Gil Scott-Heron — Aint No New Thing

[Intro: Gil Scott-Heron] We'd like to go into a thing called, um, "Ain't No New Thing." It's, um, based on, um, the fact that white people continue to, to rip off black artists. They continue to, um, um, steal their material, their styles, the very cultural elements that make the black artist the outstanding artist, the master of music that he has been. Um, and it ain't no new thing, to tell the truth, that these things are going on. We point out, very expressly, the fact that, um... Stanley Crouch comments on his album Ain't No Ambulances for No Nigguhs Tonight that, uh, Chuck Berry was doing, like, a very heavy thing, a very rock and roll thing—the king of rock and roll as a matter of fact. But, um, like, white people couldn't dig having their daughters go to no shows and cream over no black man wiggling on the stage, so, consequently, they invented Elvis Presley and let him do it. So we wanna get into that, call it “Ain't No New Thing,” and talk about some people [Verse 1: Gil Scott-Heron] Cultural rape and no geographical boundaries on white hate And bizarre, scarcely concealed attempts to eliminate Black generators of sun-heat feeling Ain't no new thing to see demon fangs curling out from under Squeezed-tight, too-thin lips and leaping at Jugular veins and burning black throats that either Blow or sing or cry or scream [Verse 2: Gil Scott-Heron] Ain't no new thing to see the bubbling envy flashing from the depths of Soulless eyes, as still another link with God is created We’re used to having white people try to rob us Why don't they try stealing some of this poverty? Ain't no new thing [Verse 3: Gil Scott-Heron] Anything they can't understand, they try to destroy Anything they can't understand, they try to control In 1896, black men picked up brass instruments And began to evoke and conjure Entice and struggle with black spirits Rhythmic spirits of blues, work songs Gospel songs, freedom songs And songs of love of mother night Screaming rhythm, juju rhythm, voodoo rhythm Black, black magic that calls Back to lost worlds and lost lifestyles Calling back to lost peace and peace of mind Calling back to Genesis Calling back to the drum Calling back to the drum Calling back to the first song/chant Song/chant, song/chant That original man created [Verse 4: Gil Scott-Heron] In 1896, this new spasm was called "Ass" But the "Ass" would not be kicked So it was copied in an attempt to control it And then it was called "Jazz" We’re used to having black innovators copied and sent back to us What about the Osmond Brothers? What about Elvis Presley? What about Tom Jones? We’re used to having people try to rob us It ain't no new thing [Verse 5: Gil Scott-Heron] They use the media to project their jazz idols Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey And Harry James and Benny Goodman And I suppose, someday, Lawrence Welk will join that elite group And then there was sweet Bessie Smith, laying on the blood-soaked backseat of that broken-down jalopy With a tattered quilt wrapped around her shoulders Waiting for someone to come to her aid on a rainy Mississippi night While a white hospital would not accept her right across the street Ain't no new thing [Verse 6: Gil Scott-Heron] Fats Navarro screaming through tormenting dreams Frustration ripping at his mind and bowels Over a hundred pounds melted from his frame As he battled that white powder mountain Ain't no new thing [Verse 7: Gil Scott-Heron] Cultural rape and no geographical boundaries on white hate Hired black musicians away in funky smoke-filled nightclubs The Chitlin' Circuit Saturate their world with two-bit punks, washed-out, baggy-faced white whores Weasel-faced, yellow-skinned junkies And cutthroat white managers Producers, agents, owners And on and on and on We’re used to having white people try to rob us Ain't no new thing. We have dug his game [Verse 8: Gil Scott-Heron] Charlie Parker will live on John Coltrane will live on Eric Dolphy will live on Billie Holiday will live on Jimi Hendrix and Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan will live on And on in the sunshine of their accomplishments The glory of the dimensions that they added to our lives We declare war on Eric Burdon! We discredit the talents of Janis Joplin and Rare Earth! We urge that the next blue-eyed soul group include Melvyn Layer, Lyndon Johnson, Nixon, and Spearhead Agnew And be called As the Stomach Turns [Verse 9: Gil Scott-Heron] We urge that the album: John Wayne Sings the Blues be released! Release the album: J. Edgar Hoover Sings James Brown! Release the album: Wallace and Maddox sing Sam and Dave! Why not? We hear Tony the Tiger saying "Right on, tiger!" We heard Nixon talking about "Power to the people" It ain't no new thing, it ain't no new thing It ain't no new thing, it ain't no new thing America is always the same old shit!