Gil Scott-Heron (born April 1, 1949 in Chicago, died May 27, 2011 in New Yo… Read Full Bio ↴Gil Scott-Heron (born April 1, 1949 in Chicago, died May 27, 2011 in New York City) was an American poet and musician, known primarily for his late 1960s and early 1970s work as a spoken word performer, associated with African American militant activists. Heron is perhaps most well known for his poems/songs "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and "What's the Word - Johannesburg" a movement hit during the 1980's South Africa college and national divestment movement in the United States of America.

He began recording in 1970 with the LP Small Talk at 125th and Lenox with the assistance of Bob Thiele Flying Dutchman Records, co-writer Brian Jackson, Hubert Laws, Bernard Purdie (who later recorded "Delights of the Garden" with The Last Poets), Charlie Saunders, Eddie Knowles, Ron Carter and Bert Jones, all jazz musicians (see 1970 in music). The album included the aggressive diatribe against white-owned corporate media and middle-class America's ignorance of the problems of inner cities in songs such as Whitey On The Moon.

The 1971 Pieces of a Man used more conventional song structures than the loose, spoken word feel of his first, though he didn't reach the charts until 1975 with "Johannesburg". His biggest hit was 1978's "The Bottle", produced by Heron and longtime partner Brian Jackson, which peaked at #15 on the R&B charts (see 1978 in music).

In 2001, Gil Scott-Heron was sentenced to one to three years' imprisonment in New York State for possession of cocaine. While out of jail in 2002, he appeared on the Blazing Arrow album by Blackalicious. He was released on parole in 2003. On July 5, 2006, Scott-Heron was sentenced to two to four years in a New York State prison for violating a plea deal on a drug-possession charge by leaving a drug rehabilitation center. Scott-Heron's sentence was to run until July 13, 2009. He was paroled on May 23, 2007. The reason given for the violation of his plea was that the clinic refused to supply Scott-Heron with HIV medication. This story led to the presumption that the artist is HIV positive.

After his release, Scott-Heron began performing live again, starting with a show at SOBs in New York on September 13, 2007. On stage, he stated that he and his musicians were working on a new album and that he had resumed writing a book titled The Last Holiday, previously on long-term hiatus, about Stevie Wonder and his successful attempt to have the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. declared a federally recognized holiday in the United States.

He was arrested October 10, 2007, the day before a scheduled (but ultimately cancelled) second SOBs performance, on felony possession of cocaine charges. However, he has continued to make live appearances at various US venues during the course of 2008 and 2009, including further appearances at SOBs in New York. He has also stated in interviews that work is continuing on his new album, which will consist mainly of new versions of some of his classic songs plus some cover versions of other artists' work.

Having originally planned to publish The Last Holiday in 2003, before it was put on hold, Canongate Books now tentatively intend to issue it in January, 2011. The book was due to be previewed via a website set to be launched on April 1, 2009, but this did not appear.

Mark T. Watson, a student of Scott-Heron's work, dedicated a collection of poetry to Gil titled Ordinary Guy that contained a foreword by Jalal Mansur Nuriddin of The Last Poets. The book was published in the UK in 2004 by Fore-Word Press Ltd. Scott-Heron recorded one of the poems in Watson's book Black & Blue due for release in 2008 as part of the album Rhythms of the Diaspora by Malik & the OG's on the record label CPR Recordings.

Gil Scott-Heron released his new album I'm New Here on independent label XL Recordings on February 9, 2010. Produced by XL label owner Richard Russell, 'I'm New Here' is Scott-Heron's first album in thirteen years.The pair started recording the album in 2007, with the majority of the record being recorded over the last twelve months with engineer Lawson White at Clinton Studios in New York. In 2009, a new Gil Scott-Heron website, www.gilscottheron.net , was launched with a brand new track 'Where Did The Night Go' made available as a free download from the site.

In 2011, Scott-Heron released "We're New Here" a remix album which was a collaboration with Jamie xx, a member of the British indie band The xx. Scott-Heron died in New York City on May 27, 2011.

Black Men and Monster Movies
Gil Scott-Heron Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Let′s see
I'm gonna break some people out here shaking hands right
How′s everybody? Everybody alright? Yeah good good showing up till two
We are all glad to be here I'm glad to see you and everything like uh
British Airways got me here uh scared the shit out of me
My hair look like Don King that's why
They said we are having a little problem with the landing gear
I said we′ll fuck it don′t land it

Don't do anything wrong
We are, we′ve been going around trying to tell people
Recruiting is what we're doing yeah
I like everybody mess with my accent man
We′ve been trying to recruit people because we need some more volunteers for Bluesology
And in order to get people in the Bluesology, folks have been saying well tell me a little bit about it
And maybe I can join us so we have come out to tell you a little bit about Bluesology
First of all you can't get no job put an -ology on the end of the sentences you like to do
And open up an office and people will come in and consult you on that sentence
You see this is how Bluesology started
Couldn′t get no job, I had the blues I said shit that's the job
But we have developed it into a science and they give us some projects to do
And you may be able to help me with this one
The question was why I didn't know black people in monster movies
You see Bluesology is the science of how things feel
So they asked me to find out how black you felt but not
Because we like how our movies, we go to all of them but we′re not in them
So I went to speak to a well-known producer of horror movies and I came at him straight up
I said looking, "Man what′s happening? How come we can pay to be in the monster movie?"
"And see it but ain't livin′ on us on the screen?"
"Mr. Gil, what we have is a credibility problem"
I said oh shit he ain't gonna tell me
I said, "What... what does that mean?"
"Mister everybody knows monsters cannot catch black people"
Honestly what do you mean? You see you go to a horror movie, you see a bunch of people
And you′re trying to figure out who's gonna live
Well if there′s a monster movie, we're gonna live
The monster go doo-doo-doo-doo
Ain't gonna catch no brother
On 14th Street in the neighborhood, you can whisper the word junkie
They won′t say nothing but if you whisper the word monster, a junkie will turn into Jesse Owens
The only problem with this is that white people can′t run because soon as they see the monster they go
Oooh shit! And they fall on the ground and we'd be emotional about this and we would say
"Get up motherfucker! Get up!" Tell somebody get up
They′d be laying there doo-doo-doo-doo
Hardly couldn't got up, go and get some eat late getting back doo-doo
So I say well look at man all the monsters ain′t slow
So why you'd put us in a movie where the monsters quick
He said, "You know Gil, what we were going to do was put a black person in the movie, Jaws"
I said, "Oh shit that would have been wild"
"Why didn′t it work?"
He said, "Let me show you on the screen here"
Pull out the screen, I saw me on his little director's head he said
He turned around he said, "Willy" that was the brother
"Mr. Willy, I want to climb down here long inside here"
"I want you to scoot over here and then I want you to jump in the water"
Willy just ran on the back
Willy just heard the first part, just slide down here then go over here and then do what jump in the water
Do what over here? Jaws in the motherfucking water
Why would I do that shit? Jaws in the water, didn't you see that in the water?
So the director had a problem, he had a credibility problem because once black people know jaws is in the water the movies over
We′re not going in the motherfucking water for no reason
So he said, "Then I had a clever idea I decided to make a black person the first victim"
This was before you knew that jaws was in the water
I said oh shit that will work
"What happened?"
He said, "Black people can hear the music"
We don′t hear doo-doo-doo
There were loads of Jaws in the motherfucking water
So here comes that shark with his band
You see movies are all about whose side you're on, who you want to win
When I went to see the movie Jaws, I was on jaws side
Yeah I was rooting for jaws because as a black man I can understand being fucked with where you′re supposed to be
Jaws was in the water
Where the fuck you want him?
You see if jaws pull up on shore, you're in a car, come over to fuck with you we got a problem
But jaws was in the water
They rented a boat and went out there to fuck with jaws

I say eat of them some bitches no problem
You got your root for the things is in the right

Overall Meaning

In this spoken word piece by Gil Scott-Heron, he talks about Bluesology, a science that he developed to understand how things feel. He explains that Bluesology started when he couldn't get a job and decided to make the blues his job. He then shares a project that he was given, to understand why there were no black people in monster movies. When he spoke to a producer of horror movies about why they couldn't pay black people to be in monster movies, the producer said they had a credibility problem because "everybody knows monsters cannot catch black people." Scott-Heron goes on to explain that if there is a monster movie, black people in the audience will survive because monsters can't catch us. He then talks about the idea of putting a black person in the movie Jaws to show that they could be the first victim, but it didn't work because black people can hear the music and wouldn't go in the water.

The lyrics in this song show how deeply embedded racism is in media and popular culture. The idea that monsters cannot catch black people stems from the stereotype that black people are athletic and quick, which is not only a harmful stereotype but also contributes to the lack of representation of black people in media. The producer's decision to make a black person the first victim in Jaws is also a perpetuation of the harmful trope of killing off black characters first in horror movies. Scott-Heron's Bluesology is a powerful tool to subvert these harmful narratives and understand the systemic oppression that black people face in media and culture.

Line by Line Meaning

Let’s see
Opening statement to start the conversation and set the tone

I'm gonna break some people out here shaking hands right
I'm going to speak honestly and candidly about a topic that's been on my mind

How’s everybody? Everybody alright? Yeah good good showing up till two
Checking in with the audience and commenting on their attendance

We are all glad to be here I'm glad to see you and everything like uh
Expressing gratitude for the audience and setting a friendly tone

British Airways got me here uh scared the shit out of me
Talking about the travel experience and a scary moment

My hair look like Don King that's why
Making a joke about his appearance

They said we are having a little problem with the landing gear
Recalling a scary moment from the flight

I said we'll fuck it don't land it
Making light of the situation and expressing confidence that everything will be okay

Don't do anything wrong
Jokingly cautioning the pilots to avoid any mistakes

We are, we've been going around trying to tell people Recruiting is what we're doing yeah
Explaining the reason for being there and promoting Bluesology

I like everybody mess with my accent man
Making light of his accent and building rapport with the audience

We’ve been trying to recruit people because we need some more volunteers for Bluesology
Further explaining the goal of the recruiting effort

And in order to get people in the Bluesology, folks have been saying well tell me a little bit about it
Describing how people have been asking about Bluesology and wanting to learn more

First of all you can't get no job put an -ology on the end of the sentences you like to do
Making a joke about how adding -ology to a word doesn't automatically make it a science or profession

And open up an office and people will come in and consult you on that sentence
Continuing the joke by saying people will seek advice on anything if you open an office

You see this is how Bluesology started
Explaining how Bluesology came about

Couldn’t get no job, I had the blues I said shit that's the job
Revealing how his personal struggles led him to develop Bluesology

But we have developed it into a science and they give us some projects to do
Explaining how Bluesology has progressed and is now used for various projects

And you may be able to help me with this one
Asking for the audience's help with a project

The question was why I didn't know black people in monster movies
Setting up the topic of discussion for the next part of the song

You see Bluesology is the science of how things feel
Defining what Bluesology is and its focus

So they asked me to find out how black you felt but not
Explaining his role in investigating why black people aren't in monster movies

Because we like how our movies, we go to all of them but we’re not in them
Pointing out the lack of representation of black people in monster movies

So I went to speak to a well-known producer of horror movies and I came at him straight up
Describing how he approached the producer to get answers

I said looking, “Man what’s happening? How come we can pay to be in the monster movie?”
Asking why black people aren't in monster movies despite being movie-goers

“Mr. Gil, what we have is a credibility problem”
The response he received from the producer about the lack of black people in monster movies

I said oh shit he ain't gonna tell me
Reacting to the producer's response with disbelief or cynicism

I said, “What…what does that mean?”
Asking the producer to elaborate on the credibility problem

“Mister everybody knows monsters cannot catch black people”
The producer's explanation for why black people are not in monster movies

Honestly what do you mean?
Questioning the ridiculousness of the producer's explanation

You see you go to a horror movie, you see a bunch of people And you’re trying to figure out who's gonna live
Explaining a common trope in horror movies

Well if there’s a monster movie, we're gonna live The monster go doo-doo-doo-doo Ain’t gonna catch no brother
Making a joke about black people being safe in monster movies because monsters can never catch them

On 14th Street in the neighborhood, you can whisper the word junkie They won’t say nothing but if you whisper the word monster, a junkie will turn into Jesse Owens
Making a social commentary on how monster movies are universally understood to be scary even among drug addicts

The only problem with this is that white people can't run because soon as they see the monster they go Oooh shit!
Making a joke about white people's reactions to monsters in movies

And they fall on the ground and we’d be emotional about this and we would say “Get up motherfucker! Get up!” Tell somebody get up
Jokingly commenting on how black people would react differently to seeing a monster in a movie

They'd be laying there doo-doo-doo-doo Hardly couldn't got up, go and get some eat late getting back doo-doo
Continuing the joke about black people's supposed invincibility in monster movies

So I say well look at man all the monsters ain't slow So why you'd put us in a movie where the monsters quick
Questioning why black people are never portrayed as quick enough to evade monsters in movies

He said, “You know Gil, what we were going to do was put a black person in the movie, Jaws”
Producer's plan to include a black person in movie Jaws

I said, “Oh shit that would have been wild”
Reacting to the idea of a black person being in movie Jaws

“Why didn’t it work?”
Asking the producer why the plan to include a black person in movie Jaws failed

He said, “Let me show you on the screen here”
Preparing to show Gil the reason why the plan to include a black person in movie Jaws failed

He turned around he said, “Willy” that was the brother “Mr. Willy, I want to climb down here long inside here” “I want you to scoot over here and then I want you to jump in the water”
Showing Gil the scene where the black person was supposed to jump into the water in movie Jaws

Willy just ran on the back Willy just heard the first part, just slide down here then go over here and then do what jump in the water Do what over here? Jaws in the motherfucking water Why would I do that shit? Jaws in the water, didn't you see that in the water?
Describing how the black person didn't jump into the water in movie Jaws because he knew Jaws was in the water

So the director had a problem, he had a credibility problem because once black people know jaws is in the water the movies over We’re not going in the motherfucking water for no reason
Explaining the producer's credibility problem with black people watching movie Jaws

So he said, “Then I had a clever idea I decided to make a black person the first victim” This was before you knew that jaws was in the water I said oh shit that will work
Describing the producer's new plan to make a black person the first victim

“What happened?”
Asking about the outcome of the new plan

He said, “Black people can hear the music” We don’t hear doo-doo-doo
Explaining the reason why black people in movie Jaws still weren't portrayed as victims

There were loads of Jaws in the motherfucking water So here comes that shark with his band You see movies are all about whose side you're on, who you want to win
Making a joke about how black people in movie Jaws were never actually victims

When I went to see the movie Jaws, I was on jaws side Yeah I was rooting for jaws because as a black man I can understand being fucked with where you’re supposed to be Jaws was in the water Where the fuck you want him?
Reflecting on his personal experience watching movie Jaws

You see if jaws pull up on shore, you're in a car, come over to fuck with you we got a problem But jaws was in the water They rented a boat and went out there to fuck with jaws I say eat of them some bitches no problem
Continuing the reflection on movie Jaws and the irony that people were the ones provoking the danger

You got your root for the things is in the right
Closing statement that the audience should root for what's right and just

Writer(s): Scott-heron

Contributed by Adeline J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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