Wednesday 31 December 2008

Gil Scott-Heron - "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"

"You will not be able to stay home, brother.
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out.
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skip,
Skip out for beer during commercials,
Because the revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox
In 4 parts without commercial interruptions.
The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon
blowing a bugle and leading a charge by John
Mitchell, General Abrams and Spiro Agnew to eat
hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary.
The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be brought to you by the
Schaefer Award Theatre and will not star Natalie
Woods and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia.
The revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal.
The revolution will not get rid of the nubs.
The revolution will not make you look five pounds
thinner, because the revolution will not be televised, Brother.

There will be no pictures of you and Willie May
pushing that shopping cart down the block on the dead run,
or trying to slide that color television into a stolen ambulance.
NBC will not be able predict the winner at 8:32
or report from 29 districts.
The revolution will not be televised.

There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
brothers in the instant replay.
There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down
brothers in the instant replay.
There will be no pictures of Whitney Young being
run out of Harlem on a rail with a brand new process.
There will be no slow motion or still life of Roy
Wilkens strolling through Watts in a Red, Black and
Green liberation jumpsuit that he had been saving
For just the proper occasion.

Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville
Junction will no longer be so damned relevant, and
women will not care if Dick finally gets down with
Jane on Search for Tomorrow because Black people
will be in the street looking for a brighter day.
The revolution will not be televised.

There will be no highlights on the eleven o'clock
news and no pictures of hairy armed women
liberationists and Jackie Onassis blowing her nose.
The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb,
Francis Scott Key, nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom
Jones, Johnny Cash, Englebert Humperdink, or the Rare Earth.
The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be right back after a message
About a white tornado, white lightning, or white people.
You will not have to worry about a dove in your
bedroom, a tiger in your tank, or the giant in your toilet bowl.
The revolution will not go better with Coke.
The revolution will not fight the germs that may cause bad breath.
The revolution WILL put you in the driver's seat.

The revolution will not be televised, will not be televised,
will not be televised, will not be televised.
The revolution will be no re-run brothers;
The revolution will be live."


Gil Scott-Heron is a legendary African-American poet, musician and spoken-word artist, whose work was a massive influence on modern-day genres ranging from Hip-Hop to Neo-Soul. Ask your favourite rapper. Unless his name is Soulja Boy.

- DeeKay

Poetri - "Money"



- Anarki

Tuesday 30 December 2008

Black Ice

"Imagine"



"Lone Solider"



"The Ugly Show"



"...And them batallions from the Bayou,
That don't know what they're over there fighting for,
What the fuck can you possibly say to them,
When they learn their parents died,
Casualties of the war on poverty,
Waiting for help outside a fucking stadium..."


Probably my favourite Def Poet.

- DeeKay

Muhammad Ali - "Impossible is Nothing"

Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men,
who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it.
Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion.
Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare.
Impossible is potential.
Impossible is temporary.
Impossible is nothing.


Is this another inspirational quote from the greatest boxer of all time, or a well crafted piece of poetry?

- Invicted Shaheen

Poetri - "Krispy Kreme"



This is not the most eloquent poem, but I feel this brother! This one hit home...

- Anarki

Monday 29 December 2008

We Write The Lyrics forum launched!

You might've noticed a new homepage when visiting We Write The Lyrics, where you're offered the option of visiting the blog (which is where you are now!) or the forum.

After weeks of hard work, toil and late nights, we're proud to announce the launch of the We Write The Lyrics online forum. Our aim is to build a vast online community of the next generation of urban poets and writers, so get involved! Members can post up their own work and have it critiqued and viewed, as well as comment on other members' posts, interact with like-minded artist and generally draw inspiration from the abudance of talent that will be showcasing their skills on the boards.

The forum is located here, and readers can join up and start posting now!

Sunday 28 December 2008

Daniel Beaty - "Knock Knock"


Powerful.

- DeeKay

Amir Sulaiman - "Danger"


"I am not dangerous, I am danger,
I am not angry, I am anger...
I am David, with a slingshot and a rock, and if David lived today,
He'd have a molitov cocktail and a glock,
So down with Goliath, I say down with Goaliath..."


- DeeKay

Amir Sulaiman - "She Said I Prefer A Broken Neck"


"So I know that being a man is more than being male, and I'm focused on doing it right..."

- DeeKay

Poetri - "Dating Myself"



LOL! The second half of this poem is one of the funniest things I've ever heard!

- DeeKay

Thursday 25 December 2008

William Ernest Henley - "Invictus"

"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul."


Written in 1875, Henley's poem (which is latin for 'Unconquered') still leaves a lasting impression on all those that read it, even after 100 years of it being written. Inspired by the resilience shown from his own leg amputation, it typifies the British 'stiff upper lip' and his use of war imagery is simple but engaging. One of my favourites.

- Invicted Shaheen

Oscar Brown Jr - "This Beach"



We all guna visit "the beach" one day...

- Anarki

Wednesday 24 December 2008

Mutabaruka - "Dis Poem"



"Dis poem
Shall speak of the wretched sea
That washed ships to these shores
Of mothers crying for their young
Swallowed up by the sea
Dis poem shall say nothing new
Dis poem shall speak of time,
Time unlimited, time undefined
Dis poem shall call names
Names like Lumumba, Kenyatta, Nkrumah
Hannibal, Akenaton, Malcolm, Garvey,
Haile Selassie
Dis poem is vexed about apartheid, racism, fascism
The Klu Klux Klan, riots in Brixton, Atlanta
Jim Jones
Dis poem is revolting against 1st World, 2nd World,
3rd world, division, man made decision
Dis poem is like all the rest
Dis poem will not be amongst great literary works
Will not be recited by poetry enthusiasts
It will not be quoted by politicians, nor men of religions
Dis poem is knives, bombs, guns, blood, fire
Blazing for freedom
Yes dis poem is a drum
Ashanti mau mau ibo Yoruba, Nahbingi warriors
Uhuru Uhuru
Uhuru Namibia
Uhuru Soweto
Uhuru Afrika
Dis poem will not change things
Dis poem need to be changed
Dis poem is a rebirth of a people
Arizing, awaking, understanding
Dis poem speak, is speaking, have spoken
Dis poem shall continue even when poets have stopped writing
Dis poem shall survive you, me, it shall linger in history
In your mind
In time forever
Dis poem is time, only time will tell
Dis poem is still not written
Dis poem has no poet
Dis poem is just a part of the story
His-story, her-story, our-story, the story still untold
Dis poem is now ringing, talking, irritating,
Making you want to stop it
But dis poem will not stop
Dis poem is long, cannot be short
Dis poem cannot be tamed, cannot be blamed
The story is still not told about dis poem
Dis poem is old, new
Dis poem was copied from the bible, your prayer book,
Playboy magazine, the NY Times, Reader's Digest,
The CIA files, the KGB files
Dis poem is no secret
Dis poem shall be called boring, stupid, senseless
Dis poem is watching you trying to make sense from dis poem
Dis poem is messing up your brains
Making you want to stop listening to dis poem
But you shall not stop listening to dis poem
You need to know what will be said next in dis poem
Dis poem shall disappoint you
Because
Dis poem is to be continued in your mind, in your mind,
In your mind, your mind..."


This poem was written in the early 1980s, and is the revered Jamaican poet's most lauded and well known work. 25 years after its creation, hearing and reading this poem for the first time today left me speechless and in absolute awe.

- DeeKay

Benjamin Zephaniah - "The British (Serves 60 Million)"

"Take some Picts, Celts and Silures
And let them settle,
Then overrun them with Roman conquerors.

Remove the Romans after approximately 400 years
Add lots of Norman French to some
Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings, then stir vigorously.

Mix some hot Chileans, cool Jamaicans, Dominicans,
Trinidadians and Bajans with some Ethiopians, Chinese,
Vietnamese and Sudanese.

Then take a blend of Somalians, Sri Lankans, Nigerians
And Pakistanis,
Combine with some Guyanese
And turn up the heat.

Sprinkle some fresh Indians, Malaysians, Bosnians,
Iraqis and Bangladeshis together with some
Afghans, Spanish, Turkish, Kurdish, Japanese
And Palestinians
Then add to the melting pot.

Leave the ingredients to simmer.

As they mix and blend allow their languages to flourish
Binding them together with English.

Allow time to be cool.

Add some unity, understanding, and respect for the future,
Serve with justice
And enjoy.

Note: All the ingredients are equally important. Treating one ingredient better than another will leave a bitter unpleasant taste.

Warning: An unequal spread of justice will damage the people and cause pain. Give justice and equality to all.
"

Love this.

- DeeKay

Monday 22 December 2008

Benjamin Zephaniah - "Dis Poetry"

"Dis poetry is like a riddim dat drops
De tongue fires a riddim dat shoots like shots
Dis poetry is designed fe rantin
Dance hall style, big mouth chanting,
Dis poetry nar put yu to sleep
Preaching follow me
Like yu is blind sheep,
Dis poetry is not Party Political
Not designed fe dose who are critical.
Dis poetry is wid me when I gu to me bed
It gets into me dreadlocks
It lingers around me head
Dis poetry goes wid me as I pedal me bike
I've tried Shakespeare, respect due dere
But did is de stuff I like.

Dis poetry is not afraid of going ina book
Still dis poetry need ears fe hear an eyes fe hav a look
Dis poetry is Verbal Riddim, no big words involved
An if I hav a problem de riddim gets it solved,
I've tried to be more romantic, it does nu good for me
So I tek a Reggae Riddim an build me poetry,
I could try be more personal
But you've heard it all before,
Pages of written words not needed
Brain has many words in store,
Yu could call dis poetry Dub Ranting
De tongue plays a beat
De body starts skanking,
Dis poetry is quick an childish
Dis poetry is fe de wise an foolish,
Anybody can do it fe free,
Dis poetry is fe yu an me,
Don't stretch yu imagination
Dis poetry is fe de good of de Nation,
Chant,
In de morning
I chant
In de night
I chant
In de darkness
An under de spotlight,
I pass thru University
I pass thru Sociology
An den I got a dread degree
In Dreadfull Ghettology.
Dis poetry stays wid me when I run or walk
An when I am talking to meself in poetry I talk,
Dis poetry is wid me,
Below me an above,
Dis poetry's from inside me
It goes to yu
WID LUV."


-Anarki

Sunday 21 December 2008

Talib Kweli - "Hell"



"...So it all sound the same to me
But when they say that one's right and the other's wrong, it sound like game to me
It's like God skipped past the church and came to me
No, that ain't vain to me, it's just a particular way that I came to see
The difference between those that claim to be
Religious and those that say they're spiritual
And recognise that life is full of miracles
You can see the flow is divine, I glow when I rhyme
Because it coincides with the growing tide of those
Looking for God who know to go inside
Looking for absolution, living in mass confusion
The gas inducing psychopath created a last solution
Based on his interpretation, of what the words are saying
Looking for God but ended up doing the work of Satan
Religion creates division, make the Muslim hate the Christian
Make the Christian hate the Jew, makes up rules in faith
That you're conditioned to and God will follow
God forbid you go to Hell
But if you've been to any ghetto then you know it well..."


Controversial I'm sure, but my own personal beliefs mean that I feel strongly about this one.

- DeeKay

Thursday 18 December 2008

Shihan - "This Type Love"



If you know then you know.

- DeeKay

Georgia Me - "Hit Like A Man"



Isn't poetry about realism? Georgia Me's poem describes the plight of many women.

-Anarki

Steve Coleman - "Terrorist Threat"



Another classic, taken from Def Poetry Jam.

- DeeKay

Wednesday 17 December 2008

Grace L Naessens - "The Difference"

"I got up early one morning
and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish,
I didn't have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,
and heavier came each task.
Why doesn't God help me? I wondered,
He answered, "You didn't ask."

I wanted to see joy and beauty,
but the day toiled on, gray and bleak.
I wondered why God didn't show me,
He said, "But you didn't seek."

I tried to come into God's presence,
I used all my keys at the lock.
God gently and lovingly chided,
"My child, you didn't knock."

I woke up early this morning,
and paused before entering the day.
I had so much to accomplish
That I had to take time to pray."

- Anarki

Tuesday 16 December 2008

Larenz Tate - "A Blues For Nina"



"Who am I? It's not important, but they call me a brutha to the night,
And right now, I'm the blues in your left thigh, tryna become the funk in your right,
So who am I? I'll be whoever you say..."


A scene from the film "Love Jones" where Larenz Tate recites a poem his character has written for Nina, Sanaa Lathan's character. This, to me, is one of the finest example of how words can be toyed with to create a certain ambience and set the mood. The smooth jazz in the background probably doesn't hurt either.

- DeeKay

Jamie Foxx - "Off Tha Hizzle, For Shizzle"



Jamie Foxx's hilarious rendition describes his one-night-stand with a woman.

- Anarki

DeeKay - "The God Delusion"

In two-thousand-and-eight, I made a few mistakes
You can’t fool me twice, there’s no huge debate
The truth is “fate”, is often an illusion
To soften the confusion of an empty life
So we say “it was meant to be” as if mentally
I should accept mediocrity was meant for me
Because if what’s meant to be is empty we
Should feel empathy towards the God Delusion
And stop producing, ambitions of something more
And play positions as we’ve done before
But I won’t be typecast, because in my heart
Is where the fight starts, until I find the right part
So if my role isn’t outlined by a master plan
It’s my job to not get beaten by a faster man
And hold the world in the palm of my bastard hand
And never be the last to stand, stand for something
All it takes is one thing, for men to become kings
To turn our hopes from dreams to our reality
In a world where our hopes and dreams hold little gravity
The concept of destiny is just a fallacy.
Quit dreaming. Start scheming.


- DeeKay

J Ivy - "Never Let Me Down"



J Ivy's recites this verse on Def Poetry Jam, which is taken from Kanye West's song of the same name.

-DeeKay

Rudyard Kipling - "If"

If you can keep your head when all about you 
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools: 

If you can make one heap of all your winnings 
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

- Anarki

Steve Coleman - "I Wanna Hear A Poem"

From Season One, Episode One of HBO's Def Poetry Jam.

"I wanna hear a poem where ideas kiss similes so deeply that metaphors get jealous..."

- DeeKay

"Jack London's Credo"

I would rather be ashes than dust! 
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. 
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. 
The function of man is to live, not to exist. 
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. 
I shall use my time. 


A poem attributed to early-20th Century writer Jack London.

- DeeKay