I chose this song by lupe fiasco because it is a song that allows you to visualize an almost perfect world, a world without racism and hate a world where everyone get along and seeks for growth instead of destruction. It’s a deep and moving cliche theme brought to life by an amazing poetic flow ,and backed with a killer beat that you cant help but be moved by physically and emotionally.
*Lyrics*
You would never know
If you could ever be
If you never try
You would never see
Stayed in Africa
We ain’t never leave
So there were no slaves in our history
Were no slave ships, were no misery, call me crazy, or isn’t he
See I fell asleep and I had a dream, it was all black everything
[Lupe Fiasco – Verse 1]
Uh, and we ain’t get exploited
White man ain’t feared so he did not destroy it
We ain’t work for free, see they had to employ it
Built it up together so we equally appointed
First 400 years, see we actually enjoyed it
Constitution written by the W.E.B. Du Bois
Were no reconstructions, Civil War got avoided
Little black Sambo grows up to be a lawyer
Extra extra on the news stands
Black woman voted head of Ku Klux Klan
Malcolm Little dies as a old man
Martin Luther King read the eulogy for him
Followed by Bill O’Reilly who read from the Quran
President Bush sends condolences from Iran
Where FOX News reports live
That Ahmadinejad wins Mandela peace prize
[Hook]
You would never know
If you could ever be
If you never try
You would never see
Stayed in Africa
We ain’t never leave
So there were no slaves in our history
Were no slave ships, were no misery, call me crazy, or isn’t he
See I fell asleep and I had a dream, it was all black everything
[Lupe Fiasco – Verse 2]
Uh, and it ain’t no projects
Keepin it real is not an understood concept
Yea, complexion’s not a contest
Cause racism has no context
Hip hop ain’t got a section called conscious
Everybody rappin’ like crack never happened
Crips never occurred no Bloods to attack them
Matter of fact no hood to attack in
Somalia is a great place to relax in
Fred Astaire was the first to do a backspin
The Rat Pack was cool group of black men
That inspired five white guys called The Jacksons
Eminem fitted in but then again he inspired a black rapper tryin to mimic him
And that’s what really rose up out of Michigan, the sign of white rapper by the name of 50 Cent, ha!
[Hook]
You would never know
If you could ever be
If you never try
You would never see
Stayed in Africa
We ain’t never leave
So there were no slaves in our history
Were no slave ships, were no misery, call me crazy, or isn’t he
See I fell asleep and I had a dream, it was all black everything
[Lupe Fiasco – Verse 3]
Uh, and I know it’s just a fantasy
I cordially invite you to ask why can’t it be?
Now we can do nothing bout the past
But we can do something about the future that we have
We can make fast or we can make it last
Every woman Queenin’ and every man a Kingin’
When those color lines come we can’t see between
We just close our eyes ’til it’s all black every-THING!
[Hook]
You would never know
If you could ever be
If you never try
You would never see
Stayed in Africa
We ain’t never leave
So there were no slaves in our history
Were no slave ships, were no misery, call me crazy, or isn’t he
See I fell asleep and I had a dream, it was all black everything
This is a cool song, I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before. On its own it could be an open form poem. It has the repeating “hook” with connects the others stanzas and reminds you of this theme of a world with no suffering and slavery in Africa’s past. There’s multiple forms of rhyme throughout the song, although it doesn’t seem to be consistant. In a lot of places we have ends rhymes such as the second stanza lines 1 – 5. We have some alliteration such as stanza 4 lines 2-5. And some examples of assonance such as the first stanza lines 7-8.
I don’t see exactly what ccharles says about a world with no racism, but I could see where he’s coming from. To me it just seems that Lupe Fiasco focuses on some issues he cares for personally and just adds a what-if thought on them. What-if the slave trade in Africa never happened, maybe then all these prominent African-Americans would’ve been able to use their time and energy on more aspiring goals instead of having to fight for civil rights and certain white groups were black and vice-versa. I feel Lupe Fiasco is kind of building a world with multiple dimensions of paradoxes, creating what he believes to be a “better” world.
One of my favorite songs on Lupe Fiasco’s Lasers album. I honestly agree with ccharles about what the song is about. I don’t think the song however, is just about “imagining a world without racism and hate a world where everyone get along and seeks for growth”. But, also about not making the same mistakes as before and making the future a better place than before. Towards the end of the song Lupe Fiasco when he says “Now we can do nothing bout the past/–But we can do something about the future that we have”. I also see another alliteration in the hook of the song. I find the song ironic as well with some of the things he says to give a strong message especially when he says “Bill O’Reilly who read from the Quran”. It’s ironic because Bill O’Reilly has different beliefs and would not read from the Quran since he believes in a another religion but, the irony is in my opinion he creates when he uses as a way to recognize the middle east not a bad place but a place that has an interesting culture.
I also find the same as DK91 said about the rhymes of the lyrics not being so consistant i see a transition of different words and end rhymes. But, also remember its still pretty much like a poem. Since it uses some of the poetic elements it remains a poem. It might be not sound much like a poem in different verses but, neither was the “Love story of Alfred Prufrock”. That poem had end rhymes as well but it also carried some of the poetic devices as long it follows a poetic device in some form. I say it works.