David Copperfield vs Harry Houdini/Rap Meanings

Harry Houdini:
You've never seen a body quite the same as that of Houdini!

(Houdini was said to be able to escape stunts that a regular human body wouldn't be able to get out of. He opens his verse saying that a body like his has never been seen before.)

Slippery like linguine, sneaking outta teeny weenie,

(Houdini continues, stating that he is able to easily escape from the smallest of traps, and therefore he is "slippery", much like linguine, a thin and flat Italian pasta.)

Little spaces small enough to fit your talent, David!

(Houdini claims that Copperfield has very little talent, and that it is of an amount small enough to fit in the boxes or cases that Houdini escaped from.)

You're not a challenge, David!

(Houdini doesn't see Copperfield as a worthy opponent in this battle.)

Your biggest endowment's your bank account balances, baby!

(Houdini states that the only accomplishment of Copperfield's is the amount of money he has. Copperfield has a net worth of $800 million.)

So abracadabra, you billowy bitch!

(Abracadabra is a stereotypical magician word, usually used as an indication a trick is being performed, one such trick being causing someone to disappear, which Houdini is indicating Copperfield should do. The term billow refers to smoke, so Houdini is calling Copperfield an unprofessional illusionist who only uses smoke to successfully execute his illusions.)

Man, you look like a pirate on a Las Vegas strip!

(Copperfield has his own stage that he performs in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, close to the Treasure Island Hotel, former home of the "Sirens of TI", a nightly show on the Las Vegas strip (the downtown corridor on which many of Vegas' top resorts can be found) about Sirens engaging pirates. Houdini is saying that Copperfield looks like a pirate that would be on that show.)

I'm swallowing needles and spitting out evil, you couldn't escape from a flash paper bag!

(One of Houdini's tricks was swallowing a whole line of needles. Here, he says he spits out, or regurgitates, the needles as evil, or harsh lines. Flash paper is a very thin and fragile sheet of paper used by magicians that can be very easily ripped or torn, and is highly flammable. Houdini is suggesting that Copperfield is so incompetent that he couldn't even manage to escape from a bag made out of flash paper.)

I'm badder with patter and matter of fact, you can't match all my skill if you sawed me in half!

(Sawing a person in half is a very popular magic act, and Copperfield did it to himself in his Death Saw trick. Houdini continues to jab at Copperfield for having little skill compared to him, and even goes as far as saying that even if someone did this trick on him, he would still have more skill than Copperfield because Copperfield has nowhere near half of Houdini's skill.)

David Copperfield:
When I was a child, you were a god to me.

(Copperfield admits that Houdini was his childhood inspiration to get into magic.)

I had to do what you do; now you're like a Chinese wall to me.

(Despite looking up to Houdini previously, Copperfield now compares him to the Great Wall of China, which he explains in the next line.)

Bitch, I'll walk right through you!

(Copperfield walked right through the Great Wall of China, and he's saying that he'll do the same to Houdini, walking right through him to victory as if he didn't exist.)

This ain't the magic that you're used to.

(Over the years, modern magicians such as Copperfield, Criss Angel, Penn & Teller, and many others have done new magic tricks such as the levitation of themselves and/or others, walking on water, bringing paintings to life, and more. Copperfield says Houdini isn't familiar with these kinds of new tricks.)

I float a rose, handsfree, like it's Bluetooth.

(Bluetooth is a short-range radio system that allows small devices such as cell phones and game consoles to exchange data and share capabilities. Bluetooth radios are most often found in wireless ("hands-free") speakerphones, to which this line refers to. Copperfield is saying that his magic is quite advanced compared to Houdini's that he can make a rose float without using his hands.)

My grand illusions make your parlor tricks irrelevant,

(Copperfield is saying his illusions are much grander than Houdini's magic, which he compares to "parlor tricks" (which are simple magic tricks that are easy to execute) and says that such pathetic magic would leave him forgotten.)

The foot of Lady Liberty is stomping on your elephant.

(Copperfield famously made the Statue of Liberty (or "Lady Liberty") disappear, winning him the Guinness World Record for the largest object made to disappear by a magician. Houdini did likewise with an elephant. The enormity of the statue compared to a mere elephant makes Copperfield superior to Houdini.)

You failed at making movies, and you failed at making kids,

(Copperfield is mocking Houdini's poor film career and the fact that he didn't have any children due to being sterile.)

You should stick to what you're good at and lock them lips!

(Continuing on from the last line, Copperfield is telling Houdini to do something he's good at, such as being locked up, whilst also telling him to stay silent.)

(Ohh!) Here's a tidbit that might drive you nuts,

(A tidbit is a small piece of gossip or information. David is going to tell Houdini some information, which he claims could drive Houdini insane.)

I bought half of your shit, and I keep it locked up!

(Copperfield has amassed a large amount of magic memorabilia. His collection has cost him upwards of $200 million and includes the world's largest Harry Houdini museum. Half of Houdini's belongings are owned by Copperfield, and like its previous owner, he keeps them locked up.)

Got the slim fingers that were built for slights,

(Copperfield claims he has nimble fingers that were made for "sleights", referring to sleight of hand, the hand methods and finger techniques used by magicians which commonly involves making things appear and disappear quickly.)

You're a chunky stuntman; dressed in tights!

(Houdini is famous for daring escapes. Copperfield is dissing Houdini's clothing and calling him overweight while referencing how in films, stuntmen are used for doing such escapes, so calling Houdini a stuntman elevates Copperfield to the primary actor.)

You talk shit about your hero; that ain't right!

(Houdini idolized French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin and based his stage name on his, incorrectly believing that adding an "i" at the end of a name meant "like" in French. He later lost respect for him and published The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin in 1908, calling him a liar and a fraud.)

But you can look up to me now; I know you like heights!

(Copperfield is continuing from the last line, calling himself Houdini's hero and someone he would "look up to" or take inspiration from, a contrast to Copperfield looking up to Houdini when he was younger. He is also referring to how he was often suspended over something during his daring escapes, such as over the Hudson River. Copperfield is saying that he is far above Houdini in a metaphorical sense, being substantially greater and thus above Houdini, in saying that Houdini can look up to him, whilst continuing this metaphor. Houdini also was famous for height-related stunts and took an interest in aviation, buying a plane in hopes of being the first man to fly a plane in Australia.)

Harry Houdini:
Ah, your hack of a Bob Saget-y act is embarrassing!

(Houdini starts of by calling Copperfield's magic tricks not only a comedy act like the ones American stand-up comedian Bob Saget does, but he claims that it is just a rip-off from other magicians. This may also refer to the physical resemblance David Copperfield has to Bob Saget. To top it all off, he claims Copperfield should be ashamed of it instead of bragging.)

You're the saddest thing to happen to Magic since The Gathering!

(Houdini is saying Copperfield's magic and influence to the magic industry was the most pathetic thing since Magic: The Gathering, a popular trading card game created in 1993. The game is ridiculed for being a common card game played among nerds, and people who become addicted to playing it can spend a large amount of money buying cards for the game.)

I'm hanging by my ankles, from a crane I dangle,

(Houdini performed numerous acts that involved him hanging upside down, the most famous of these tricks was the Chinese Torture Water Cell. To make this even more spectacular, he would sometimes hang from a crane high up in the air, usually in chains or with a straitjacket.)

I got lox on my bagel that you couldn't handle!

(A lox is a type of salmon, often used in sandwiches and bakery items such as bagels. It is also a pun on "locks", a staple in magic tricks related to escaping, which Houdini has done multiple times. Houdini says that Copperfield couldn't handle a simple slice of meat, let alone an actual escaping act. This is also a reference to Houdini's Jewish background: bagels and lox are a stereotypical Jewish meal.)

Smash your mirrors, leave your flying wires tangled,

(Mirrors and flying wires are two common stunt pieces used by magicians to create illusions.)

And you can't hide shame with a camera angle!

(Many of Copperfield's tricks involve the angle that the camera is held at. Houdini exposes Copperfield's success as camera tricks and shames him for it.)

Criss Angel:
Did somebody say Angel?

(Criss Angel, another modern illusionist, mistakes the word "angle" for "Angel" and tries to cut his way in.)

Harry Houdini:
No.

(Houdini confirms he did not, in fact, mention Angel.)

Criss Angel:
Oh...

(Criss Angel is saddened by this fact.)

David Copperfield:
See what they'd be watching if it wasn't for me?

(Criss Angel is known for his somewhat dark themes in his performances. David insults him, saying that without him, people would be stuck watching someone like Angel.)

I remind the world that magic is supposed to make you happy!

(Copperfield believes magic should be entertaining and uplifting, unlike Angel and Houdini's more serious takes on it.)

While you waste time proving everybody wrong,

(Besides doing tricks, Houdini constantly proved many things wrong, most notably séances, where he revealed one of the most famous duos, Mina Crandon and her husband. By doing this, David says Houdini is ruining all the fun magic is supposed to be.)

I'm backstage getting my supermodel groove on!

(Claudia Shiffer (Copperfield's former wife) and Chloe Gosselin (Copperfield's current wife) are both supermodels. Copperfield brags about getting hot women backstage with him.)

You should relax, take a private trip

To my private island; suck my private dick!

(One of David Copperfield's largest possessions is his chain of eleven islands, and Copperfield brags about how rich he is. He suggests Houdini take a trip to his many islands and suck his dick.)

(Uh!) I'll summon up a little Halloween brunch:

(On the anniversary of Houdini's death, which happens to fall on Halloween, a séance is performed for him. Copperfield is planning to serve up a Halloween-themed meal, elaborated upon in the next line.)

Deep-fried sucker with a side of punch!

(A pun on sucker-punch. Houdini was killed from a ruptured appendix after failing to flex his abdominals to brace for the impact of a punch as a trick. Punch, usually served as a drink at parties, could be considered part of a Halloween party meal, and a sucker is a type of candy usually given out on Halloween.)