Right Now

Background

On July 30, 2005, a coded message appeared on Fort Minor's website saying, "the rising tied contains a song called "right now" features Styles Of Beyond and Black Thought of the roots. The song was insprired by the film "Shortcuts" in which many different characters lives are intertwined with a flow of emotion and momentum."

In late 2006, Clear Channel Music posted the entire The Rising Tied album complete with commentaries from Mike Shinoda before each song. On "Right Now", he said, "This next song is called ‘Right Now’! It’s got Black Thought from The Roots, and Styles of Beyond is on this one as well. This song is basically inspired by a movie called ‘Short Cuts’. It’s a film by Robert Altman. Uhm, it’s actually one of my favorite movies. And I just love the way... in the movie, what they had is basically, you know, say about 20 different characters, who’s lives just basically interact with each other, but they don’t even know each other. And that’s kind of been… that was the theme for the song."

He told Sohh.com, "I actually have a song on the Fort Minor record called "Right Now" and it's inspired by a movie called Shortcuts. Have you seen that movie? he director's name was [Robert] Altman. It was basically a jump back and forth between all these different people's lives. It's a really dope film. That song, "Right Now," is kinda based on that idea. [It's] me and Styles of Beyond and Black Thought. That song went from person to person. We just went through different cross sections of people in the world."

When questioned about his favorite experience while making the album, Mike said Black Thought came in, smoked weed for three or four hours, and did his verse in less than 30 minutes, in only a couple of takes. He added, "No problem. I think it’s one of my favorite verses from him ever, and I’m really happy to have it on my record." He also said, "Right Now is a cross section of everyday life as each person sees it. And Black Thought's verse is one of the best I've ever heard him do. It's beautiful. And it made the song just perfect to me."

On the 15th anniversary of the album, Mike was asked about his favorite memories making the album. He said, "I also remember getting the verse back from Black Thought. I got a verse from Black Thought, it's one of my favorite verses he's ever done. Like I'm a fan of his and it's one of my favorite verses he's done, and it's on my record. That was bananas to me. It also made me so, like, almost embarrassed to be on the song (in a good way). Like there was a creative competition that I wouldn't go back and rewrite my verse, I think doing that at a time like that is inappropriate. I had already written my verse, he sent his, and I was like, "Ok, he killed it on the song." It made me want to step my game up in making the record. And I think some of the lyrics on other songs got better because of those collaborations. I just felt like, "I've just gotta be better.""

Mike later reunited with Black Thought twice. First, Mike joined The Roots in 2010 to rap part of "I Have Not Begun" at their 6th Annual Jam Session in Los Angeles. Next, The Roots performed as the backing band on "Crossing A Line" when Mike performed on Jimmy Fallon in May 2018 to promote Post Traumatic.

Versions

Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Right Now	The Rising Tied	4:14	2005	November 22, 2005	Features vocals by Black Thought and Styles Of Beyond.
Right Now	The Rising Tied (Non-PA Version)	4:14	2005	November 22, 2005	Censored.
Right Now	Instrumental Album: The Rising Tied	4:17	2005		Official instrumental version.

Live

"Right Now" has never been played live in any form.

On August 29, 2015, Mike conducted a fan poll online about what song he should add to the setlist of Fort Minor's September 2, 2015 show in Berlin. The choices were "High Voltage", "Step Up", "Second To None", "Red To Black", and "Right Now". "High Voltage" won by a significant majority.

Lyrics

Album Version

Someone right now, is leavin' their apartment,
Looking down at the street, and wonderin' where their car went,
Someone in a car, is sittin' at a signal,
In front of a restaurant, starin' through the window,
At someone right now, with their finger in their teeth,
Who could use a little floss, right across the street,
There's somebody on the curb, who really needs a jacket,
But spent half the rent at a bar getting plastered,
Now he's gotta walk 14 blocks,
Just to work at a shop where he's about to get fired.
Someone right now, is lookin' pretty tired,
Staring at a laptop, tryin' to get inspired,
As somebody living right across the street,
Just wrote the best thing that she's written all week,
But her best friend is coughing up blood in the sink,
He can't even think what happened, feeling so confused,
And he knows it looks bad but there's nothing he can do,
I wonder what it's like to be right there in his shoes, but...

Yo, I'm just takin' it in,
Out the window of a hotel bedroom again,
Tomorrow I'll be gone, I don't know when I'll be back,
But in this world everything can change just like that (like that) (just like that) (just like that) (just like that)

Somebody right right now is droppin' his vote,
Inside a box and tryin' not to get shot in his throat,
For the act of freedom,
Right now, somebody's stuck in Iraq,
Hoping that he gets shipped back breathing,
In a war, but he's not really sure of the reasons,
So we show our support when the press mislead him,
Though we mourn, remain proud, salute the troops,
Get some, I know you boys got some work to do.

Meanwhile, right now someone's 25-to-life-ing,
Standing on a corner with their thumb up hitchhiking,
Scratching off a lotto ticket, hopin' for a real winner,
Sneaking through the border just to work and eat a real dinner,
Right now, somoene wishes they were you and I,
Instead of second-guessing fatal thoughts of quiet suicide,
But right now I'm staring out the window at a fiend,
With holes in his arm, and holes in his jeans,
He pulled out a cigarette and sparked a light,
And walked right around the corner just out of my sight, but...

Yo, I'm just takin' it in,
From a second story hotel window again,
The T.V's on and my bags are packed,
But in this world everything can change just like that (like that) (just like that) (just like that) (just like that)

Yo, I'm just takin' it in,
From a second story hotel window again,
The T.V's on and my bags are packed,
But in this world everything can change just like that (like that) (just like that) (just like that) (just like that)

Yeah, right now somebody's sittin' in the darkness,
Tryin' to figure how to put some heat in they apartment,
But they got a little mattress, little carpet,
And they appreciate it 'cause some people on a park bench.
You see 'em when you rushing to get to the office,
Wife ride by 'em when she comin' home from the market,
Right now somebody comin' out the pocket,
Tryin' to dump that rock they runnin' 'round the block with,
Same time, the cops is raisin' the glock,
With aim to fill your legs and your back with some hot shit.
Right now somebody's strugglin' to stop this man,
That's kickin' and punchin' and cussin' at the doctors.
Down the hall a child is takin' it's breath,
The doctors ain't even passed him to the nurse yet, yo,
I wonder if he understands what it's worth yet,
Life, the time spent while we here on the earth yet,
The answers to the questions we all seek,
Can be found, it depend on how free y'all think,
Right now, it's somebody who ain't eat all week,
That would kill for the shit you throw away in the street,
I guess one man's trash is the next man's treasure,
One man's pain is the next man's pleasure,
One say infinity, then next say forever,
Right now, everybody got to get it together, man,

I'm just takin' it in,
In another strange hotel lobby again,
With my luggage on my back, I don't know where I'm at,
I'm in a world where it all change just like that (like that) (just like that) (just like that) (just like that)

Yo, I'm just takin' it in,
Out the window of a hotel bedroom again,
Tomorrow I'll be gone, I don't know when I'll be back,
But in this world everything can change just like that (like that) (just like that) (just like that) (just like that)