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.
Pieces Of A Man
Gil Scott-Heron Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tossed about the room
I saw my grandma sweepin'
With her old straw broom
But she didn't what she was doin'
She could hardly understand
That she was really sweepin' up
Pieces of a man
I saw my daddy greet the mailman
And I heard the mailman say
"now don't you take this letter to heart now Jimmy
Cause they've laid off nine others today"
But he didn't know what he was saying
He could hardly understand
That he was only talkin' to
Pieces of a man
I saw the thunder and heard the lightnin'!
And felt the burden of his shame
And for some unknown reason
He never turned my way
Pieces of that letter
Were tossed about that room
And now I hear the sound of sirens
Come knifing through the gloom
But they don't know what they are doing
They could hardly understand
That they're only arrestin'
Pieces of a man
I saw him go to pieces
I saw him go to pieces
He was always such a good man
He was always such a strong strong man
Yeah, I saw him go to pieces
I saw him go to pieces"
In Pieces of a Man, Gil Scott-Heron paints a poignant picture of the shattered pieces of individuals, shattered by societal pressures and racism. He describes the confusion and powerlessness experienced by individuals who have too little agency in shaping their destiny. The powerful and evocative metaphor of the jigsaw pieces scattered around the room is used to represent these shattered pieces of a man, each with their own history, fears, and desires. As he watches his grandmother sweeping up the jigsaw pieces, he realizes that she doesn't understand what she's doing. She thinks that she's just sweeping up dirt, but in reality, she is sweeping up the fragments of a shattered life, and the puzzle is far from complete.
The second verse talks about a father who receives a letter from his employer saying that he's been laid off, and the mailman telling him to not to worry because nine other people have been laid off, too. To the father, it's just another piece of paper that he has to deal with, but to Scott-Heron, it's another piece of the puzzle that is the man, and his life - a fragment that connects to a larger story of social and economic injustice.
The final verse describes the sound of sirens coming through the gloom, and how they too are trying to arrest pieces of the man. It's a commentary on how law enforcement, often a brutalizing force in poor and marginalized communities, is also unknowingly treating people as mere fragments of a life or jigsaw puzzle - rather than individuals with unique, complex stories.
Overall, the song is a powerful reminder of the excesses of modern industrial life, and how it can be dehumanizing when it robs individuals of their agency to live a complete and fulfilling life.
Line by Line Meaning
?Jacky? jigsaw pieces
Thrown around haphazardly or in disarray, like jigsaw pieces.
Tossed about the room
Thrown or scattered randomly in the space.
I saw my grandma sweepin'
Observing the act of sweeping the floor.
With her old straw broom
Using an old-fashioned broom made of straw.
But she didn't what she was doin'
Despite appearing to be sweeping, lacking understanding of what was actually being swept.
She could hardly understand
Having difficulty grasping the situation or comprehending the activity being carried out.
That she was really sweepin' up
Unknowingly sweeping or cleaning up the remnants of a human, referred to as 'pieces of a man.'
I saw my daddy greet the mailman
The artist observed their father's interaction with the mail carrier.
And I heard the mailman say
Recalling the mailman's words.
"Now don't you take this letter to heart now Jimmy
The mailman is consoling the father not to take the contents of the letter seriously.
Cause they've laid off nine others today"
The letter contains news of layoffs that have affected the singer's family.
But he didn't know what he was saying
The mailman is ignorant of how these layoffs were affecting the recipient of the letter.
He could hardly understand
The mailman could not comprehend the gravity of the situation.
That he was only talkin' to
The mailman's message was only reaching the father at the surface level.
Pieces of a man
The father, experienced as a complete human, is now reduced to mere 'pieces of a man' in light of being laid off.
I saw the thunder and heard the lightnin'!
The artist experienced a thunderstorm firsthand.
And felt the burden of his shame
The artist feels the weight of someone's shame.
And for some unknown reason
Not knowing why something occurred.
He never turned my way
The subject of the singer's concern never acknowledged their presence or plight.
Pieces of that letter
Fragments of a letter are strewn about.
Were tossed about that room
The physical letter was disturbed or upset in the space.
And now I hear the sound of sirens
Sirens from emergency vehicles are audible to the artist.
Come knifing through the gloom
The sound of the sirens cuts through the dark and ominous atmosphere.
But they don't know what they are doing
The emergency responders may be incapable of fully understanding the situation at hand.
They could hardly understand
The emergency responders are not fully comprehending what is unfolding around them.
That they're only arrestin'
The emergency responders are apprehending 'pieces of a man,' symbolizing that they can only address the situation superficially.
Pieces of a man
The fragmentary and incomplete state that an individual could be reduced to in difficult circumstances.
I saw him go to pieces
The artist witnessed someone falling apart emotionally.
He was always such a good man
The subject being discussed was an admirable figure in the past.
He was always such a strong strong man
The subject being discussed had a lot of personal strength before the crisis.
Yeah, I saw him go to pieces
The singer saw this person becoming weak and disassembled in some way.
I saw him go to pieces"
The artist reiterates witnessing someone deteriorating and becoming fragmented.
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRIAN JACKSON, GIL SCOTT-HERON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rick Reese
Verse 1: Gil Scott-Heron]
Jagged jigsaw pieces
Tossed about the room
I saw my grandma sweeping
With her old straw broom
But she didn't know what she was doing
She could hardly understand
That she was really sweeping up
Pieces of a man
[Verse 2: Gil Scott-Heron]
I saw my daddy meet the mailman
And I heard the mailman say
"Now don't you take this letter to heart now, Jimmy
Cause they've laid off nine others today"
But he didn't know what he was saying
He could hardly understand
That he was only talking to
Pieces of a man
[Verse 3: Gil Scott-Heron]
I saw the thunder and heard the lightning
And felt the burden of his shame
And for some unknown reason
He never turned my way
[Verse 4: Gil Scott-Heron]
Pieces of that letter
Were tossed about that room
And now I hear the sound of sirens
Come knifing through the gloom
But they don't know what they are doing
They could hardly understand
That they're only arresting
Pieces of a man
[Verse 5: Gil Scott-Heron]
I saw him go to pieces
I saw him go to pieces
He was always such a good man
He was always such a strong, strong man
Yeah, I saw him go to pieces
I saw him go to pieces
J Skillington
"I saw the thunder and heard the lightning, and felt the burden of his shame" still hits hard and gives me chills
Fred Bush
Yes it does,Yes it does…
AndreaBaixinho
this is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard
Caleb Manger
Just wait till you hear another one from him
Burt472
Sure is
Aria Elan
"She was really sweeping up pieces of a man..." Ancestor Gil was truly a gifted poet and musician who dedicated his life to creating and sharing social justice songs. Unemployment, racism, destruction of our environment... Sadly, these issues have worsened since his passing. One Love...
Clive Elias Suffield-Thompson
I absolutely love his music and his portrail of life as it as it was and how it is now. God bless Gil xxx
J Jones
@Dave Gardner Look at the stats.
GChase6
Agree with everything apart from racism being worse, it 100% a fact that it is not as bad today as it was in Mr herons time
Peter Hudgens
Decades from now we'll come to realize how brilliant an artist Gil Scott-Heron truly was. The man was far ahead of his time as a musician and a poet.