Theodore Roosevelt vs Winston Churchill/Rap Meanings

Theodore Roosevelt:
'''Bully! A challenge! I love competition!'''

(Roosevelt, a proud hunter and boxer, revels in the opportunity this rap battle provides to prove himself against another man. "Bully" is a word used to indicate excitement. Roosevelt also coined the popular term "bully pulpit" to refer to the American presidency as a platform to advance a political agenda.)

Now, where would I mount the stuffed head of a Winston?

(Hunters such as Roosevelt typically stuff and mount the heads of game that they kill on their hunts as a trophy. Roosevelt says that he will kill Churchill in this battle, then stuff and mount Churchill's head as a trophy of his achievement.)

(Ha!) I'm into fitness, digging ditches through an isthmus,

(Theodore Roosevelt was known for constructing the Panama Canal, a canal used for transport between oceans without having to sail around South America. An isthmus is a small strip of land between two landmasses. The Panama Canal's location is in an isthmus. Roosevelt was also known to be a man that enjoyed exercise and kept himself fit.)

Rough riding down to Cuba like, "What's up, bitches?!"

(Roosevelt makes a play on the "Rough Riders", the nickname of the 1st United States Volunteer Calvary which was commanded by Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War. Their greatest victory came during the Battle of San Juan Hill in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, and they were pivotal in seizing Santiago. "What's up, bitches?!" is a meta reference to the catchphrase used throughout the ERB News videos, which became most associated with Roosevelt during his repeated uses as a news host.)

I keep my rhymes pure like my food and drugs!

(One of the many laws Roosevelt became famous for enacting was the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, which required purveyors of food or drugs to disclose the ingredients in their products. In the same manner, Roosevelt prefers a well-formed rap verse to a bad one and says he delivers good rhymes.)

I'm an American stud, and you're the British Elmer Fudd!

(A stud is a man who is very attractive and a hit with the ladies. Elmer Fudd is the archnemesis of Bugs Bunny from the Looney Tunes comedy shorts who is depicted as being bald, short, and fat in most appearances, qualities that Roosevelt sees in Churchill and makes him unattractive in comparison.)

I mean, for Christ's sake, look at that mug!

(To bridge between the prior and following lines, Roosevelt emphasizes how ridiculous Churchill looks. Mug is also a common British insult used to describe an idiotic or foolish person.)

At least grow a spruce mustache and cover part of it up!

(Roosevelt is noted for his walrus mustache which he sees as spruce, or cool. Facial hair can often be considered make-up for a man, so by growing one, it would cover Churchill's unattractive face to make it more appealing.)

And let's face it, you're not all that great!

(Roosevelt says that Churchill should face the fact that his supposed greatness was false, leading into his next line. This is possibly also Roosevelt saying that Great Britain, the country that Churchill used to run, doesn't deserve to be known as Great, and should just be Britain.)

You tossed away lives in Gallipoli like they were scraps off your plate!

(During Churchill's tenure as First Lord of the Admiralty, he convinced the government to try to push ships through Gallipoli in order to restock troops and capture Constantinople. This ultimately failed, with Churchill resigning and nearly everybody killed. Here, Roosevelt claims Churchill just tossed away the navy's lives carelessly like they were worthless "scraps". Scraps are an item that can be purchased from fish and chips establishments in the UK.)

Your whole miserable country is the size of one state!

(Roosevelt is saying that Churchill's country, the United Kingdom, is only the size of one USA state, as shown, the state in question is Alabama. Roosevelt says that he had control over more land than Churchill did. )

I could see my way through running that without donning my pince-nez!

(During his tenure as Governor of New York and President, Roosevelt boxed with different partners several times a week and only stopped after a blow to the face left him blind in the left eye. On top of that, Roosevelt wore pince-nez glasses since he was nearsighted. Roosevelt continues his insults towards the United Kingdom's size and Churchill's incapability as a leader by saying he would be a way better Prime Minister than Churchill running the country completely blind.)

Don't go toe to toe with me, you bloated, drunk, old man!

(Going toe to toe with someone means to challenge them to a fight. Roosevelt implies that he could easily beat him in a fight since he does not drink, is more physically fit, and assumed presidency at a younger age than Churchill.)

Why don't you do-si-do on over to a twelve-step program?

(Do-si-do is a dance move that is typically seen in square dancing. Roosevelt continues to insult Churchill's alcoholism by telling him to dance and take part in a twelve-step program, which are twelve guidelines by Alcoholics Anonymous to overcome alcohol addiction.)

I'll bust a trust fund lush with my American muscles,

(Roosevelt, following his statements about the alcoholism of Churchill, points out that while Roosevelt himself was a physical fighter and earned histitle, Churchill lived off a trust fund, and having been born to the Dukes of Marlborough, lived a cushy life.)

So walk softly over here and give my big stick a suckles!

(This is a play on Roosevelt's Big Stick ideology for foreign policy where he exclaimed "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Roosevelt uses his "big stick" as a double entendre for his penis, which he instructs Churchill to suck.)

Winston Churchill:
Pass me a cigar and a large glass of brandy.

(Churchill asks for a cigar to smoke and a glass of brandy to drink in preparation for his battle with Roosevelt.)

I'm about to take you out prematurely like your family!

(Churchill says he will destroy Roosevelt early on in this battle like his immediate family, who mostly died while in their 30s and 40s with the exception of Roosevelt's sister, Corinne.)

I'm the Rhyme Minister, fresh in a hat and dinner jacket!

(Churchill was the Prime Minister of the UK. Churchill says that he is also great at rhymes, making him the "Rhyme" Minister, a pun of "Rhyme" and "Prime". This may also be a reference to Dan Bull's video, "BRITAIN'S NEW LEADER RAPS LIKE A BOSS", in which the description makes the same pun. )

You look like a mix of EpicLLOYD and a Pringles packet!

(Roosevelt is portrayed by EpicLLOYD. Churchill draws Roosevelt's likeness to EpicLLOYD, and also a Pringles packet, since both the Pringles mascot and Roosevelt share the same facial hair at the top of the "body".)

(Ha!) I was saving the planet from an axis of darkness

(Churchill is famous for defending Western Europe from the Axis powers, consisting of leaders Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany, Benito Mussolini of Fascist Italy, and Tojo Hideki of the Empire of Japan, during WWII, him being one of the main three Allied leaders, along with Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin. Churchill is basically saying he saved the planet from the Axis powers.)

While you were back home opening national parks, yes!

(Conservation was a big part of Roosevelt's presidency to protect land and wildlife, signing into law the creation of five national parks: Crater Lake, Wind Cave, Sullys Hill, Platt, and Mesa Verde. Churchill sees fighting to stop the Axis powers as a greater accomplishment than remaining home and opening national parks.)

You were born asthmatic; you're going to choke hard,

(Asthma is a condition which inflames the throat, making it hard to breathe sometimes. Churchill says that since Roosevelt is asthmatic, he will "choke" hard. "Choking" in rap terms is when someone hesitates.)

While I wake up every day and chain smoke cigars!

(Churchill, along with being a heavy drinker, was also known to have a love for smoking cigars. Chain smoking is when a person smokes several cigars/cigarettes in succession, which is another jab at Roosevelt's asthma as it is risky for asthmatics to smoke while Churchill would be unaffected by chain smoking every day.)

I'll fight you on the beaches; I'll fight you on the beats, yes!

(Churchill was famous for saying he would fight the Axis on the beaches, and he follows up with saying he will also fight him on the beat, as in, in a rap battle, leading into the next line.)

Any way you want to fight, I'll fight ya, and I'll beat ya, see?

(Churchill tells Roosevelt to take his pick of venues, that Churchill will beat him in any of them.)

I might be battling you even though I'm toasted,

(Churchill, in a lead-up to the next line, points out that while battling Roosevelt he is intoxicated.)

But tomorrow, I'll be sober, and you'll still be roasted!

(While he is intoxicated, he will have sobered up tomorrow, but Roosevelt will still be roasted from Churchill's disses. These lines are also a reference to a quote attributed to Churchill, supposedly in response to British politician Bessie Braddock calling him drunk, in which he says "And you, Bessie, are ugly. But I shall be sober in the morning, and you will still be ugly.")

Theodore Roosevelt:
My parents died when they were young, and it was morbid,

(Roosevelt's parents, Theodore Roosevelt Sr. and Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, died at the young ages of 46 and 48 from typhoid fever and complications from a gastrointestinal tumor, respectively.)

But at least they didn't ditch me while they were alive like yours did!

(Churchill had a distant relationship with his parents; while at Harrow School, his mother rarely visited and Churchill remarked that he barely spoke to his father. In contrast, Roosevelt was very close to his parents; and his father was the person who encouraged Roosevelt to take up an exercise regimen. Roosevelt uses these facts to taunt Churchill over his lack of parental bonding.)

'''Oh shit! World War too soon?'''

(Churchill lead the UK in World War II. When something is "too soon" it's meant to be funny, but touches a serious subject. Roosevelt asks Churchill that if the joke was too harsh for Churchill to handle.)

Well, Teddy's dropping bombs, so you best go hide in your tube!

(The Tube is the nickname for the London Underground, the world's oldest subway system. They were commonly used as shelters to the German air raids. Churchill used Down Street Station, which had been closed since 1932, as his base of operations until the cabinet war rooms were built. Roosevelt is making fun of him for hiding, while he could have been up there doing the fighting.)

(Ooh!) You should be ashamed of your military honor!

(Due to earlier statements made by him, Roosevelt believes Churchill shouldn't be proud of what he has done.)

Everyone knows you're back at home like, "Thank God for Pearl Harbor!"

(Roosevelt is saying the British are grateful for Pearl Harbor, a bombing in Hawaii that brought the US into World War II, since the US will now take care of WWII and Churchill won't have to.)

Don't worry, the US will give you a pass!

(Roosevelt sarcastically re-assures Churchill that the US will always be there to save Britain, as they claim to have done in two world wars.)

Just change your poster to "Keep calm and kiss my cousin's ass!"

("Keep Calm and Carry On" is a catchphrase that appeared on British public safety posters during the World War II-era that has since become an internet meme. Roosevelt tells Churchill to change this and show that he is sucking up to Franklin D. Roosevelt to maintain a good relationship with the US.)

Winston Churchill:
'''Steady there! I don't think it's very fair'''

(Churchill warns Roosevelt to slow down, and point out that he doesn't like how the battle isn't fair, which he answers in the next line.)

For a British Bulldog to melee with a Teddy Bear!

(The "British Bulldog" is the nickname of Winston Churchill. The Teddy Bear is a stuffed animal named after Roosevelt. Churchill is saying that a stuffed animal fighting a vicious dog wouldn't be fair.)

(Ha!) You're no man; you're an overgrown Boy Scout!

(Churchill compares Roosevelt to a child, continued on the next line. Roosevelt was an ardent supporter of the Boy Scouts of America, and was honorary vice president of the organization.)

I should stuff you in a pram just so you can throw your toys out!

(Churchill compares Roosevelt to a baby throwing a temper tantrum. Pram is the English term for Buggy.)

They put your fat head on a mountain to save face,

(Churchill says that they put Roosevelt's head on Mount Rushmore to "save face". To "save face" is to avoid humiliation, and Mount Rushmore has four faces on it. Churchill says the only reason Roosevelt's face is on Rushmore is out of sympathy and to avoid embarrassment.)

But if Rushmore was a band, then you'd play bass!

(Bass players are often joked about being the least popular and significant band member in comparison to the drummer, lead vocalist, and guitarist, or in this case, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln, who Churchill sees as being more impressive than Roosevelt. Coincidentally, there is a rock band named Mount Rushmore from San Francisco, California.)

'''Look at Roosevelt! The dude's about to lose the bout to Churchill!'''

(Churchill claims that Roosevelt is about to lose to him, and is saying to look at himself, because he is about to lose.)

If a bullet to the chest won't stop you, my words will!

(Roosevelt survived an assassination attempt when he was shot in the chest by a saloonkeeper named John Schrank while giving a speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Miraculously, the bullet did not reach his lung to pierce it due to his steel eyeglass case and thick 50-page speech in his jacket. Churchill will kill Roosevelt for good this time with his raps.)

Theodore Roosevelt:
A bullet can't stop the Bull Moose!

(As the previous line references, Roosevelt said the famous quote after the assassination attempt in Milwaukee, "Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot, but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose.")

TR will give WC the full deuce!

(Churchill happens to share his initials with a water closet, which is a small room containing a toilet. Deuce is a slang term for shit, so Roosevelt is going to give Churchill full-on shit with his disses.)

Winston Churchill:
Whatever shit you throw at me, I'll just return to sender!

("Returning to sender" is when someone re-delivers a package to the original sender. Churchill says that he will return any disses back at the one who sent the disses as a rebuttal to Roosevelt's previous line.)

I'll battle to the end, and I will never surrender!

(This line references Churchill's famous "We shall fight on the beaches" speech, where he states, "We shall never surrender." Churchill states he will keep on fighting until this battle ends, but will never surrender, so will not be the loser.)