The Verdict: Guilty of Speaking the Truth

I’ve spent 30 years in audio production, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that honesty terrifies people. Especially lawyers.

Last summer, I was itching to get back behind the mixing board, not for a client, not for a paycheck, but for my own sanity. I started cutting tracks for what became my project album, Dangerous Weapons. The title isn’t some edgy marketing ploy. It’s a direct quote from a lawyer.

I was in a legal battle where an opposing attorney, red-faced and grasping for straws, complained to the judge about my songwriting. He actually stood there and argued that my lyrics were “Dangerous Weapons.” At first, I felt insulted. Then, the realization hit me like a kick drum to the chest. He wasn’t talking about violence. He was talking about truth.

In his world of fabricated narratives, raw honesty was a threat. A weapon. So, I did what any self-respecting creative would do. I didn’t shut up. I turned up the volume. That courtroom tantrum became the fuel for the entire record.

The Sound: Chasing the Perfect Pocket

If you listen to “Listen Up, Kid,” the first thing that grabs you isn’t the lyrics, it’s the bass line. I made a conscious choice here. I didn’t want a somber ballad for a heavy subject. I wanted funk.

I’m talking about that 1970s, sweat-on-the-brow, deep-pocket groove. I’ve always said if reincarnation is real, I’m coming back as a bassist in a disco-funk outfit. There is a specific discipline to that sound. It’s not about playing a million notes. It’s about playing the right notes and leaving space for the rest to breathe.

I pulled heavy inspiration from Kool & The Gang. If you analyze their tracks like “Fresh” or “Celebration,” the bass isn’t just supporting the melody. It’s driving the entire emotional state of the room. It’s tight, syncopated, and locks in with the kick drum to create a heartbeat. That’s the energy I wanted, a vibe that forces your head to nod even while the lyrics are delivering a gut punch.

The Origin: A Voice from the Ring

The groove might be fun, but the story is dead serious. The title “Listen Up, Kid” comes from the last time I saw my younger brother, Brian. He died of stomach cancer in 2013. He was a fighter, but stage 4 is a heavyweight champion that does not play fair.

During our final days together, I could not handle the silence of a hospital room. So, I turned on a recorder. I “interviewed” him. I asked him to leave messages for the family, not tearful goodbyes, but advice. Actionable intel for the living.

He started his message to my son, who was only four years old at the time, and the first words out of his mouth were: “Listen Up, Kid.”

That phrase stuck with me. It wasn’t gentle. It was authoritative. It was the sound of a man who knew his time was up and needed to transfer his wisdom before the bell rang.

The Mickey Goldmill Philosophy

When I sat down to write the lyrics, I kept picturing my brother in a boxing ring. He fought that cancer with a ferocity that reminded me of a boxer cornered but swinging. Naturally, my mind went to the ultimate cinematic representation of grit: Mickey Goldmill from the Rocky franchise.

People misread Mickey. They think he’s just a grumpy old man yelling insults. They’re wrong. Mickey Goldmill is the embodiment of high-stakes love. When he yells at Rocky, “You’re gonna eat lightnin’ and you’re gonna crap thunder!” he isn’t just coaching a sport. He’s trying to save a life.

Mickey projected his own regrets onto Rocky. He saw a kid with talent who was wasting it as a “leg-breaker” for a loan shark. He pushed Rocky because he knew the world would chew him up if he stayed soft. That dynamic, the older, hardened mentor trying to toughen up the naive protege, is the heartbeat of this song. It’s a father figure saying, “I’ve taken the hits so you don’t have to.” The audience hopes the kid listens. A lot of people can apply this story to their own lives in different ways.

Anatomy of the Lyrics: The Teenage Brain vs. Reality

The song acts as a dialogue between that mentor figure and a young kid who thinks they’re invincible. We’ve all been there. You hit adolescence, and suddenly you think you’ve got the cheat codes to life. Take the line: 

“You think you’re untouchable, like trouble can’t find you, but every choice you make is keepin’ score behind you.”

This isn’t just “old man yelling at cloud” energy. There’s actual biology at play here. Science tells us that the adolescent brain, specifically the prefrontal cortex, which handles decision-making and consequences, isn’t fully developed until your mid-20s. Teenagers literally process risk differently. They run on the amygdala, the emotional center. They’re wired to swing blind.

The song tries to bridge that gap. It’s a warning shot.

No Magic Shields

Another lyric that lands hard for me is:

“You don’t get a secret pass, don’t get a magic shield. What you ignore today is what tomorrow reveals.”

This is the antidote to the participation-trophy mindset. In the real world, consequences don’t care about your intentions. You can ignore the red flags in your finances, your relationships, or your health, but they are not going away. They are compounding. “Tomorrow reveals” is the most dangerous phrase in the English language if you are not prepared.

When you’re in crisis mode, you get tunnel vision. You focus on stabilizing the present moment, keeping the lights on, keeping the peace. You forget that the bill for today’s comfort comes due next Tuesday. This song is the reminder to look up and scan the horizon.

The Turn: It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over

If the song stayed in that heavy, lecture-mode lane, it would be a drag. But remember, this is a funk track. It needs release. It needs redemption.

The bridge flips the script:

“You got spark, you got thunder / You got time to get it right / But you gotta stop swingin’ blind / If you want to win the fight.”

This is the Mickey Goldmill moment. After the yelling, after the insults, he patches Rocky up and sends him back out. It’s the acknowledgment that potential is useless without direction. You have the “spark,” but you need to stop flailing at shadows.

“Listen Up, Kid” is ultimately about clarity. It’s about taking the cotton out of your ears and the blinders off your eyes. The groove makes you move, but the words make you think. That’s the sweet spot I was aiming for with Dangerous Weapons. I’m not a professional singer, and I don’t pretend to be. But I know how to tell a story, and I know how to produce a track that hits the solar plexus.

So, go ahead. Give it a listen. If the groove grabs you, great. If the lyrics make you rethink your next move, even better.

And if you think it’s dangerous? Good. I’ll take that as a compliment.

Full Lyrics:

Listen up, Kid
Listen up, Kid
Better hear this

You keep movin like the world owes you something back
Pushin every limit till you’re inches from the crack
You think you’re untouchable, like trouble can’t find you
But every choice you make is keepin score behind you

You’re playin with fire
Like fire can’t burn
Life don’t forget a thing
And everything returns

Listen up, Kid
Listen up, Kid
Life hits harder than you ever did
Listen up, Kid
Listen up, Kid
One wrong move can flip the whole script

You’re runnin half blind, thinkin speed makes you strong
But a fast bad choice still leads you dead wrong
You don’t get a secret pass, don’t get a magic shield
What you ignore today is what tomorrow reveals

You’re dancin on the edge
Like edges don’t cut
Wake up before the cost
Turns everything to dust

Listen up, Kid
Listen up, Kid
Life hits harder than you ever did
Listen up, Kid
Listen up, Kid
One wrong move can flip the whole script

One moment can stain a lifetime
One voice can twist your view
One lie can sound like comfort
Till it cashes out on you
You got spark, you got thunder
You got time to get it right
But you gotta stop swingin blind
If you want to win the fight

Listen up, Kid
Listen up, Kid
Hear it now, hear it now
Listen up, Kid
Listen up, Kid
Better learn what matters now

Listen up, Kid
Listen up, Kid
Life hits harder than you ever did
Listen up, Kid
Listen up, Kid
The next move’s yours, don’t let it slip