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.
It
Gil Scott-Heron Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know was made for me
There is no any one place where I belong
My spirit's meant to be free
And soon now everyone will see
Life was made for us to be what we wanna be!
And it's your world
And what you see
Was not meant for me
It's your world
But you don't have to be lonely
'Cause in your world
You are truly free!
The thoughts that fill my mind
Are a very special kind
Because they're home to me and me alone
And then I realize
That we all have a home inside
That was meant for us to be what we wanna be
And it's your world
It's yours and yours and yours
And what you see
Was not meant for me
It's your world
But you don't have to be lonely
'Cause in your world, you are truly free!
Music of life fills my soul
Music of love makes me feel whole
As human history unfolds before my eyes
My spirit's meant to be free
And soon now everyone's will be
It's your right to be whatever you wanna be!
And it's your world
It's yours and yours and yours
And what you see
Was not necessarily meant for me
It's your world
But you don't have to be lonely
'Cause in your world
You are truly free!
And it's your world
It's yours and yours and yours
And what you see
It was not meant for me
It's your world
But you don't have to be lonely
'Cause in your world
You are truly free!
And it's your world
It's yours and yours and yours
And what you see
It was not meant for me
It's your world
But you don't have to be lonely
'Cause in your world
You are truly free!
You are truly free
(So go 'head) Be what you wanna be
You are truly free
(So go 'head) Be what you wanna be
You are truly free
(So go 'head) Be what you wanna be
You are truly free
(So go 'head) Be what you wanna be
The lyrics of Gil Scott-Heron's "It's Your World" encourage individualism and self-expression. Scott-Heron speaks of the ground beneath his feet as a place where he can be whoever he wants to be, and he encourages others to embrace the same freedom. He speaks of the thoughts in his mind as a special kind, and the place where his spirit is meant to be free. He invites others to appreciate that they also have a home inside them, a place that was meant for them to be whoever they want to be. He sings that the music of life and love fills his soul, and that human history unfolding before his eyes. His spirit, he says, and soon everyone's spirits are meant to be free. The song lets the audience know that the world is vast, and while what one person sees and experiences might not be meant for everyone else, they can still be themselves, live freely and not be lonely because it's their world. The refrain of the song repeats the phrase "You are truly free," which further emphasizes the message of individualism and self-expression.
The lyrics advocate for the importance of living one's life according to one's values and being free to be oneself. Scott-Heron speaks of the ground, the thoughts, the music, and human history, as things that reaffirm his right to be free, and he invites his listeners to do the same. The song has a universal message, encouraging self-expression, individualism, and understanding amongst people. It also recognizes that people live in the world differently and that the world is vast and varied.
Line by Line Meaning
The ground beneath my feet
I am aware of the fact that the Earth was made for humans and I belong nowhere in particular.
I know was made for me
The ground was specifically created to host human life.
There is no any one place where I belong
As humans, we do not have to be confined to a specific location.
My spirit's meant to be free
Human nature is to live with freedom and independence.
And soon now everyone will see
With time, everyone will ultimately understand the significance of freedom and independence in their lifestyle.
Life was made for us to be what we wanna be!
Life offers us an opportunity to be whatever we want to be.
And it's your world
The planet is yours, and it is up to you to make something of it.
It's yours and yours and yours
The world belongs to every living soul.
And what you see
Not everyone sees the reality you see.
Was not meant for me
Not everything in the environment suits me perfectly, nor should it.
But you don't have to be lonely
Don't let the limit of the environment cause desolation in one's life.
'Cause in your world
The world can be whatever you want it to be.
You are truly free!
Freedom is fundamental and it exists without limitations.
The thoughts that fill my mind
My thoughts are unique and personal to me.
Are a very special kind
My thinking is incomparable and of great significance to me.
Because they're home to me and me alone
My thinking habits are a personal sanctuary of my mind.
And then I realize
I have come to the understanding that everyone is unique, and their thinking is too.
That we all have a home inside
Everyone has a special place within themselves.
That was meant for us to be what we wanna be
That place within every human being is a safe haven for thinking, feeling, and expressing freedom.
Music of life fills my soul
Life's rhythm and flow engross my spirit.
Music of love makes me feel whole
Love fills my life with completeness.
As human history unfolds before my eyes
As time progresses, so does human evolution.
It's your right to be whatever you wanna be!
Everyone has the right to be themselves.
It was not necessarily meant for me
There are things meant for others that don't necessarily apply to me.
(So go 'head) Be what you wanna be
Just go ahead and be whoever or whatever you wanna be.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: GIL SCOTT HERON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@shaneelder2183
*****
So what are we waiting for...
Spoken words will light the tinder
Gathered by our class.
Ideas once swept to the dustbin
By the corporate overlords,
Now carefully piled like dry staves,
Pickets long discarded but not destroyed and ready for the flame's tongue.
The poet's flint strikes steel...
A hiss, a spark, and a crackle--
The bonfires flare and pop,
And Yeats's gyre expands anew--
Revolution unchained
Slouching this time toward Babylon.
@samuelodey9823
Woohoo 🥳
Listening from Africa in January 2024, and I can feel it. “The Revolution will not be Televised”.
@davidsaints1
And we almost lose Detroit.
@jochanaan58
The Revolution will be live!
@helenet.8217
I worked in a records store, Peaches Records, in my hometown of New Orleans in the 1970s and my Manager, wouldn't let me play anything but music by Black artists when I was working my shift. Gil Scott-Heron was one of her favourites, and I loved this song instantly. Gil was a visionary.
@ophelia8160
My favorite record store ever
@shaneelder2183
This brother had a keen understanding of media and hegemony. His poetry is still relevant, still prescient, still right on. The revolution will not be texted, will not be tweeted, will not be televised, will not be televised. The revolution will be live.
@nikkipoy
Yep,.... just change out some of the items... celeb names.... not much has changed it seems.
@shaneelder2183
*****
So what are we waiting for...
Spoken words will light the tinder
Gathered by our class.
Ideas once swept to the dustbin
By the corporate overlords,
Now carefully piled like dry staves,
Pickets long discarded but not destroyed and ready for the flame's tongue.
The poet's flint strikes steel...
A hiss, a spark, and a crackle--
The bonfires flare and pop,
And Yeats's gyre expands anew--
Revolution unchained
Slouching this time toward Babylon.
@nikkipoy
Actually, yes, it will be live, texted, filmed, and tweeted....
@dianacirrito7341
+Shane Elder wonderful 👌