What Is The Deeper Meaning Of Passed Down By Clint Smith

In the lyric poem “ Passed Down” by Clint Smith, the speaker Expresses his discontent with a part of his face that directly correlates to his history and identity. The shift in “Passed Down” is from resentment to a thoughtful angry tone. The deeper meaning here is that something you see every day turns into a symbol of you, especially if it is something people use to judge you or make an initial impression. History exists within every part of you whether you like it or not, but you must love to learn it eventually. In your face and in your body history exists, it is your job to learn and understand to realize who you really are. But there is a con to this, especially if the history is particularly painful, that part of yourself just reminds

A “colony” suggests the taking over or conquering. Maybe explaining that they consume his face and are a big insecurity as well as something people may notice a lot. Then he speaks of “colony” again in the next sentence and the “remnants of colonialism in this double-helix…body.” This repetition of “colony”, of conquering and overcoming emphasizes that it takes over and is a big part of his life. The symbol that his freckles mean is impactful. “Colonialism” connects to his racial and ethnic history. And how his freckles take over his face, the first thing that people see when they see him, it affects him emotionally. It could express the social way he interacts with people, the way he is seen by others, and his identity. This is also expressed in “double-helix” and how his freckles are part of his genetics therefore rooted in his past. And because he looks in the mirror every day he has to be reminded of all of the things that have been resentful in his life, from his violent history to biased passersby. “When I was younger” suggests naivety. And almost mocking the fact that he hates the symbol of his freckles. It almost seems like a scoff to society or an immature rolling of the eyes.