Andrea has headlined everywhere from the Nuyorican Poet's Café, to Pride Fests and Lady Fests, to high schools and universities throughout the country. They have been showcased on Free Speech TV, Dyke TV, the documentary Slam Planet, and Independent Radio Stations nationwide. They are featured on New York City's 2004 Best of Urbana CD, and are currently a member of the prestigious Bullhorn Collective "comprised of 30 of the highest ranking slam poets and most accomplished performance poets in the world." They have shared the stage with such names as Leslie Feinberg, Amy Goodman, Dennis Kucinich and KRS1.
Andrea's poetry deconstructs the foundations of the current political machine, highlighting issues such as patriarchy, gender norms, white-supremacy, and capitalist culture. Their words are honest, humble and "oh my god, I can't believe you said that in public!" (ex-girlfriend #4).
Andrea is an independent artist who has self-released four CDs, Bullets and Windchimes (2003), Swarm (2004), When The Bough Breaks (2006), and Yellowbird (2009).
They have also self published three books, Trees That Grow in Cemeteries, Yellow Bird, and What the Yarn Knows of Sweaters.
Write Bloody Publishing published their nationally distributed collection of poems in 2008, Pole Dancing To Gospel Hymns.
Andrea uses they/them pronouns.
from: http://www.andreagibson.org/
The Madness Vase
Andrea Gibson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said if I could get down fourteen
Turnips a day I would be grounded, rooted
Said my head would not keep flying away to where the darkness lives
The psychic told me my heart carries too much weight
Said for twenty dollars she'd tell me what to do
I handed her the twenty she said,
"Stop worrying darling you will find a good man soon"
Sitting in a dark closet with my eyes closed and my ears plugged
I tried it once but couldn't stop thinking
About how gay it was to be sitting in the closet
The yogi said to stretch everything but the truth
Said everyone finds happiness if they care
More about what they give than what they get
The pharmacist said, "Klonopin, Lamictal, Lithium, Xanax"
The doctor said an antipsychotic
Might help me forget what the trauma said
The trauma said, "don't write these poems,
Nobody wants to hear you cry about the grief inside your bones"
But my bones said,
"Tyler Clementi dove into the Hudson
River convinced he was entirely alone"
My bones said, "write the poems"
The Madness Vase by Andrea Gibson is a song that delves into the various suggestions given to the singer by different professionals. The song talks about the singer's visit to a nutritionist who suggested they eat root vegetables to stay grounded and rooted. The psychic told them that their heart carried too much weight and gave them false hope of finding a good man if they stopped worrying. The singer's first psychotherapist advised them to spend three hours a day sitting in the closet, meditating with their ears plugged, which they found gay. The Yogi suggested they stretch everything but the truth and care more about what they give than what they get, while the pharmacist recommended a cocktail of different drugs.
The most powerful part of the song comes in the last few lines when the singer is reminded of the trauma they experienced, which told them not to write those poems about the grief inside their bones. However, their bones overruled the trauma, reminding them of Tyler Clementi's death, who committed suicide after being cyberbullied for being gay. The singer's bones refused to let them stop writing these poems that cry about the grief inside, as they serve as a reminder that others are not alone.
The song depicts the struggles that people experience in their quest to find peace and clarity or feel grounded in life. The singer's visit to different professionals shows the diverse and often conflicting suggestions that they receive. It is a reminder for people to embrace their uniqueness and not allow societal norms to dictate their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
The nutritionist said I should eat root vegetables
The nutritionist emphasized the importance of being grounded by suggesting the consumption of root vegetables.
Said if I could get down fourteen Turnips a day I would be grounded, rooted
The nutritionist suggested that consuming fourteen turnips daily would help keep one grounded.
Said my head would not keep flying away to where the darkness lives
The nutritionist believed that being grounded would prevent one's thoughts from dwelling in negative spaces.
The psychic told me my heart carries too much weight
The psychic acknowledged that the artist was emotionally burdened.
Said for twenty dollars she'd tell me what to do
The psychic offered to give the artist advice for a fee.
I handed her the twenty she said, "Stop worrying darling you will find a good man soon"
The psychic provided the advice to stop worrying as the singer would find love in the future.
The first psychotherapist said I should spend three hours a day Sitting in a dark closet with my eyes closed and my ears plugged
The first therapist suggested a unique form of meditation involving sitting in a dark, quiet closet.
I tried it once but couldn't stop thinking About how gay it was to be sitting in the closet
The artist attempted the therapist's suggestion but was distracted by societal stigmas surrounding the activity.
The yogi said to stretch everything but the truth
The yogi emphasized the importance of honesty, even when it may be difficult to express.
Said everyone finds happiness if they care More about what they give than what they get
The yogi believed that true joy is found in the act of giving, rather than receiving.
The pharmacist said, "Klonopin, Lamictal, Lithium, Xanax"
The pharmacist listed various medications that can help manage mental illness.
The doctor said an antipsychotic Might help me forget what the trauma said
The doctor recommended medication as a potential solution to help the artist manage the emotional weight of trauma.
The trauma said, "don't write these poems, Nobody wants to hear you cry about the grief inside your bones"
The trauma attempted to silence the singer and discourage them from expressing their emotions through writing.
But my bones said, "Tyler Clementi dove into the Hudson River convinced he was entirely alone"
The singer's inner voice pushed them to express themselves through writing, drawing from an example of tragedy to emphasize the importance of speaking out.
My bones said, "write the poems"
Despite external and internal pressure, the singer's inner voice encourages them to write and express their emotions through poetry.
Contributed by Riley O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Angie Rotolo
This poem has saved me so many times over the past four years.
Jenny Jacqueline
Slam poetry allows me to have a form of release without damaging my own body. Andrea Gibson's poems are much more than just poems, they are the feelings and thoughts you and I have all experienced, she has the talents to put them into words. She is by far an inspiration to me.
A Webster
"You are not weak just because your heart feels so heavy. I have never met a heavy heart that wasn't a phone booth with a red cape inside".
This line has given me so much strength.
TheRatLover1
this has saved my life on so many occasions. i literally owe her my life. i love you so much thank you. you have made me do what i never thought i could do again: live.
; The Tongue Of Angels
You owe your life to God
Emily Dae
Thank you sweetheart
Christine Baker
"You stay with me"...every time I watch this, I feel she is talking directly to me...I wonder if she even knows how powerful this poem is, and how many lives she's saved. I am a teacher and have had students tell me that this poem gave them enough hope NOT to take their own lives. Andrea, if you ever see this, you are such a blessing to people, even those whom you've never met.
Brittany Johnson
Andrea I felt like you should know that I woke up this morning already fighting off a panic attack, I went for a run feeling proud of myself for taking action even though I was hurting, only to come back and burst into hysterical tears because my dog wouldn't drink water. The only time I could stop crying was when I paused in the middle of this video to make myself say out loud "let me say right now for the record,
I’m still gonna be here
asking this world to dance,
even if it keeps stepping on my holy feet."
Skye212 Kennedy
I started crying at "you stay here with me ok, you stay here with me"
Kayla Kaml-Decker
What the hell just happened? One moment I was watching spoken word on youtube and literally 2 minutes later tears were streaming down my cheeks and I was sobbing uncontrollably. I don't know how you did it but I just had a major cathartic moment. Thank you, Andrea.