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 Council’s 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 band’s 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.
The Gift
Anthony Joseph Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the soft earth of the Santa Cruz valley
That same graveyard on the hill
Where our whole clan
Will eventually be replanted
cnd we swung dirges in the midday
cs the shepherd and his flock
Dealt with my father, they had placed
But oh, when that first dirt dash the casket lid
No amount of ritual can protect you
From that sound - when it hits
We lit candles upon the tumulus
Of dirt which lay heavy upon him
Heavier than when I pressed his breastbone in the chapel
While outside, beyond the farmlands , deep in the country
The river continued to run, not knowing
That my father had died
cnd we waited until he was
Well settled in the dirt before we left
cnd back at the house I started rapping
With the cousin with the long-long dread
That wrap up in a scroll - the one with the biblical name
The one who say he don't communicate by computer
This was when we were standing at the gate
Ready to leave that house of mourning
This was after the jewel bag get bring out
cnd my brother and I had to choose which as heirlooms
The silver ring with the raised initials of his name
But he laughed and he never told me what those letters spelled
When I asked him in 1978
See me walking the yard
Hip in my English waistcoat
Tall in the saddle like big scissors cutting
cnd Mama D, Mama D
Who also loved him, and who could tell you the names
Of all his children, even those he forgot
She was saying, Look, look how you end up where you is
When things coulda been so different
Well is all them prayers and benediction
Your people put on you
Coming down through generation
The hope was you
Is the asafoetida the ol' lady burn
cll the pray she pay till her knees burst open
cnd all those orisons must have conjured some power
Till her love became a chant to kill death
c fetish to protect you on this journey
We may live and die, but what is between is ours to keep
She gave what she had
The lyrics of Anthony Joseph's song "The Gift" describe a scene after the burial of the singer's father in the Santa Cruz valley. The entire clan is eventually going to be buried in the same graveyard. As they mourn, the shepherd and his flock deal with the burial rituals, placing white flowers around the father's neck. However, when the dirt hits the casket lid, the impact reverberates with a sound that no amount of ritual can shield them from. It signifies the stark reality of death and its inevitable presence.
Afterward, the singer and their family light candles on the mound of dirt covering the father's grave, reflecting on the weight and finality of his passing. Outside, the river continues to flow, oblivious to the fact that their father has died. The family waits until he is settled in the dirt before leaving. Back at the house, the singer engages in conversation with a cousin who prefers traditional forms of communication, such as rapping and scrolls, over technology.
The song also touches on a moment when the family is about to leave the house of mourning, and a jewel bag is brought out. The singer and their brother must choose heirlooms, specifically a silver ring with the father's initials. However, the father never revealed the meaning behind those initials when asked in 1978. The lyrics also mention Mama D, who loved the father and could recall all his children's names, even those he had forgotten. She reflects on how things could have been different, how prayers and blessings from their ancestors may have shaped their father's journey and the hope that was placed upon him.
Overall, "The Gift" explores the rituals and emotions surrounding death, the weight of family legacy, and the power of ancestral connections.
Line by Line Meaning
This was after we had buried my father
After the burial of my father
In the soft earth of the Santa Cruz valley
His final resting place was in the gentle soil of the Santa Cruz valley
That same graveyard on the hill
The burial ground situated on the hill
Where our whole clan
Where our entire family
Will eventually be replanted
Will one day be buried as well
And we swung dirges in the midday
We sang mournful songs in the middle of the day
As the shepherd and his flock
While the shepherd and his sheep
Dealt with my father, they had placed
Dealt with the burial of my father, as they had placed
White flowers around his neck
White flowers were placed around his neck
But oh, when that first dirt dash the casket lid
But oh, the impact of the soil hitting the casket lid
No amount of ritual can protect you
No ritual can shield you
From that sound - when it hits
From the sound it makes upon impact
We lit candles upon the tumulus
We placed lit candles on top of the burial mound
Of dirt which lay heavy upon him
Of the heavy earth that covered him
Heavier than when I pressed his breastbone in the chapel
Heavier than the pressure I felt when I touched his breastbone in the chapel
While outside, beyond the farmlands, deep in the country
Meanwhile, outside, far from the farmlands, in the heart of the countryside
The river continued to run, not knowing
The river kept flowing, oblivious
That my father had died
That my father had passed away
And we waited until he was
And we waited until he had been
Well settled in the dirt before we left
Completely settled in the soil before we departed
And back at the house I started rapping
And back at the house, I began talking quickly
With the cousin with the long-long dread
Engaging in conversation with my cousin who had long dreadlocks
That wrap up in a scroll - the one with the biblical name
Who wrapped his hair like a scroll and had a biblical name
The one who say he don't communicate by computer
The one who claimed not to communicate through computers
This was when we were standing at the gate
This was when we stood by the gate
Ready to leave that house of mourning
Prepared to depart from the grieving household
This was after the jewel bag get bring out
This was after the bag of jewels was presented
And my brother and I had to choose which as heirlooms
And my brother and I had to decide which ones to keep as family treasures
The silver ring with the raised initials of his name
The silver ring with the embossed initials of his name
But he laughed and he never told me what those letters spelled
But he laughed and never revealed the meaning behind those letters
When I asked him in 1978
When I inquired about it in the year 1978
See me walking the yard
Observe me strolling through the yard
Hip in my English waistcoat
Stylishly wearing my English-style waistcoat
Tall in the saddle like big scissors cutting
Tall in the saddle, resembling large scissors cutting
And Mama D, Mama D
And Mama D, dear Mama D
Who also loved him, and who could tell you the names
Who also loved him and could name
Of all his children, even those he forgot
All of his children, including the ones he forgot
She was saying, Look, look how you end up where you is
She was saying, Look, look at how you've ended up where you are
When things coulda been so different
When things could have been so different
Well is all them prayers and benediction
Well, all those prayers and blessings
Your people put on you
Your loved ones bestowed upon you
Coming down through generation
Passed down through generations
The hope was you
The hope was that you
Is the asafoetida the ol' lady burn
Is the asafoetida the old lady burned
cll the pray she pay till her knees burst open
All the prayers she offered until her knees were about to explode
And all those orisons must have conjured some power
And all those prayers must have summoned some power
Till her love became a chant to kill death
Until her love became a powerful chant to overcome death
A fetish to protect you on this journey
A talisman to safeguard you on this journey
We may live and die, but what is between is ours to keep
We may experience life and death, but what lies in between belongs to us to cherish
She gave what she had
She offered what she had
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Andrew John
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind