Kanye West's that My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is a concept album about Shrek. So here's the detailed and annotated explanation, taken on a track-by-track basis. This is irrefutable evidence, my guys. 1. Dark Fantasy Begins with the line "You might think you've peeped the scene. You haven't", which indicates to the listener a deep understanding of the Shrek mythology. Shrek mixes North American fantasy literature with Germanic folktales in a profoundly new way, creating an experience novel to American Cinema; an scene that had not previously been "peeped" (discovered) even if those creating the films believe that they've already peeped all novel areas. Kanye knows that this is unlike other fantasy settings, calling those "awful, blasted boring" filled with "twisted fictions" and "sick addictions" and instead evangelizes the world of Shrek, telling children to "gather round" and listen. References to a "watered down" fantasy and the "one you know" refer to other mythological settings that lack the innovative and fantastic focus of the Shrek mythology. In a similar fashion, Kanye expertly identified that the universe of Shrek does not follow the law of physics. He was shocked and amazed by the mechanics of the dragon's flight, imaginging flying above her on the skies, "Can we get much higher"? This beautiful moment is undercut by the melancholy realization that Dragon is already "so high" and therefore unlikely to rize further. 2. Gorgeous This describes the feeling of Shrek leaving the swamp to go to the jousting tournament. He needs to be victorious in order to keep his house; there is no question if he "wants it", he "needs it" and he knows that he will not fail, as "not for nothing [Shrek's] foreseen it" and dreamt it. He will aslo not forgive Farquaad this transgression, stating that he will "never, ever let [Farqauaad] live this down, down, down." 3. Power Shrek had previously kept to his swamp and rarely, if ever interacted with the regular world. So, at the jousting tournmanet, he realizes that he is physically stronger than any man in the Kingdom. Shrek is uncomfortable with this proportionatey, reasoning that "no one man [or Ogre] should have all this power". But Shrek's delicate emotional state is compounded by the fact that he is "tripping off the power" and seeks to find a place to hide, remarking "good night cruel world, I'll see you in the morning". 4/5. All of The Lights This song changes to the perspective of Donkey where he first goes to the kingdom. He's amazed by the "fast cars" and the "shooting stars" and realizes that this is a place where "if you want it, you can get it for the rest of your life". He's amazed by the fast-paced technological development of the world but this song, too, is bitter sweet. He recognizing that "something wrong" as he holds "[his] head" and that this mortal life is necessarily fleeting, and so he must leave. 6. Monster This song is the next morning. Shrek has angrily taken Donkey from the kingdom (for their quest to save -blam!-a) and in doing so, for him, "[shot] the lights out [and hid] til it's bright out". Shrek is on an adrenilane high from the tournmanet, saying that his "the best living or dead hands down" and "ain't nobody cold as this". While he lionizes himself, the tone switches to omniscient third person narration, when the helpful narrator (featuring rapper Jay-Z) asks "Sasquatch, Godzilla, King Kong, Loch Ness, Goblin, ghoul, zombie with no conscience. Question: What do these things all have in common?" The answer being quite simple: none of them are an ogre. This implies that the ogre is not a true moster, which sets up the introduction of Dragon in the third verse. As suggested, the third verse is the introduction of the Dragon, who "rocks gold teeth and fangs", because that what a real monster "do". 7. So Appalled This is a short, cute song about the courtship between Shrek and -blam!-a. Originally they do not get along, Shrek being "so appalled" by -blam!-a's boorish conduct and imagining the "champagne wishes" and "thirty white bitches" waiting for him when he comes back to the kingdo, with Farquaad's bride-to-be. -blam!-a, for her part, doesn't know how to "begin this" because she is just "so offended" and is worried that if she becomes queen her subjects may begin to turn on her, giving her that "dark knight feeling" where -blam!-a worries she may "live long enough to see [herself] become [the] villain". 8. Devil in a New Dress This is one of the climactic moments of the film where Shrek realizes that under nightfall -blam!-a becomes an Ogre, just has well. -blam!-a hates this, but Shrek remarks "I love it though, I love it though, y'know?". Shrek begins to fall in love with this new Ogrish, further remarking "the way you look should be a sin, you my sinsation". Meanwhile, Donkey continues to enough his life and this experience, bragging that he is "never tired of ballin', so it's on to the next sport". 9. Runaway Perhaps the simplest and most direct track on the album, this demonstrates the emotional anguish Shrek feels at handing over -blam!-a to Farquaad even though he, Shrek, is in love with her. He tries to find reasons to reject his love, citing his ability to "always find something wrong" and attempts to retreat into his prior anger, wanting a "toast for the douchebags". However, this too proves hollow and Shrek is alone in his love for -blam!-a, his only salvation being that she may be happier without him; so, in this, he implores her to "run away hast as [she] can". 10. Hell of a Life This flips back to Lord Farquaad's perspective. He sees -blam!-a as he wants her to be, not as she is, bragging to others that "[he] just fell in love with a porn star, turn the camera on, she a born star" and demanding that she "grab [Farquaad's] hand" and they will have "a hell of a life" once they get married. 11. Blame Game Opening with the line "Whose Fault?", both Shrek and -blam!-a seperately pine for one another. Shrek thinks that he'd "rather argue with [-blam!-a] than be with someone else" and thinks about their time in the ogre shack "gripping [her] up, -blam!-ing, and choking" as a memory of the good times they had had together. Shrek wants to blame himself and -blam!-a wants to blame herself, wondering why "things used to be, now they not". The song ends in an extended imagination-sequence where -blam!-a buys Farquaad a thing that "Twista" had on "in the Source". 12. Lost in The World Shrek has returned to his swamp "up in the woods" and his "down on [his] mind" and is "building a still" to "down the time". He thinks back to his time with -blam!-a, remarking that she was his "devil . . angel . . heaven . . hell . . freedom .. . jail . . . lies" etc and only has faith that they will be re-united in death. knowing that they will "still get laid in the afterlife". The song ends on an outro of "heys" and "woahs" making it unclear whether Shrek will actually pursue -blam!-a or languish in absurdity. 13. Who Will Survive in America This cliffhanger is reinforced by the open question: "Who Will Survive in America?". Here, Kanye turns directly to the listener and asks them to critically engage with the story he has just been telling. Shrek has made critical sacrifices to "survive in America", but he asks if the price is worth the cost. The story ends on this open-ended question, leaving us to decide whether -blam!-a is ever re-united with Shrek.