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.
Introduction / The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Gil Scott-Heron Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag
And skip out for beer during commercials, because
The revolution will not be televised
The revolution will not be televised
The revolution will not be brought to you
The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon blowing a bugle
And leading a charge by John Mitchell, General Abrams, and Spiro Agnew
To eat hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary
The revolution will not be televised
The revolution will not be brought to you by the Schaefer Award Theatre
And will not star Natalie Woods and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia
The revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal
The revolution will not get rid of the nubs
The revolution will not make you look five pounds thinner, because
The revolution will not be televised, brother
There will be no pictures of you and Willie Mae
Pushing that shopping cart down the block on the dead run
Or trying to slide that color TV into a stolen ambulance
NBC will not be able predict the winner
At 8:32 on report from twenty-nine districts
The revolution will not be televised
There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down brothers on the instant replay
There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down brothers on the instant replay
There will be no pictures of Whitney Young
Being run out of Harlem on a rail with a brand new process
There will be no slow motion or still lifes of Roy Wilkins
Strolling through Watts in a red, black, and green liberation jumpsuit
That he has been saving for just the proper occasion
Green Acres, Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville Junction
Will no longer be so damn relevant
And women will not care if Dick finally got down with Jane
On Search for Tomorrow
Because black people will be in the street looking for a brighter day
The revolution will not be televised
There will be no highlights on the eleven o'clock news
And no pictures of hairy armed women liberationists
And Jackie Onassis blowing her nose
The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb or Francis Scott Keys
Nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash
Engelbert Humperdinck, or The Rare Earth
The revolution will not be televised
The revolution will not be right back
After a message about a white tornado
White lightning, or white people
You will not have to worry about a dove in your bedroom
The tiger in your tank, or the giant in your toilet bowl
The revolution will not go better with Coke
The revolution will not fight germs that may cause bad breath
The revolution will put you in the driver's seat
The revolution will not be televised
Will not be televised
Will not be televised
Will not be televised
The revolution will be no re-run, brothers
The revolution will be live
The lyrics of Gil Scott-Heron's iconic song "Introduction / The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" deliver a powerful message to those who believe that they can simply ignore or escape from the social and political upheaval that is taking place around them. The song warns that there is no safe haven and no way to avoid the changes that are coming, and that viewers and listeners cannot expect to be shielded from the realities of social and political conflict by commercial media. Through his powerful words, Scott-Heron is urging his listeners to pay attention, to get involved, and to be willing to stand up for what they believe in.
The song's title phrase, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," has become an enduring cultural reference, and the lyrics as a whole have been widely quoted and referenced in a variety of contexts. The song was originally released in 1971, in the midst of a period of intense social and political turmoil in the United States, and it remains relevant today as a powerful call to action for those who seek to create change in their communities and in the world at large.
Overall, Scott-Heron's lyrics deliver a warning that there is no escaping the political and social changes that are taking place. The revolution is happening, and it cannot be ignored or avoided. Rather than turning away from these changes, it is important to engage with them and to take an active role in shaping the future. This message remains as powerful today as it was when the song was first released.
Line by Line Meaning
You will not be able to stay home, brother
You cannot simply sit back and do nothing, my friend.
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out
You cannot avoid active participation in the changes that are coming.
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag
You cannot escape through drug use.
And skip out for beer during commercials, because
You cannot divert your attention with trivial matters.
The revolution will not be televised
The transformation that is coming will not be broadcast on TV.
The revolution will not be brought to you
The change that is coming will not be handed to you.
By Xerox in four parts without commercial interruptions
The change that is coming will not be packaged as a convenient, consumable product.
The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon blowing a bugle
The change that is coming will not present images of politicians in a positive light.
And leading a charge by John Mitchell, General Abrams, and Spiro Agnew
The change that is coming will not be led by politicians or military leaders.
To eat hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary
There will be no demonstrations of oppressive behavior towards Harlem residents.
The revolution will not be brought to you by the Schaefer Award Theatre
The transformation that is coming will not be sponsored by entertainment corporations.
And will not star Natalie Woods and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia
The change that is coming will not be promoted via popular media stars or cartoons.
The revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal
The transformation will not offer superficial benefits.
The revolution will not get rid of the nubs
The change will not address minor, irrelevant issues.
The revolution will not make you look five pounds thinner, because
The revolution will not improve your physical appearance; there are more important matters at hand.
The revolution will not be televised, brother
The transformation will not be showcased on TV, my friend.
There will be no pictures of you and Willie Mae
There will be no images of you or anyone else enjoying the chaos of revolution.
Pushing that shopping cart down the block on the dead run
There will be no portrayal of activities irrelevant to the transformation.
Or trying to slide that color TV into a stolen ambulance
There will be no depiction of theft or illegal activities.
NBC will not be able predict the winner
News broadcasters will not be able to forecast the outcome of the revolution.
At 8:32 on report from twenty-nine districts
There will be no poll results or research figures provided to you.
There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down brothers on the instant replay
There will be no broadcast of images of police brutality towards black individuals.
There will be no pictures of Whitney Young
There will be no images of black leaders being mistreated.
Being run out of Harlem on a rail with a brand new process
There will be no display of harassment towards neighborhood activists.
There will be no slow motion or still lifes of Roy Wilkins
The revolution will not glorify black leaders.
Strolling through Watts in a red, black, and green liberation jumpsuit
There will be no images used to romanticize the political climate.
That he has been saving for just the proper occasion
There will be no underlying political tactics behind these images.
"Green Acres", "Beverly Hillbillies", and "Hooterville Junction"
Television shows that do not tackle social issues will no longer be popular.
Will no longer be so damn relevant
Entertainment will not take precedence over the need for social equality.
And women will not care if Dick finally got down with Jane
This revolution will not focus on trivial matters, such as romantic relationships between TV characters.
On "Search for Tomorrow"
The change that is coming will not be bound to a single TV show or network.
Because black people will be in the street looking for a brighter day
Black people will take to the streets in search of social justice.
The revolution will not be televised
The transformation in our society will not be broadcast on television.
There will be no highlights on the eleven o'clock news
News outlets will not report on every aspect of the revolution.
And no pictures of hairy armed women liberationists
We will not see every part of the social change, such as women's liberation.
And Jackie Onassis blowing her nose
Even the lives of famous individuals will not be of concern during this time.
The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb or Francis Scott Keys
The transformation in our society will not be a performance or a piece of popular culture.
Nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash
Famous musicians will not lead the charge of the revolution.
Engelbert Humperdinck, or The Rare Earth
Famous musicians will not promote or support the revolution.
The revolution will not be right back
The transformation coming will not be paused or postponed.
After a message about a white tornado
Advertisements will not follow any news about the revolution.
White lightning, or white people
Advertisements involving white commodities or people will not be concurrent with news about the revolution.
You will not have to worry about a dove in your bedroom
This revolution will not incite fear.
The tiger in your tank, or the giant in your toilet bowl
This revolution will not make use of commercial icons or advertisements.
The revolution will not go better with Coke
We will not be told that a certain commercial product will result in a better revolution.
The revolution will not fight germs that may cause bad breath
The revolution will not address minor, unimportant issues.
The revolution will put you in the driver's seat
This change will allow you to take control of the societal transformation.
The revolution will not be televised
The revolution will not be shown on TV.
Will not be televised
The revolution will not be broadcast.
Will not be televised
The change will not be shown on TV.
Will not be televised
The societal transformation will not be showcased on TV.
The revolution will be no re-run, brothers
This change will not be broadcast like a rerun of a TV show.
The revolution will be live
The changes will be real, taking place in our own lives and society.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gil Scott-Heron
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Molly A. Sowers
I had this album, in 1971---a year after it was produced.....and it is still just as relevant, every word today! Thank you Mr.Heron.
True Funk Soul
Thank you Mr. Scott-Heron. Mr. Heron was Gil's father.
jacky pattersont
+Marc Battle mine too
Marc Battle
awesome, he was one of my favorites and still is
happy mbele
The year is 1998 when I first heard this Master piece on YFM poetry jam session, big up to Rudeboy Pual Mnisi
brwn16eyes
Amazing, relevant, truth.
NUKnoEtv
I love this version better than the original.
#Salute
@NUKnoE
True Funk Soul
This is the original cut, from Gil's first album.
The better known version with more musical accompaniment was redone for his second album.
Nathan Kilcourse
Does anyone have this in a higher quality? Wav or a good vinyl rip? Must have this.
mpendwa33
Inspired me to write!