In “Dancehall Déjà Vu,” Civic Hush tackles the destabilization of memory itself. Using the “Mandela Effect” as a focal point, she explores a world where the past is as malleable as a “broken wing.” It’s a soulful, rhythmic interrogation of a reality where history is being edited while the records are still spinning.
The Mandela Blues
Civic describes a psychological landscape where nothing is certain—not the names in a storybook, not the number of stars on a flag, and certainly not the lyrics to a favorite song. She frames these shifts not as simple mistakes, but as a “blues” that twists the tune of existence. The imagery of memory “jumpin’ like a jukebox kick” suggests a violent, mechanical interference with the human experience.
Marching for the Truth
Even in the middle of a dancehall “swing,” Civic maintains her signature military discipline. The command to “March it out girls” serves as a grounding force against the “Mandela Blues.” She’s encouraging a collective resistance to the gaslighting of the new world, urging her “sisters” to keep the beat even when the “world’s lost proof.” By the end of the track, the dance isn’t just for fun—it’s a tactical pursuit of the truth in a world that keeps “changin’ the view.”
DANCEHALL DÉJÀ VU
by: Civic Hush
Listen up sugar the worlds gone and flipped
That jukebox tune dont match the one I picked
Step into my joint lets sort out these clues
We’re singin the Mandela Blues
I swore that song played on the radio last spring
But now the words aint got the same old zing
Was it Moonlight Hop or Stardust Swing
My memory’s dancin on a broken wing
March it out girls, let’s raise the roof
Left right left the worlds lost proof
Mandela Blues they twist our tune
Sing it sisters whats old is new
Left right left the pasts a trick
Memorys jumpin like a jukebox kick
My soldiers letter swore the flag was true
But now them stars dont shine like they used to
Was it forty eight or fifty in a row
These Mandela Blues wont let me know
Oh let me know let me know
Left right left the worlds lost proof
Mandela Blues they twist our tune
Sing it sisters whats old is new
Left right left the pasts a trick
Memorys jumpin like a jukebox kick
In the dance halls glow where the records spin
I swear that band played a song Ive been
Was it Goodmans beat or Basies sweet call
These memries shift theyre foolin us all
Now the storybooks name dont sound the same
Was it Berenstein Bears in the old books frame
Now its Berenstain or so they say its true
These Mandela Blues keep changin my view
Oh changin my view, changin my view
Left right left the worlds lost proof
Mandela Blues they twist our tune
Sing it sisters whats old is new
Left right left the pasts a trick
Memorys jumpin like a jukebox kick
Oh darlin the worlds got a brand new beat
Mandela Blues keep sweepin my feet
Swing with me honey lets chase the truth
Well dance away these Mandela Blues
Mandela Blues