Saturday, October 21, 2017

Wordy Rappinghood by Tom Tom Club

What are words worth?
What are words worth? Words

Words in papers, words in books
Words on TV, words for crooks
Words of comfort, words of peace
Words to make the fighting cease
Words to tell you what to do
Words are working hard for you
Eat your words but don't go hungry
Words have always nearly hung me

What are words worth?
What are words worth? Words

Words of nuance, words of skill
And words of romance are a thrill
Words are stupid, words are fun
Words can put you on the run

Mots press?X, mots sens?X,
Mots qui disent la vâÝit?Mots maudits, mots mentis,
Mots qui manquent le fruit d'esprit

What are words worth?
What are words worth? - Words

Its a rap race, with a fast pace
Concrete words, abstract words
Crazy words and lying words
Hazy words and dying words
Words of faith and tell me straight
Rare words and swear words
Good words and bad words

What are words worth?
What are words worth? - Words

Words can make you pay and pay
Four-letter words I cannot say
Panty, toilet, dirty devil
Words are trouble, words are subtle
Words of anger, words of hate
Words over here, words out there
In the air and everywhere
Words of wisdom, words of strife
Words that write the book I like
Words won't find no right solution
To the planet earth's pollution
Say the right word, make a million
Words are like a certain person
Who can't say what they mean
Don't mean what they say
With a rap rap here and a rap rap there
Here a rap, there a rap
Everywhere a rap rap

Rap it up for the common good
Let us enlist the neighbourhood
It's okay, I've overstood
This is a wordy rappinghood, okay, bye

What are words worth?
What are words worth? - Words

What are words worth?
What are words worth? - Words

He'll stop Don't stop Stop

WORDS ARE INDEED POWERFUL. I RECENTLY HEARD AN INTERVIEW WITH A LINGUIST WHO KNEW A MAN WHO HAD LIVED THE FIRST 21 YEARS OF HIS LIFE WITHOUT LANGUAGUE BECAUSE HE WAS DEAF LIVING IN A HEARING FAMILY AND THE PARENTS HAD NEVER BOTHERED TO TEACH HIM SIGN LANGUAGE. SO THIS WOMAN GRADUALLY TAUGHT HIM LANGUAGE. LATER SHE ASKED HIM WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO LIVE WITHOUT WORDS WITOUT LANGUAGE. HE SAID HE COULDNT REMEMBER. ONCE HE HAD WORDS TO DESCRIBE THINGS IT SHATTERED THAT OTHER WORLD. HE JUST KNEW THAT IT WAS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN THE WORLD HE LIVED IN WITH WORDS.

2 comments:

Aaron said...

The Tom Tom club remind me of a very awesome period in music. When it was cool to create new music. Sad. I read a book recently that said once humans discovered language that was the beginning of the end. It’s also one of the things that changed things forever. I suppose this song makes sense to have been written when it was. If it were written today it would be lame. But because it was the 80’s it’s okay. Also the Tom Tom club had the James brown song so they are good

Dan Tschirhart said...

These guys were great in concert

This was a band that was made to see live

I grew up listening to the Talking Heads, because both my dad & sister are big fans

But these guys were a little different in their side project

Their music strikes me similar to Big Audio Dynamite

At least in terms of the exploratory nature of the music

Yep, the James Brown song is a gem (Genius of Love)

That was one of my sister's jams back in high school

I can guarantee not one person I work with has ever heard of these guys

It's their loss