natural, while Hu-Dat-Boy is all-superficial, all-material, all-sports car.

Tyler has already established on Forward that his materialistic intuitions are filling a void. While See You Again clearly displayed this void stems from his lack of romantic love and causes the chronic loneliness and emptiness he then fills with material goods. Hu-Dat Boy ended with a verse that helps tie up some of these narrative and thematic ideas while also providing a link to the album's next track. got too much bread to make. She said, watch my way. So I stay home and start eating some meals.

Get out to my way, wait. Boy, that's McLaren at zero to 60 and two point new way. I'm gone. Here on the closing moments of Who That Boy, we have Tyler acknowledging his ongoing search for his dream partner, which he likens to 95 Leonardo DiCaprio. He then speaks about his mother's worry that his success is getting to his head

and advises him to stay humble. Tyler ignores this advice, instead speeding away in his McLaren's sports car. His joyride doesn't last long, though. The song ends with Tyler hitting a large pothole. This signals a descent as Tyler is brought down from his ego-fueled high and back to reality. Indeed, Tyler will reconsider his mother's advice and return to a place of introspection on the album's next track, the subject of today's episode, Pothole. Want me that some niggas ain't my right hand to trust her only my heart and that elder white man.

His name is Clancy, I fancy him, got to give him props. He has the reason why dealerships even let me copy. Potthole, trying to drive away from the fact that she was right, so I triple left trying to double back. The street to fit with some clues like how I ain't noticed that. Fuck it, I see some familiar stuck in the coat of sack. Potthole was written and produced by Tyler the creator. Writing credits are also given to Roy Ayers due to Tyler's recreation of his 1982 track,

Ooh. Tyler recreates the majority of the song's main groove, including a similar drumbeat, a pair of low synths that act as the song's bass line. and a chord progression similar to Roy Ayers' ooh played on electronic keys. The chord progression Tyler plays as an F-sharp minor 7, E minor 7 add 9, D minor 7 add 9, and C-sharp minor 7 add 9. This progression adds to our growing list of descending chord progressions we've heard

and analyzed throughout Flower Boy. Aside from the interlude sometimes and Hootat Boy, which doesn't contain any chord progressions, Every song on Flower Boy thus far has featured a descending chord progression, all using similar compositional techniques that we've discussed at length on our previous episodes. But just to display how similar some of these progressions are, I'm going to play them all back to back. I'll hone in on the overtly descending parts of each progression

and take the rhythm out just so we can focus on the chords themselves. We'll begin with the progression heard on the second half of forward. Now where this flower blooms. See you again. and pothole. Like we've previously discussed, these similarities only reinforce the sonic identity and cohesiveness of the album,

as Tyler uses similar progressions, but distinguishes them through tempo, instrumentation, rhythm, melody, and an array of other compositional elements. Now, I do want to spend some time talking about potholes tuning. Traditionally, I'd estimate that over 99.9% of the songs you listen to on a daily basis

abide by standard Western tuning practices. tuning is a can of worms that I'm not going to open just now, but for our sake, the easiest way to think about our Western musical tuning system is that it's an agreed-upon set of frequencies we call notes, notes that musicians abide by and tune their instruments to. Because there are literally an infinite number of frequencies available, establishing and abiding by a limited set of frequencies is crucial for musicians to play with each other, to speak the same language.

And because we all abide by the same set of frequencies, I know that what I call the note C, which is a frequency of 261.6 Hertz, is the same note or frequency that someone else calls C. That's assumed knowledge. I can also count on knowing that the next available frequency or note up from a C is a C sharp. And this is despite there being an infinite number of frequencies between C and a C sharp. Again, this gives musicians a common language with which to speak, and establish common ground. A similar system occurs in the world of color, where certain colors like red, blue, etc.,

are established and distinguished by numerical numbers on the light spectrum. But what about those frequencies in between our established notes? For example, what about all the frequencies between C and the next available note C sharp? Well, we mostly hear those frequencies when one of our established pitches is what we call bent.

Let's hear this in practice. Using what's called a pitch wheel, we'll be able to hear some of the frequencies that exists between a C and a C sharp. We'll begin on C, and now slowly bend the pitch upward, until we finally reach C sharp. What we heard in between the C and C sharp

are some of the infinite amount of frequencies that exist between two notes in our Western tuning system. In music, we constrict ourselves to a certain number of frequencies simply for practical reasons. Without these constrictions, composers would be confronting infinity every time they sat down to write a piece of music.

Again, it's similar to language. There's an infinite amount of sounds we can produce with our mouths and an infinite amount of ways we can arrange those sounds, not to mention the infinite amount of ways we could represent those sounds graphically on a piece of paper. Imagine having to write an essay, but first having to invent the language and the written form of that language before you begun.

It's the same with sound and frequency and music. We've constricted ourselves to a limited amount of frequencies that are represented by what we call notes, C, C-sharp, D, D-sharp, so that composers have a language with which they can write, and the listener has a language they can understand, that's familiar. So what's all this talk about tuning have to do with pothole? Well, pothole is actually tuned outside the established Western tuning system we just discussed. The easiest way to explain this is just to let you hear the difference.

So in breaking down the song's chord progression, I said that it began with an F-sharp minor 7 chord. Well, actually what we hear on pothole is close to that, but not quite that exactly. This is slightly lower in frequency to the F-sharp minor chord. You might then wonder, well, if it's lower than F-sharp, then maybe it's the next lowest note available, and F-natural. Well, no, not quite that either. It's just a little higher than F-natural. What we hear on pothole actually sits in between F-natural and F-sharp. Let's hear F-sharp and this in-between note on pothole simultaneously.

You can hear the notes rubbing against each other, right? This is actually what occurs when a musician's instrument is out of tune. We get these dissonant frequencies rubbing against each other. So, how and why would Tyler choose to alter the tuning of pothole? Well, the how part is pretty easy. Computer music software makes it quite simple to alter the global pitch of a track to any frequency of your choosing. Why Tyler chose to do this is unclear, though I do have my suspicions. It's likely that Tyler recorded the entire song in a song.

F-sharp and then slow down the entire track's playback speed because he preferred a slightly slower tempo. And when you slow down a track's playback speed, it simultaneously lowers the pitch. Think about when you press your finger on a spinning record. It slows down the rotation of the record, and simultaneously the audio playback slows down. And the pitch becomes more. In conversation with Drod Carmichael, Tyler spoke about his tendency to listen to music slowed down. I listen to all music slowed down. Like just no matter what. You do that a lot. Is it just trying to isolate? Or is it? I don't. I just like it better. Not so damn, but pitch down. So all evidence seems to point to Tyler recording pothole in a slightly higher pitch class,

likely F sharp, and then slowing the entire track down slightly, thus altering the pitch of the song to sit in between F sharp and F. And while I thought taking the time to point out this detail would be a excuse to cover the basic principles of our Western tuning system, it also adds to our ever-growing documentation of how intricate and detail-oriented Tyler is when it comes to his compositions. To experiment with speed and pitch with this level of nuance shows us that he's willing to take the time and effort to ensure what he hears in his head, translates as close as possible to his final audio product. Like all the best artists, be it architects, engineers, designers, painters, directors, writers, Tyler is taking the time to get it right.

focusing and fine-tuning the intricate details very few of us notice on a conscious level, but all of us feel on a subconscious level. It's often this attention to detail is what elevates a good work to a great work, and as we've heard over the course of the season thus far, Flower Boy is full of such details. When we return, we'll turn our attention to the lyrics of Potholes 2 verses, which also contain a number of detailed intricacies. But first, a word from our sponsors.

Welcome back to Dysect. As we outlined at the top of the show, Tyler ended Hu-Dat boy ignoring his mother's advice and speeding away in his sports car. Fuck you naked. For global warming, my neck is so free, I'm currently looking for 95 Leo. My mom's just worried because I'm so ill, like she stay in bed but got too much bread to make. She said, watch my way. So I stay home and start eating some meals, get out of my way, wait. Boy, that's McLaren at zero to 60 and two point where I'm gone.

After hitting a pothole and damaging his car at the song's end, Tyler rec considers his mother's advice on the opening lines of pothole, creating nice, thematic and narrative continuity with who that boy. Indeed, as Tyler explains to Gerard Carmichael, the entirety of Potthole was inspired by his re-evaluation of his mother's advice, advice he initially brushed off. A long time ago, she was just like, yo, some people just aren't really as lawyer close to you as you think. And I'm always like, shut the fuck up. Like, what the fuck are you talking about? Yeah. Sometimes mom's know best and I've had to find out on my own like, oh wow, like you're, she

wasn't wrong about that person. And I kind of wrote that verse like my mom told me blah blah blah blah blah and uh. And so you're seeing that more. Yeah, yeah. And I even like, and I did as a car like I drove back to the points where she told me specifically like when you make three less it makes it right. So I travel left trying to double back and the streets are filled with clues that she told me how I noticed that.

With this in mind, let's go ahead and dive into our lyrical examination of pothole. My mother warned me that some niggas ain't my right hand to trust her only my heart and that elder white man. His name is Clancy. I fancy him. Got to give him props. He have the reason why dealerships even let me cop. So now I'm speeding and trying to drop away from the fact that she was right so I tripled. Tyler begins with some clues like how I ain't noticed that. Fuck it, I see some familiar stuck in the coat of sack.

Tyler begins pothole, rapping, My mother warned me that some N-words ain't my right hand. To trust her, only my heart, and that elder white man. His name is Clancy, I fancy him, got to give him props. He's half the reason why dealerships even let me cop. Like Tyler noted in conversation, his mother warned him about the loyalty and influence of certain friends he's kept in the past. narratively speaking, this lends clarity to ASAP Rocky's feature in Hootap Boy, which represents a friend Tyler trusted but perhaps shouldn't. Indeed, Rocky's character seemed to bring out the worst qualities in Tyler, gloating, self-serving, and materialistic. His mom warns that a friend like this may not be as loyal as Tyler thinks. Tyler's mom instead encourages him to trust only her, his own heart, and Christian Clancy, Tyler's manager since 2010. It would seem Clancy has been somewhat of a father figure to

Tyler, giving trusted guidance over their near 10 years working together. Tyler credits Clancy for being able to purchase his sports cars, though because he points out Clancy being white in the previous lines, we realize that it's not his wealth, but his race and age that help give a young black kid credibility at a high-end dealership. Tyler uses this reference to dealership to pivot the verse, as we now find Tyler driving in real time the car we heard at the end of Hu-Dap boy. He says, so now I'm speeding and trying to drive away from the fact that she was right. so I triple left trying to double back. Saying triple left is a play off his mom being right,

as three consecutive left turns equates to a right turn. Double back means to return where you came from, so we now find Tyler driving down the quote-unquote right path his mother laid out for him but previously ignored. He sees now things that he missed before, saying, quote, the streets are filled with some clues, like how I ain't noticed that. Of course this is all a metaphor for Tyler's own mind

as he thinks about his past and realizes that his mother was right about certain people in his life holding him back. As pothole continues, Tyler temporarily stops his drive to help some friends who are having car trouble. I see that. Fuck it, I see some familiar stuck in a codosac. I pull up, get out, what up? I want to help, but what you want for some, some niggas really don't want for themselves. How do I stay, do I go? That's my dilemma and traffic is picking up. If I don't leave, I'm going to get stuck so I speed off. We talk barely and it seems awkward and I heard do some words that you. you off it. I got too much drive. Don't want to steer off path and crash and get distracted. But I listen to that weather man because it might rain. My windshield wipers prepared because y'all throw so much shade. And I got jacket and trunk, but that's in the front.

I also got powerful. Both of us if you're ever in need of jump. Just let me know, my nigger. After reconsidering his mother's advice, Tyler stops his car to help his friends stuck in a cul-de-sac. A cul-de-sac is a street with a dead end, a clever metaphor for his friends that are stuck in life and going nowhere. It seems to be a story based on Tyler's real life experience

with certain friends. I had a friend over the past, I'm not going to say the name of it. Over the past two months, you've just been acting weird. Found out this nigga

had a Xanax problem. And I'm like, what the fuck are you doing? Like, you have every opportunity in the world and you're going to sit here and fucking pop. Like, why are you doing this?

Look, you either going to fucking get your shit together or get the fuck out of here because I'm not having niggas slow me down. I'm not babysitting niggas, my nigga. And it was, it really, at one point it brought tears to my eyes to watch someone I care about

fucking become a fucking zombie and like slurring words and thinking it's cool. As pothole continues, Tyler wants to help his friends but realizes that, quote, what you want for some, some really don't want for themselves. Knowing that his efforts will be in vain, Tyler debates his options, quote, Now do I stay, do I go? That's my dilemma and traffic is picking up. If I don't leave, I'm get stuck. Rapped in this car metaphor is one of the most difficult decisions many of us are faced with at some point in our lives. I guess that most of you at some point have had to confront separating or distancing yourself from someone you care about because their issues, habits,

or attitude ultimately encroach on your own growth or happiness. Because you genuinely care for this person, the decision to leave is extremely difficult as you feel. feel like you're abandoning someone in need of help. But often, like Tyler points out, people can only truly change when they're ready, despite how much you may try to help or motivate them. At a certain point, staying damages both parties, and so leaving becomes the best option, despite it being a difficult, often heartbreaking choice to make. As pothole continues, Tyler does just that, saying, so I speed off, we talk barely, and it seems awkward, and I heard through some words that you're off it. I got too much dry.

don't want to steer off path and crash and get distracted. Tyler is motivated. He has drive, and he's realized that hanging out with these types of friends his mother warned him about would ultimately put his own destiny in danger. It would seem Tyler's friends aren't happy about his decision as he continues, but I listen to that weatherman because it might rain, keep my windshield wipers prepared because you all throw so much shade. This seems to imply that the friends Tyler moved on from became embittered by his decision.

It's a very common reaction, particularly by those who are generally unmotivated because it's easier to talk shit or throw shade than it is to examine yourself, to deal with the issues that are contributing to the rift in the first place. Tyler continues his verse with an olive branch, saying, and I got jacket in the trunk, but that's in the front. I also got power for both of us if you're ever in need of jump. Just let me know. First, Tyler distinguishes that his trunk is not in the rear of his car, but the front. This helps to further further. established that Tyler is driving a McLaren's sports car, the same car he called out by name at the end of Hudap Boy. Tyler tells his friends that he'll always be there for them, letting them know that he's got power and can jumpstart their dead battery when they're motivated to change and ready to drive. This to me communicates the proper way to address the sensitive situation of distancing

yourself from those holding you back and unwilling to change. You communicate that although you're leaving, you still care for them and will be there to help when they're truly ready to accept your help. Pothole continues with the song's hook, which is performed by Jaden Smith. In need of jump, just let me know my niggas on him. Fish tail in the rear view bear on a. Skye. I had to switch gears on them, you know, swerve, left turn, steering wheel on a nigger, that's a pop hole.

Watch out for the potho. Watch out for the pah hole. Watch out for the pah hole. And Jaden, I was like, when I wrote the hook, I was like, oh my God, Jaden's voice would be perfect for the tone of this instrument. Yeah. I just had him come through and he did it and he was so hyped and he knocked it out so quick and I fucking love Jay and that's my boy.

Yeah. Yeah. Pot holes hook continues the extended car metaphor the song is constructed upon. He names his unmotivated friends he described in verse one as pot holes, something to be avoided when driving as it can slow you down or cause damage to your vehicle. Yeah, and just realizing some, not even in a negative way, but some people or things are potholes and after too many pop holes you're not going to be able to get anywhere because it just fucked the tire and the wheel alignment and things up like that.

Yeah. Situations, people, certain things could be potholes to get to your end, your end destination, and you just got to watch out. And that's what my mother would always tell me. And I didn't believe her until I had to experience it on my own. With verse 2 of pothole, we get an abrupt change of chords. Now, we've spent enough time today on music theory, but just know that these chords modulate the song's key signature,

which, like I pointed out earlier this season, almost never happens in hip-hop. Let's listen again to the original core progression we've heard throughout pothole. We now get a new four-core progression consisting of E minor 7, F-major 7, A-minor 7, and B-flat major 7. Because this modulation isn't set up in any traditional way, it comes as a pleasing, unexpected change of tonal atmosphere, a contrast accentuated by the entrance of a new synth line. One of the more interesting things about this modulation is that after a single performance of the four-cord progression, the song returns to its original state, back to the original four chords with which it began. This is interesting because when most composers write a new part like this, especially in hip-hop, they can't help but let it ride a while, and in most cases, return to it

again at some point later in the song. But Tyler just gives it to us one time, and we never hear it again, preserving the long-term value of the part. That is, it always comes as somewhat of a pleasant surprise and is impactful no matter how many times we listen to the track. We also note that while Pothole's main core progression is descending, that is it goes from high to low, this new progression is ascending, meaning it goes from low to high. Ascending progressions typically come with them a feeling of triumph and power, a mood that matches Tyler's lyrics during this part as he forges along his path despite its dangers and risks.

New boots on the back it says golf. So I be prepared for their bites, they all talk. I left the condom in the grass, so fuck off. Thematically, Tyler begins verse two picking up where verse one left off. He says, snakes in the grass, but I walk. I got some new boots on the back that says golf. be prepared for their bites, they're all talk. Snakes in the grass is a phrase used to describe slimy people who double cross or conduct mischief behind people's backs. We assume the snakes here

are the friends Tyler previously trusted but at some point crossed him. Despite their bites, Tyler walks anyway, not letting them to tour him from freely continuing down his path. He then cleverly plays off a snake being a euphemism for a penis, dismissing these quote-unquote friends, saying, I left the condom in the grass, so fuck off. At this point in the verse, Tyler pivots and returns to some familiar, more brooding themes. Likewise, it's precisely here where the music shifts from the triumphant ascending progression back to the original more brooding descending progression. Tyler says, watching Clarence in a mansion with nobody in it.

Here we get a vivid image of Tyler alone in a giant house watching Cartoon Network by himself. Coming off everything we heard thus far in the song, this helps to express how success can often lead to isolation and love. loneliness, as many old friends change, and new friends are hard to make, because you never know if they're just interested in you for your money and fame. Tyler then returns to the car-focused imagery, saying, Young successful N-word ride McLaren with no windows tinted. I drive by Piggy's when I'm in it because it feels amazing. Tyler uses Piggy's to refer to cops here. Despite being a young black male and a prime candidate for racial profiling, Tyler believes his wealth transcends his race and allows him to feel

secure driving an expensive car in the presence of police. This immunization from discrimination by way of wealth and the protection of his sports car was presented in a similar fashion on the album's opening track forward. This big clap splatter, you whip that nigger. Life a game of basketball, you better shoot that nigga because if that cop got tripped me, he better pool. Because when I get put over, I usually play a cool. Because I know what I'm driving is usually paid in full and my ego and possessions when I let me be one beat because I got a mansion. My mansion got some rooms. Despite the confidence and emotional shield his McLaren provides, Tyler is still riding around alone.

He continues pothole rapping, Oh, he lonely. All my friends talk about their hoes and tenderonies, but all I can show him is a couple cars and more things that I've made in a couple past month. Because of his lack of romantic relationships, Tyler can't contribute to a conversation about girls with his friends. Instead, he shows photos of his cars, again indicating that these and other material goods are an attempt to fill a void caused by his lack of a love life. We also consider the fact that because Tyler has alluded to his dream partner being a man, he feels estranged by conversations about hoes and tenderonies, both slang words for women.

Tyler brings verse 2 to a close with an extended metaphor about sheep, before revealing his real ambitions in life. I made in a couple past month he's on please. Everyone is a sheep. Me alone wolf. Nobody's going to make a peep because everyone wants some wolf. Since everyone is a sheep, now everyone here is cool. Drown in the pool by myself to fuck what they fleece.

C-man, T-man fans be seesaw. When blows, they go, which way, who knows? One day, fuck, no, the next day, okay. But fuck y'all, I know that T is four for four. I just want that garden and that bad mobile. Good health, success. Time on Earth worth while. You'll find somebody who love me and raise a couple of lizards,

but my vehicle's good for now. That's in a couple of miles. Don't keep you pushing, nigga. Tyler continues verse two with clever wordplay, rapping, Everyone is a sheep, me a lone wolf. Nobody can make a peep because everyone here wants some wool. Tyler here calls out most people's inclinations to be herded, to abide by status quo, to not stir the pot. But despite positioning himself as a lone wolf, or someone who exists outside this herded sheep-like mentality, it only contributes to the isolation and loneliness Tyler is expressed throughout the album.

Tyler continues the metaphor saying, since everyone is a sheep, not everyone here is cool. Because sheep have a thick coat of warm wool around their body, they are not quote-unquote cool, obviously a metaphor for Tyler's opinion on people who robotically abide by social norms. Tyler would rather die than conform, saying, I'd rather drown in a pool by myself than fuck with their fleece, fleece being a product that is often made from wool. Tyler continues his attack on the general public, turning his attention to the fickle segment of his fan base. He says, C-man, T-man fans BC saw. When blows, they go, which way, who knows? One day, fuck no, the next day, okay. But fuck y'all, I know that T is four for four. The latter line four for four refers to his

four albums, bastard, goblin, wolf, and cherry bomb. Because his first three projects were generally received well, it's likely that Tyler is most specifically talking about Cherrybaum and its poor reception among some of his fan base. Knowing that Tyler is already feeling isolated from his friends and the public at large, he feels that not even his fans are loyal to him, only furthering his feelings of alienation from the world. Tyler ends the verse with a mission statement of sorts.

He says, I just want that garden and that Batmobile, good health, success, time on earth worthwhile. Tyler uses garden here to represent growth and personal progress, but also humble sustainability. Aside from being another reference to a car, Batmobile is likely a nod to the tracks feature Jaden Smith, whose obsession with Batman is well documented. Tyler continues, find somebody who love me and raise a couple of lizards. This is a clever line in that the previous line ended with the word worthwhile, so the obvious rhyme here would be raise a couple of childs.

Tyler, of course, changes childs to lizards, tying into the nature garden theme. After clearly laying out his ambitions for a long-term relationship and family, Tyler acknowledges that his material possessions will have to suffice for now, saying, But my vehicle's good for now, that's in a couple of miles. Now keep it pushing. Tyler knows that more work needs to be done to fulfill his goal. To reach the final destination, he believes happiness and fulfillment reside. He's found success, he's found wealth and fame.

But after obtaining these things and still feeling unfulfilled, he's on a new path, a path influenced by his mother's advice, a path that is free of the potholes of negative influence. Look out for the pahoe, watch out for the pahole, watch out for the pahole. Conclusions Despite a number of references to growth and blooming on the album up until this point, Potthole is the first song on Flower Boy that actually displays the act of growth, displays Tyler taking tangible action to change the trajectory of his life.

As noted, the song is inspired by advice Tyler's mother gave to him, advice he previously ignored until now. This to me is a universal. sign of maturation. How many of us in life rolled our eyes and blew off the advice of our parental figures only to years later realize that they are right all along. Probably most of us. As we grow older, wiser, and more mature, we begin to respect and appreciate the words and experience of our elders. Tyler's acceptance of his mother's wisdom and his willingness to re-examine his life through that lens is growth exemplified. It's a new branch sprouting from a tree, an emerging pedal on a blooming

flower. We also consider that in order for new life to emerge, we must periodically prune our plants, trees, and flowers. Pruning is the targeted removal of diseased, damaged, dead, non-productive, or otherwise unwanted material. In this same way, Tyler is displayed on pothole the pruning or removal of deadwood friends from his life who are prohibiting or hindering his growth as a person. This is another sign of maturation, as we know this removal is often a very hard, difficult, but ultimately necessary decision to make. Again, it's another sign of maturity, this understanding that short-term pain is often necessary for long-term happiness, and that sometimes we must prioritize ourselves, despite how it might make another person feel. Potthole ends with the crucial

plot point in Flower Boy's narrative. We know Tyler has been driving in McLarence since the end of Hudat Boy. There, we also heard Tyler hit a pothole, which led to the track potholeole we discussed at length today. It seems that this pothole did some real damage, as Tyler has heard at the end of pothole pulling over and getting out of his car. After Tyler cuts the engine, we hear nature sounds, jingling keys, and footsteps as he approaches a door. Tyler puts his key in and unlocks the door, and by the sound it makes, it seems the door is thin and made a metal. Indeed, given that the album's next track is entitled Garden Shed, we'd be safe to assume that Tyler is entering a small metal shed where one typically keeps garden tools. This is a pivotal moment of Flower Boy. Tyler has

abandoned his car, which we of course know acts as his emotional shield, a representation of the material toys he distracts himself with in order to avoid his loneliness and the lack of love and meaning in his life. He's now entered a garden shed, a place where maintenance tools are stored, tools that help improve the quality of one's garden. We also recognize that a shed is essentially an outdoor closet, a place where one can potentially hide things, which of course has metaphoric connotations about Tyler's sexuality. Indeed, while Pothole addressed the hindrance around him, Tyler enters the shed to address perhaps the biggest hindrance to his personal growth, himself. Gaulship, Goddardship, Goddardship for the Godin. That is where I was ID and that was real love

I was Ian. Ain't no reason to pretend. Goddorship, Goddardship, Goddardship, Goddardship for the songs and feelings that I was galle in my mind. Garden Shed is Flower Boy's emotional and thematic centerpiece, a song I feel to be among the greatest of the 21st century. A song will examine note by note, line by line. Next time on Dysect. Dysect is written and produced by me, original theme music by Beirocratic,

song recreations by Andrew Atwood, audio editing by Eric Bass and me. If you enjoy Dysect, please help me spread the word by telling a friend, family member, or co-worker about the show. follow DissectPod playlist on Spotify, where you can find music playlist curated by yours truly. Also, be sure to say hi at Dissect Podcast on Twitter and Instagram, and join our newsletter at dissectpodcast.com. Okay, thanks everyone. I'll talk to you next week.