What happened over the weekend? At 8:34 on Friday night, Kanye West tweeted. He said he’d be premiering a song in a half hour and we’d have to do what he said to hear it – we’d have to go to a particular address and stand outside with other people and watch a video projected onto the side of a building. Of course, the first video of the video was up within minutes, so most people didn’t have to do any such thing. “New Slaves” spread, the texting and Vineing and opining ran rampant. A few hours later even Michael Moore was Rap Genius-ing the song. The next night Kanye was the musical guest on the season finale of ‘Saturday Night Live,’ where he premiered another new song, “Black Skinhead,” performed “New Slaves” for the first time and stood alone while the cast hugged around him and the credits rolled.

He came for us on wavelengths old-fashioned and new, inserting into our conversations two songs that are stacks of questions without answers. Received as part of Kanye’s 15-year career, they make sense – from the composition that is both heavy-handed and deft to the singsong retort of his flow and the lyrics that combine insecurity with callous certainty, that decry consumerism while refusing to give it up, that drag internal conversations in front of a mass-market, hair-trigger, blinkered audience. “New Slaves” is the “c’mon, c’mon” in the “All Falls Down” hook 10 years and millions of dollars later. He’s got more on the line now — a decade of living has made him less inclined to sugarcoat.

Oh, when I lift you up you feel
Like a hundred times yourself
I wish everybody knew
What’s so great about you

Oh, but your love is such a swamp
You don’t think before you jump
And I said I wouldn’t get sucked in

This is the last time

Oh, don’t tell anyone I’m here
I’ve got Tylenol and beer
I was thinking that you’d call somebody
Closer to you

Oh, but your love is such a swamp
You’re the only thing I want
And I said I wouldn’t cry about

This is the last time
This is the last time

We were so under the brine
We were so vacant and kind
We were so under the brine
We were so vacant
We were so under the brine
We were so out of our minds
We were so under the brine
We were so vacant

Oh, when I lift you up you feel
Like a hundred times yourself
I wish everybody knew
What’s so great about you

Oh, but your love is such a swamp
You don’t think before you jump
And I said I wouldn’t get sucked in

I won’t be vacant anymore
I won’t be waiting anymore
I won’t be faking anymore
I won’t be waiting anymore

Jenny I am in trouble
Can’t get these thoughts out of me
Jenny I’m seeing double
I know this changes everything

It takes a lot of rain in the cup
It takes a lot of pain to pick me up
It takes a lot of rain in the cup
It takes a lot of pain to pick me up

Baby you gave me bad ideas
Baby you left me sad and high