Friday, May 27, 2011

R.I.P. Gil Scott Heron

"Because I always feel like running
Not away, because there is no such place
Because if there was, I would have found it by now
Because it's easier to run,
Easier than staying and finding out you're the only one who didn't run
Because running will be the way your life and mine will be described,
As in "the long run"
Or as in having "given someone a run for his money"
Or as in "running out of time"
Because running makes me look like everyone else, though I hope there will ever be cause for that
Because I will be running in the other direction, not running for cover
Because if I knew where cover was, I would stay there and never have to run for it
Not running for my life, because I have to be running for something of more value to be running and not in fear
Because the thing I fear cannot be escaped, eluded, avoided, hidden from, protected from, gotten away from,
Not without showing the fear as I see it now
Because closer, clearer, no sir, nearer
Because of you and because of that nice
That you quietly, quickly be causing
And because you're going to see me run soon and because you're going to know why I'm running then
You'll know then
Because I'm not going to tell you now"

2 comments:

  1. Before the rise of modern day hip hop there were artists like Gill Scott Heron and the Last Poets. So bummed to hear that Gill has passed. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. R.I.P. Gill Scott Heron.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I discovered GSH's music in 1984 when I was 18. He was a beaming light of inspiration during my depressed idealistic youth when Mulroney, Thatcher and Reagan seemed to be bringing my world to the brink of nuclear destruction. Ronald was having a showdown with Russia over Poland...and Ronald RAygun was a genius interpretation of politics along the lines of Linton Kweisi Johnson. I was inspired and memorized the worlds to every song....I though he died years ago when I heard he took up crack and HIV...I was sad I never got to see him play live

    ReplyDelete