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Gil Scott-Heron
Gil Scott-Heron


Background information
Birth name Gilbert Scott-Heron
Born April 1, 1949
Born place Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genre(s) Soul
Years active 1969—present
Label(s) Arista Records
RCA Records
TVT Records
Associated acts Brian Jackson



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Gil Scott-Heron Album


1980 (1980)
1980
1.
Late Last Night
2.
3.
4.
Corners
5.
6.
7.
8.
. . .

Late Last Night

[No lyrics]

. . .


My name is what's your name
I am the voice of sane
Remembering things that I told me yesterday

My name is what's your name
I am inside your frame
We saw the devils,
Had to make them go away

My name is what's your name
You may reject my claim
But I expect that you won't vary from it long

My name is what's your name
Ours is a single aim
And we can double recognize in need of form (?)

Take it to the street
Tell everybody you meet
You do whatever, you do whatever you feel the wardrum beat

Put it in the air,
Spit it everywhere
You do whatever you do whatever, you know you got to be there

Shah mot!

You only take it as a symbol
Look closely, who does it resemble?

My name is what's your name
If you recall the change
Then you can dig that we've been put into a trance

My name is what to do
I am inside of you
I've been here ever since the day you learned to stand

My name is what's your name
Born on the wings of strain
Ours is a justice that has long been overdue

My name is what to do
But we already knew
And now the clouds are wearing how come to view (?)

Shah mot!

Take it to the street
Tell everybody you meet
You do whatever, you do whatever you feel the wardrum beat

Shah mot!

Put it in the air,
Spit it everywhere
You do whatever you do whatever, you know you got to be there

Shah mot!

You only take it as a symbol
[Shah mot!]
Look closely, who does it resemble?

My name is what's your name
I am the voice of sane
Remembering things that I told me yesterday

My name is what's your name
I am inside your frame
We saw the devils,
Had to make them go away

Shah mot!

Take it to the street
Tell everybody you meet
You do whatever, you do whatever you feel the wardrum beat

Shah mot!

Put it in the air,
Spit it everywhere
You do whatever you do whatever, you know you got to be there

Shah mot!

You only take it as a symbol
Look closely, who does it resemble?
[repeat]

. . .


Push comes to shove to find exactly what you're made of

Ain't nobody seen you
Can nobody scold you
Can nobody blame you,
And make you feel bad

Nobody should tie you
Tell you I told you
Nobody should ride you,
About the commitments you had.

Cuz they done learned you
And they done burned you
Showed you idealistic is all you were
Everybody gotta realize
That we all had to compromise
Had to put on suit and ties
When push came to shove

(it's seems like)

Push comes to shove once in your lifetime (yes and)
Push comes to shove to find out just what's on your mind
Push comes to shove to find exactly what you're made of

Nobody can know
Nobody should tease you
Not try to disown you (bizown?)
And make you feel strange
Nobody got to explain
Ain't nothing really to explain
Everything that rearrange--- (?)
and the weather can change (?)

But they done taught you
Cuz they done caught you
Showed you unrealistic is all you was
So everybody once believed
Was only showing how naive
Gotta give up to be free
When push came to shove.

Push comes to shove once in your lifetime (yes and)
Push comes to shove to find out just what's on your mind
Push comes to shove to find exactly what you're made of

Well, everybody knew somehow we was somehow running late
And with the captains overboard, who was handling a ship of fate?
And all we knew was what we really did not know
And that's when push was sure 'nough coming to shove

Push comes to shove to find exactly what you're made of...

Cuz they done learned you
And they done burned you
Showed you idealistic is all you was
Everybody gotta realize
That we all had to compromise
Had to put on suit and ties
When push came to shove

Push comes to shove once in your lifetime (yes and)
Push comes to shove to find out just what's on your mind
Push comes to shove to find exactly what you're made of

. . .

Corners

[No lyrics]

. . .


Thank you very much, thank you
Thank you, thanks, thanks everybody, yes thank you

Robot dignitaries better welcome you
Aliens part as you pass on through(?)
Nourishment and encouragement for the captain and his crew
Includes a ticker tape parade down the Main Avenue(?)

And you're captured by the dream machine
you wake up and you wonder what it means
It's 1980
And there ain't even no way back to '75 or 1969
It's 1980
And ain't nobody ask me no time lately "how we gonna open the door for 1984?"

God will continue to look out for the children
But the fools will have to look out for themselves

Space is the place but you stuck on the ground
If powers continue but without the sound
A universal dress rehearsal paints the town
But boogie-woogie somewhere in the lost and found

I don't mean to say that you're behind the times
But only that the times got away from you
And it's 1980
And there ain't even no way back to '75, much less 1969
It's 1980
And ain't nobody ask me no time lately "Brother help me open the door for 1984"

God will continue to look out for the children
But the fools will have to look out, look out, look out

The robot mayor is there to shake your hand
But he ain't never seen himself no earth man
Heard a funny word he just don't understand
But he hope that it don't mean you need a piece of land

Does it seem like such a long long way to come
To end up right back where you coming from?
It's 1980
And there ain't even no way back to '75, or much less 1969
It's 1980
And ain't nobody ask me no time lately "how we gonna open the door for 1984?"

God will continue to look out for the children
But the fools are gonna have to learn to fend for themselves

God will continue to watch over the babies
But the fools who never learn, never learn

God will continue to watch over the babies
But the fools are gonna have to watch out, watch out, watch out
Watch out
Watch out

. . .


Did you hear that rumble? Did you hear that sound?
Well it wasn't no eartquake, but it shook the ground.
It made me think about power, like it or not:
I got to work for earth for what it's worth,
'Cause it's the only earth we've got.

Shut 'um Down!
If that's the only way to keep them from melting down!
Shut 'um Down!
If that's the only way to keep them from melting down!

I've heard a lot about safety and human error.
A few dials and gauges is just a wing and a prayer.
If you need perfection, and that's what it takes,
Then you don't need people, can't use people,
You know people make mistakes...

Shut 'um Down!
If that's the only way to keep them from melting down!
Shut 'um Down!
If that's the only way to keep them from melting down!

. . .


(Verse 1)
We've all heard so many conflicting words
About life, whether wrong or right
How you gotta be workin' hard
And it ain't no easy job
To survive. Just keep it alive

We've all come to think of ourselves as links
In a chain, so much to gain
We are the ones who tie our fathers to our sons
Don't you know, that's how we grow

(Chorus)
What my life really means is that the songs that I sing
Are just pieces of a dream that I've been building
And we can make a stand and hey, I'm reachin' out my hand
'Cause I know damn well we can if we are willing
But we gotta be....
Got to be willing (X3)

(Verse 2)
Well we've all been so close to getting in
It's always nice, with no sacrifice
But times have changed and it's no longer strange
To make a few corrections in our direction

'Cause being strong is more than just holdin' on
To advance, you gotta take a chance
Waitin' on line, it ain't nothin' but marking time
Won't get nowhere, just standing there

Chorus

Verse 1

What my life really means is that the songs that I sing
Are just pieces of a dream that I've been building
And we can make a stand and hey, I'm reachin' for your hand
'Cause I know damn well we can if we are willing
But we gotta be....
Got to be willing (X3)

(Repeat last chorus)

. . .


Midnight near the border trying to cross the Rio Grande
Runnin' with coyotes to where the streets are paved with gold
You're diving underwater when you hear the helicopters
Knowing it's all been less than worthless if you run into patrols
Hiding in the shadows, so scared you want to scream
But you dare not make a sound if you want to hold on to your dreams

Hold on. Though it may not be a lot, you got to
Hold on. Cause you know it's all you got
No matter the consequences or the fear that grips your senses
You have got to hold on to your dreams.

City of the Angels with its bright light fascination
Only adds to the confusion that your mind must now endure
The gringos take advantage when they know that you're illegal
Bot you void la policía like a plague that can't be cured
Paying la mordida you find out just what pollo means
But you dare not file complaints if you want to hold on to your dreams

Hold on. Though it may not be a lot, you got to
Hold on. Cause you know it's all you got
No matter the consequences or the fear that grips your senses
You have got to hold on to your dreams.

Down at Western Union sending cash back to your family
Or drinking down cerveza where the lights are very low
Your mind may start to wander when you think about your village
Or the woman that you love so much who's still in Mexico
At just two bucks an hour there is little to redeem this life
Except that in your mind you're tryin' to hold on to your dreams

Hold on. Though it may not be a lot, you got to
Hold on. Cause you know it's all you got
No matter the consequences or the fear that grips your senses
You have got to hold on to your dreams.

. . .


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