Post by sativa417 on Apr 16, 2009 13:06:54 GMT -4
not to turn this into a discussion on rap, but i just started to think about how it's funny poets are given so much respect, yet people talk so much shit about rappers. Obviously there are rappers that are crap, but that's the same in every genre. But when people don't like rap they basically say all rappers are talentless. Here's a poem by Henry David Thoreau who's studied in pretty much every school and is known by just about anyone old enough to have been taught poetry.
CONSCIENCE
Conscience is instinct bred in the house,
Feeling and Thinking propagate the sin
By an unnatural breeding in and in.
I say, Turn it out doors,
Into the moors.
I love a life whose plot is simple,
And does not thicken with every pimple,
A soul so sound no sickly conscience binds it,
That makes the universe no worse than 't finds it.
I love an earnest soul,
Whose mighty joy and sorrow
Are not drowned in a bowl,
And brought to life to-morrow;
That lives one tragedy,
And not seventy;
A conscience worth keeping;
Laughing not weeping;
A conscience wise and steady,
And forever ready;
Not changing with events,
Dealing in compliments;
A conscience exercised about
Large things, where one may doubt.
I love a soul not all of wood,
Predestinated to be good,
But true to the backbone
Unto itself alone,
And false to none;
Born to its own affairs,
Its own joys and own cares;
By whom the work which God begun
Is finished, and not undone;
Taken up where he left off,
Whether to worship or to scoff;
If not good, why then evil,
If not good god, good devil.
Goodness! you hypocrite, come out of that,
Live your life, do your work, then take your hat.
I have no patience towards
Such conscientious cowards.
Give me simple laboring folk,
Who love their work,
Whose virtue is song
To cheer God along.
Now here's the lyrics of a song by Playa Fly who most of the people in the world have never heard of.
GHETTO EYES
[Verse 1]
My eyes are tired ah takin' pain so let's just rearrange
Any lil thing, that we can to help us make this change
Focus and aim on stakin' claim to some higher ground
They took ours from us dropped us in this hell hole
They found my ancestor mothers, brothers sisters left the motherland
By brutal force and by the choice of a Killa Klan
Nobody knows about this trouble that this brother's seen
My windows to life, are kinda foggy and they so unclean
What does it mean, when someone says they see a brighter day
All that I know is that it's not as dark as it was yesterday
Work wid no play, is what I dedicate my livin' too
So Kia and Ivan won't have to do the things that Fly would do
My daddy inspired, died tryna make me realise that freedom wasn't mine
And I must take it upon myself to rise and wizalk,
Through the line ah fire, to become purified
No matter how pure I still be stressed out wid my ghetto eyes, ghetto eyes
[Hook: repeat 2X]
I'm seein' more than the average human eyes can see
I live in darkness God please shine light on me
In poverty is where I sleep not closing these,
Ghetto eyes, ghetto eyes ah mine
[Verse 2]
My vision is blurred, my eyes are red and I can't stand round
I cannot be cured, cause your Visine won't get this redness out
I will not doubt, or even insult my intelligence
By placing this Devil made drop, off in my optic lens
My eyes were hurt, since my birth, and that was purposely
Done by the ones, who so afraid of this minority
My head held high, up towards the light every day and night
And once out ah sight, will start a fight and Playa end 'em right
My eyes are tight from the hype, so Flizy locin' up
And see more stuff, that sure enough to make Flizy erupt
Like a volcano or inferno that's got you terrified
Releasing havoc and the madness I have so deep inside
So beautified, to the others who feel the same way
But they'll rather hold it and don't show it until they dyin' day
Flizy gon' flex, so respect it and I won't be disguised
I can see clearly what you do, all wid my ghetto eyes
[Hook: repeat 2X]
The only scenery I see that's fascinating to Fly
The shinin' sun, moon, clouds and the stars in the sky
Some heavy heavenly medicated treat me for my,
Ghetto eyes, ghetto eyes, yeah yeah
[Verse 3]
A black was born torn in half, by his grandma and dad
One believed in culture and the other ones in Islamic grand
Two different ways which he saw but still he learned the law
And three times foul, than the others like some pure uncut raw
Not hee-haw, but still a wide eyed Southern boy
Choosing to do, things in life, that he just might enjoy
He made some mistakes, that were comin' where he was comin' from
Victim of circumstance takin' chances living on the run
He wasn't so dumb, cause he fulfilled responsibilities
Payed all his dues for what he done wid no humility
Lessons was learned, and he earned to be off in control
Collectin' toll, and placing caution in the way he rolled
As he grew older I believe he knew the game was gettin' colder
Put down his boulders and started to use the head upon his shoulders
Musical poems, of real life is where his heart lies
I know him best, cause I can see him with my ghetto eyes, yeah
[Hook: repeat 2X]
So many visions put incisions in my stizate ah mind
But Fly gon' take it like a man doin' time for crime
Get behind me, and Fly will lead the line
Using my ghetto eyes, ghetto eyes, yeah yeah
Now you have a man that's studied and beloved compared to a man that nobody knows and gets no respect, yet I don't see how Thoreau is on a different level
CONSCIENCE
Conscience is instinct bred in the house,
Feeling and Thinking propagate the sin
By an unnatural breeding in and in.
I say, Turn it out doors,
Into the moors.
I love a life whose plot is simple,
And does not thicken with every pimple,
A soul so sound no sickly conscience binds it,
That makes the universe no worse than 't finds it.
I love an earnest soul,
Whose mighty joy and sorrow
Are not drowned in a bowl,
And brought to life to-morrow;
That lives one tragedy,
And not seventy;
A conscience worth keeping;
Laughing not weeping;
A conscience wise and steady,
And forever ready;
Not changing with events,
Dealing in compliments;
A conscience exercised about
Large things, where one may doubt.
I love a soul not all of wood,
Predestinated to be good,
But true to the backbone
Unto itself alone,
And false to none;
Born to its own affairs,
Its own joys and own cares;
By whom the work which God begun
Is finished, and not undone;
Taken up where he left off,
Whether to worship or to scoff;
If not good, why then evil,
If not good god, good devil.
Goodness! you hypocrite, come out of that,
Live your life, do your work, then take your hat.
I have no patience towards
Such conscientious cowards.
Give me simple laboring folk,
Who love their work,
Whose virtue is song
To cheer God along.
Now here's the lyrics of a song by Playa Fly who most of the people in the world have never heard of.
GHETTO EYES
[Verse 1]
My eyes are tired ah takin' pain so let's just rearrange
Any lil thing, that we can to help us make this change
Focus and aim on stakin' claim to some higher ground
They took ours from us dropped us in this hell hole
They found my ancestor mothers, brothers sisters left the motherland
By brutal force and by the choice of a Killa Klan
Nobody knows about this trouble that this brother's seen
My windows to life, are kinda foggy and they so unclean
What does it mean, when someone says they see a brighter day
All that I know is that it's not as dark as it was yesterday
Work wid no play, is what I dedicate my livin' too
So Kia and Ivan won't have to do the things that Fly would do
My daddy inspired, died tryna make me realise that freedom wasn't mine
And I must take it upon myself to rise and wizalk,
Through the line ah fire, to become purified
No matter how pure I still be stressed out wid my ghetto eyes, ghetto eyes
[Hook: repeat 2X]
I'm seein' more than the average human eyes can see
I live in darkness God please shine light on me
In poverty is where I sleep not closing these,
Ghetto eyes, ghetto eyes ah mine
[Verse 2]
My vision is blurred, my eyes are red and I can't stand round
I cannot be cured, cause your Visine won't get this redness out
I will not doubt, or even insult my intelligence
By placing this Devil made drop, off in my optic lens
My eyes were hurt, since my birth, and that was purposely
Done by the ones, who so afraid of this minority
My head held high, up towards the light every day and night
And once out ah sight, will start a fight and Playa end 'em right
My eyes are tight from the hype, so Flizy locin' up
And see more stuff, that sure enough to make Flizy erupt
Like a volcano or inferno that's got you terrified
Releasing havoc and the madness I have so deep inside
So beautified, to the others who feel the same way
But they'll rather hold it and don't show it until they dyin' day
Flizy gon' flex, so respect it and I won't be disguised
I can see clearly what you do, all wid my ghetto eyes
[Hook: repeat 2X]
The only scenery I see that's fascinating to Fly
The shinin' sun, moon, clouds and the stars in the sky
Some heavy heavenly medicated treat me for my,
Ghetto eyes, ghetto eyes, yeah yeah
[Verse 3]
A black was born torn in half, by his grandma and dad
One believed in culture and the other ones in Islamic grand
Two different ways which he saw but still he learned the law
And three times foul, than the others like some pure uncut raw
Not hee-haw, but still a wide eyed Southern boy
Choosing to do, things in life, that he just might enjoy
He made some mistakes, that were comin' where he was comin' from
Victim of circumstance takin' chances living on the run
He wasn't so dumb, cause he fulfilled responsibilities
Payed all his dues for what he done wid no humility
Lessons was learned, and he earned to be off in control
Collectin' toll, and placing caution in the way he rolled
As he grew older I believe he knew the game was gettin' colder
Put down his boulders and started to use the head upon his shoulders
Musical poems, of real life is where his heart lies
I know him best, cause I can see him with my ghetto eyes, yeah
[Hook: repeat 2X]
So many visions put incisions in my stizate ah mind
But Fly gon' take it like a man doin' time for crime
Get behind me, and Fly will lead the line
Using my ghetto eyes, ghetto eyes, yeah yeah
Now you have a man that's studied and beloved compared to a man that nobody knows and gets no respect, yet I don't see how Thoreau is on a different level