Thread: The roof is on fire

Since this phrase has become quite popular in many a way connected with music, I would like to ask someone in the know to shed light on it:

"The roof is on fire; we don't need no water---let the m*****f****r burn!"

I know it firstly appeared in 1985 and initially encouraged by the musical group called Rockmaster Scott & The Dynamic Three. It's intersting how popular this phrase is now and for what situations people use it today.

I would be happy if someone could explain that.

"The roof is on fire" means "the roof is on fire"

I apologize but I do not know of any other meanings.

its just like, the roof is on fire we dont need no water let the mofo burn.

its like the roof is on fire, we dont care. We are such rebels and we are so cool that we dont even care if the roof is on fire. Just let it burn!

Thanks all.

Этот поезд в огнеее и нам не на что больше жать...

Originally Posted by Gerty

Этот поезд в огнеее и нам не на что больше жать...

Чё, правда?

Originally Posted by Rtyom

Since this phrase has become quite popular in many a way connected with music, I would like to ask someone in the know to shed light on it:

"The roof is on fire; we don't need no water---let the m*****f****r burn!"

I know it firstly appeared in 1985 and initially encouraged by the musical group called Rockmaster Scott & The Dynamic Three. It's intersting how popular this phrase is now and for what situations people use it today.

I would be happy if someone could explain that.

I have never heard the expression. I think letting the (explitive) burn, gives the sentence a connotattion of not wanting to help somebody due to a grudge or disdain.

Немного не по теме: "Сгорел забор - гори и хата!"
Ещё когда-то в одной песне было: "Не фига! Сгорела хата - пусть горит забор!"

"The roof is on fire; we don't need no water---let the m*****f****r burn!"

Think of it in this manner. If someone got fired from a job, and the boss there was a real muffin head (jerk).. then if later that same business caught fire, if might cause that someone to feel like a universal justice had occurred, that it was payback (a nice way of saying revenge) for the boss firing them.
..............

Being a volunteer firefighter, I have another unique perspective on this. If a trailer was to catch fire and by the time that we arrived there in a firetruck, most of the trailer would be in flames. And if we used our water hoses to extinguish the flames, then what did we save? Because the owner wouldn't be able to live there and would have a half burnt trailer to deal with. So, I have heard of one fire call where the trailer was so far engulfed (consumed) by fire, that it wouldn't make any difference whether or not our department put it out. So they just stayed there to make sure that the fire didn't spread, as the trailer was a total loss already.
..............

But usually it's a figure of speech which indicates that someone doesn't care if the building burned to the ground or not. Because it wasn't important to them.

Thank you for your illustrations, Dillen! They were equally interesting and useful.