In 2004 Joseph was selected by renaissance one, Decibel and the Arts Council of England as one of fifty Black and Asian writers who have made major contributions to contemporary British literature, appearing in the historic Great Day photo. In 2005 he was selected as the British Councilβs first Poet in residence at California State University, Los Angeles.
Joseph lectures in creative writing at Birkbeck College, University of London. He is a AHRC scholar and doctoral candidate at Goldsmiths College.
As a musician he has released three critically acclaimed albums with his band the Spasm band; all released to coincide with book publications. His debut album with the band, Leggo de Lion was released in 2007, and featured lyrics taken from his novel The African Origins of UFOs. Bird Head Son followed in 2009, with lyrics from the Bird Head Son collection. The bandβs third album Rubber Orchestras was released in 2011, alongside a new collection of poems with the same title.
Joseph has also collaborated with several artists including Archie Shepp, Joseph Bowie, Laurent Garnier, Othello Molineaux, Malcolm Catto, Mop Mop, Robert Aaron, Roger Raspail, Keziah Jones and Jerry Dammers of the Specials as part of the Spatial AKA Orchestra.
Swing Praxis
Anthony Joseph Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In which considering the lack
Of a truly beautiful, violent revolution
We establish ourselves as mediums for change
Change which must accumulate
Yo maximum impact and speed
Like rhythm
cnd rhythm
Of feeling
Of being
cnd there are ways
To withstand sustained conflict
But guns are the teeth of democracy
Swing praxis
We must not easily be possessed
By what is just the crudest element of a given plan
Either we vote or protest or tremble or march or fight
But either way it will soon be hard to be 'cool'
cnd black at the same time
Swing praxis
It is self-evident
That we stand at the edge of a great victory
Of which we are confident
That we have been wounded in battle
But it's too late to be hurt
It's too late to turn back now!
So go on, go on, bring fire music
With harmonic cycles of hymn rhythm
cnd we will navigate the fear of death
Go deep in the jungles of deceit and concrete
cnd see how we are murdered on these streets
Or be real and go back to the old country
Go down in the valley and see how my people have built
Such beautyfull homes in the dirt
See how only secular sound and the mutability
cnd resilience of black spirit duality
Can liberate them
From history
Swing praxis
Come with the hard bop
cnd catch the vision
Jazz is a river of vigorous spirits
Come like Lightning Hopkins
With the ckpala hip shake
Come and dance the Juba
With the kick and step
cnd the arms akimbo
Swing
cs method
cs action
cs rubric
cs heritage
cs a black and combative orchestra
With terrible bees
cnd whistles and teeth
Swing praxis
Swing praxis
Swing as method
Swing as a template for revolution
The lyrics of Anthony Joseph's song "Swing Praxis" convey a message of the need for change and revolution, emphasizing the power of rhythm and music in bringing about transformation. The song starts by acknowledging the absence of a truly impactful and beautiful revolution, but instead of waiting for it to happen, the lyrics propose that individuals can become mediums for change themselves. They stress the importance of accumulating change with maximum impact and speed, comparing it to the significance of rhythm in conveying meaning, feeling, and existence. The lyrics also touch on the idea of withstanding sustained conflict without resorting to violence, highlighting guns as symbols of a flawed democracy.
The song continues by urging listeners not to be easily swayed by the superficial elements of any plan. It suggests that whether through voting, protesting, trembling, marching, or fighting, it will soon become difficult to maintain a cool and authentic identity, particularly for Black individuals. However, it emphasizes the self-evident fact that victory is near and that wounds suffered in battle can no longer cause harm. The lyrics encourage the audience to bring forth fiery music, using harmonic cycles of rhythm as a tool to navigate the fear of death and confront the challenges of deception and urban environments. They hint at the liberation potential of secular sounds and the resilience of the duality of the Black spirit in overcoming historical struggles.
The song concludes with an invitation to embrace the power of jazz, symbolized by figures such as Lightning Hopkins and the Juba dance. It refers to jazz as a river of vigorous spirits and urges listeners to join in and catch the vision. The lyrics highlight the importance of various elements of swing, such as method, action, a rubric, heritage, and a black and combative orchestra equipped with powerful instruments like bees, whistles, and teeth. Overall, "Swing Praxis" presents swing as a template for revolution, emphasizing its potential to bring about transformative change.
Line by Line Meaning
Swing Praxis
The song is about the concept of Swing Praxis.
In which considering the lack
Acknowledging the absence of a truly beautiful, violent revolution.
Of a truly beautiful, violent revolution
The need for a revolution that is both powerful and aesthetically pleasing.
We establish ourselves as mediums for change
Empowering ourselves as agents of change.
Change which must accumulate
Change that needs to build up and grow.
Yo maximum impact and speed
Requiring maximum impact and speed.
Like rhythm
Similar to the essence of rhythm.
cnd rhythm
And rhythm itself.
Is a unit of meaning
Being a fundamental element of meaning.
Of feeling
Of emotion.
Of being
Of existence.
cnd there are ways
And there exist methods.
To withstand sustained conflict
To endure prolonged conflict.
But guns are the teeth of democracy
However, weapons symbolize the power of democracy.
We must not easily be possessed
We should not be easily influenced.
By what is just the crudest element of a given plan
By the simplest aspect of any plan.
Either we vote or protest or tremble or march or fight
Whether we engage in voting, protesting, trembling, marching, or fighting.
But either way it will soon be hard to be 'cool'
But regardless, it will soon become difficult to maintain a sense of coolness.
cnd black at the same time
And to still uphold black identity simultaneously.
It is self-evident
It is clear and obvious.
That we stand at the edge of a great victory
That we are on the verge of a significant triumph.
Of which we are confident
We have confidence in this victory.
That we have been wounded in battle
Acknowledging our injuries from the battle we have fought.
But it's too late to be hurt
But it is now too late to feel the pain.
It's too late to turn back now!
It is too late to retreat.
So go on, go on, bring fire music
Therefore, continue to bring passionate and inspiring music.
With harmonic cycles of hymn rhythm
By incorporating harmonious cycles of hymn-like rhythm.
cnd we will navigate the fear of death
And we will overcome our fear of death.
Go deep in the jungles of deceit and concrete
Explore the depths of deception and urban environment.
cnd see how we are murdered on these streets
And witness how we are victims of violence on these streets.
Or be real and go back to the old country
Alternatively, be authentic and return to our ancestral land.
Go down in the valley and see how my people have built
Descend into the valley and observe the achievements of my people.
Such beautyfull homes in the dirt
Remarkable homes built in challenging conditions.
See how only secular sound and the mutability
Recognize that only non-religious music and adaptability.
cnd resilience of black spirit duality
And the strength of the duality of black spirit.
Can liberate them
Can free them from oppression.
Come with the hard bop
Join us with the energetic and powerful style of hard bop.
cnd catch the vision
And comprehend the vision.
Jazz is a river of vigorous spirits
Jazz represents a flow of lively and energetic spirits.
Come like Lightning Hopkins
Arrive like the musician Lightning Hopkins.
With the ckpala hip shake
Demonstrating the distinctive hip shake of ckpala dance.
Come and dance the Juba
Participate in the Juba dance.
With the kick and step
Featuring the movements of kicking and stepping.
cnd the arms akimbo
And with hands on hips.
Swing as method
Swing as a methodology.
Swing as a template for revolution
Swing as a blueprint for revolution.
Lyrics Β© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Andrew John, Jason Yarde
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@peeano
Kaidi, is magic like always, pffff that change at 3:23 πΉπ₯π΅πΆπ₯π₯π₯ timeless and amazing good music!, i need this on vinyl for my Kaidi collection! ππ½ππ½π―
@markmac9998
Kaidi can do no wrong. He is just exceptional
@peeano
Exactly ππ½
@brabrawechkayn3715
That's what we need good vibes π
@umgozy
π₯π₯π₯π₯π₯π₯π₯
@nerstylist
kaidi doing kaidi things
@siyavuyambuli284
Agent K at it again!