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.
The Other Side Part III
Gil Scott-Heron Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm on my way home i left three days ago
No one seems to know I'm gone
Home is where the hatred is
And home is filled with pain
Lord, it might not be such a
Bad idea if I never, never went home again
My white powder dream
Home was once an empty vacuum
But it's filled now with my silent scream
Home is where the needle marks tried
To heal my broken heart
Lord, it might not be such a
Bad idea if I never, never went home again
Stand as far away from me as you can, yeah
And ask me why hang onto your rosary beads
Close your eyes and watch me die
You keep saying, "Kick it, quit it, kick it
Quit it" god, but did you ever try?
And turn your sick soul inside out
So that the world, so that the world
Can watch you die can watch you die
Can watch you die, say
Home is where I live inside
My white powder dream
Home was once an empty vacuum
But it's filled now with my silent scream
Home is where the needle marks tried
To heal my broken heart
Lord, it might not be such a
Bad idea if I never, never went home again
Don't you know I might never go home
Never go home
Make all these plans and keep packing my bags
Not go, hey not go, not go
Not go, not go, not go, keep saying
Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow
Tomorrow, tomorrow, first thing tomorrow
Tomorrow, I'll go, tomorrow, I'll go
I know it all the time
That I'm just buying time, saying
Kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it
Kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it
Kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it
Kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it
Kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it
Kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it
Kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it, kick it
Quit it i might never go home, never go home
Pack all my bags and keep standing around
And down and down and down and down
And down and down and down, and say I'm
Running and running and running, yeah, but I
Can't get away, can't get away everybody
Ain't that strong, ain't that strong
Go too long, feel yourself crash
Kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it, kick it
Quit it can't go home
Holding onto something, saying
Kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it, kick it
Quit it can't go home
And, yes, you'd like to go home
Mama could change it
Daddy could fix it, yes, if you could go home
If you could go home
Mama don't need, mama don't need
To see me this way, to know me this way
And touch me this way and love me this way
Can't go
Can't go, can't go, can't go, can't go
Can't go home say it to myself
Kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it, kick it
Quit it can't go home
I feel it in my soul, saying
Kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it, kick it
Quit it can't go home
Yes, yes, saying, saying
Kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it, kick it
Quit it can't go home
Yes, but I know, but I know, but I
Know, but I know, know, but I know
Can't go home yes, I'd like to go home
I can't go home i'd like to go home
Can't go home like to go home
Like to start all over, start all over
Start all over, yeah, like to go home
Like to go home say yeah, say yeah
Like to go home
"The Other Side Part III" by Gil Scott-Heron is a deeply introspective and haunting song that delves into the struggles of addiction and the longing for escape from a toxic and painful home environment. The lyrics depict the perspective of a junkie who is on the verge of returning home after being away for three days. However, the singer expresses feelings of despair and hopelessness towards the idea of going back home, referring to it as a place filled with hatred and pain. The repetition of the line "Lord, it might not be such a bad idea if I never, never went home again" emphasizes the desperation and desire to break free from the cycle of addiction and its associated traumas.
The song presents a vivid contrast between the singer's internal world, represented by their "white powder dream" and "silent scream," and the external reality of their broken heart and needle marks. The addiction becomes a coping mechanism, a temporary escape from the emptiness and pain of their home. The repeated plea to "kick it, quit it" highlights the struggles of trying to quit the addiction while facing the judgment and lack of understanding from others.
Overall, "The Other Side Part III" delves deep into the complex emotions and struggles of addiction, alienation, and the longing for a better life. It serves as a powerful commentary on the destructive nature of addiction and its impact on an individual's sense of identity and belonging.
Line by Line Meaning
A junkie walking through the twilight
A person addicted to drugs walking aimlessly during the evening
I'm on my way home I left three days ago
I left my residence three days ago and I'm now returning
No one seems to know I'm gone
Nobody is aware that I've left or that I'm missing
Home is where the hatred is
My residence is a place filled with intense animosity
And home is filled with pain
My dwelling is brimming with suffering
Lord, it might not be such a bad idea if I never, never went home again
Perhaps it would be advantageous if I never returned to my residence
Home is where I live inside my white powder dream
My dwelling is where I reside within my hallucinatory world fueled by drugs
Home was once an empty vacuum, but it's filled now with my silent scream
My residence used to be an empty void, but now it is overwhelmed by my internal anguish
Home is where the needle marks tried to heal my broken heart
My dwelling is where I attempted to mend my shattered emotions through the use of needles
Stand as far away from me as you can, yeah
Maintain a great distance from me, if possible
And ask me why hang onto your rosary beads
Pose the question of why you cling to your religious artifacts
Close your eyes and watch me die
Shut your eyes and witness my gradual demise
You keep saying, 'Kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it' God, but did you ever try?
Repeatedly urging me to abandon my addiction, but have you actually attempted it yourself?
And turn your sick soul inside out so that the world can watch you die
Expose your corrupted spirit to the world, allowing them to witness your own demise
Home is where I live inside my white powder dream
My dwelling is where I reside within my hallucinatory world fueled by drugs
Home was once an empty vacuum, but it's filled now with my silent scream
My residence used to be an empty void, but now it is overwhelmed by my internal anguish
Home is where the needle marks tried to heal my broken heart
My dwelling is where I attempted to mend my shattered emotions through the use of needles
Don't you know I might never go home, never go home
Do you not comprehend that I may never return to my residence?
Make all these plans and keep packing my bags
Formulate numerous arrangements while continuously preparing to leave
Not go, hey not go, not go
Avoid departing, hey, abstain from departing, do not go
Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow
Delaying the departure, repetitive emphasis on the following day
Tomorrow, I'll go, tomorrow, I'll go
Tomorrow, I will depart, tomorrow, I will depart
I know it all the time that I'm just buying time, saying
I am fully aware that I am merely prolonging the inevitable, expressing
Kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it
Attempt to overcome the addiction, then cease trying, and repeat the cycle
Can't go home
Unable to return to my residence
Holding onto something, saying
Clutching onto something, expressing
Kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it
Try to overcome the addiction, then give up the attempt, and repeat the cycle
Can't go home
Unable to return to my residence
And, yes, you'd like to go home
Indeed, you desire to return to your residence
Mama could change it, Daddy could fix it, yes, if you could go home
Mother could rectify the situation, Father could repair it, yes, if only you could return home
If you could go home
If you were able to go back to your residence
Mama don't need, Mama don't need to see me this way
Mother does not need to witness me in this condition
To know me this way and touch me this way and love me this way
To experience me in this state, to feel my pain, and to love me despite it
Can't go, can't go, can't go, can't go
Unable to return, unable to return, unable to return, unable to return
Say it to myself
Repeat it silently within my own mind
Yes, but I know, but I know, but I know, but I know, know, but I know
Yes, I understand, I am aware, I comprehend, I know, I definitely know
Can't go home
Unable to return to my residence
Yes, I'd like to go home
Indeed, I desire to return to my residence
I can't go home, I'd like to go home
I am unable to go back to my residence, but I still long for it
Can't go home, like to go home
Unable to return to my residence, but I would love to go back
Like to start all over, start all over, start all over, yeah, like to go home
Desire to begin anew, restart everything, restart everything, restart everything, yes, longing to return home
Like to go home, say yeah, say yeah
Crave to return home, say yes, say yes
Like to go home
Yearn to return to my residence
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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