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.

possum slim
Gil Scott-Heron Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Heard me a story about this brother
Heard he was more than a hundred years old
Beat up and robbed by friends of his, or so he thought
Which proves this world can still be cold

But even old, bent Florida sunshine trees
Stand a little bit taller today
And you can hear the whisper from the seaside breeze

This is what they say
Possum Slim
Don't you mess with him.

Yeah the brother took all he could
This story don't prove that he ain't no good
Possum Slim (my man)
Don't you mess with him

Brother said he been robbed so many times
I reckon he just couldn't take it no more
Took a five dollar bill downtown
With a bottle of gin
Birthday party for a woman he knows
(Knows her well)

But now they got Slim in a Florida jail
Just waitin to go on trial
Sun known Slim for a hundred years
The sun can't help but smile
Possum Slim is alright with me
Don't you mess with him

(Got to understand)
The brother took all he could
This story don't prove that he ain't no good
Possum Slim (my man)
And I don't want you to mess with him
(Feel the spirit moving)

Yeah the brother took all he could
This story don't prove that he ain't no good
Possum Slim (Oh the people power)
Don't you mess with him

I heard me a story about this brother
(At the time) one hundred and five years old (Done time)
Beat up and robbed by friends of his
Which proves this world can still be cold

Yeah but now they got Slim in a Florida jail
Waitin to go on trial
The sun known Slim for a hundred years
The sun can't help but smile
Possum Slim is alright with me
So don't you mess with him

My man, my man, my man
Don't you mess with my man
My man, my man, my man, my man
Don't you mess with my man
Oh people power, people power
Is the thing for the day
Oh people power, people power
Possum Slim is leadin the way

Possum Slim
Don't you mess with him

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Possum Slim" tells the story of an elderly African-American man who has been beaten up and robbed by his own friends. The singer of the song has heard about this story and sings about how the world can still be cruel and cold to people, even to those who have lived for over a century. Despite the hardships that Possum Slim faces, he still stands tall, just like the old, bent Florida sunshine trees. He has the support of the singer and of the seaside breeze that whispers "don't mess with him."

The song praises Possum Slim's resilience and strength, as he has been robbed multiple times but still manages to enjoy his life. The singer sings about how Possum Slim took a five dollar bill downtown with a bottle of gin to celebrate a woman's birthday. However, Slim gets arrested and is waiting to go on trial in a Florida jail. The song encourages the listeners to support Possum Slim as he is "alright" and "leadin the way," representing a symbol of hope and perseverance for the African-American community.

Line by Line Meaning

Heard me a story about this brother
I was told a story about a man

Heard he was more than a hundred years old
He was said to be over 100 years old

Beat up and robbed by friends of his, or so he thought
He was physically attacked and robbed by people he considered friends

Which proves this world can still be cold
This demonstrates that the world can still be cruel

But even old, bent Florida sunshine trees
Even trees that are old and bent from the Florida sunshine

Stand a little bit taller today
Seem to have grown a bit taller today

And you can hear the whisper from the seaside breeze
The wind blowing from the ocean makes a faint sound

This is what they say
This is what we hear them say

Possum Slim
Referring to the man in the story

Don't you mess with him.
Do not mess with him

Yeah the brother took all he could
The man endured as much as he possibly could

This story don't prove that he ain't no good
This story does not prove that he is a bad person

Possum Slim (my man)
Referring to the man again

Don't you mess with him
Do not mess with him

Brother said he been robbed so many times
The man in the story claimed to have been robbed several times before

I reckon he just couldn't take it no more
It seems that he had reached his limit

Took a five dollar bill downtown
He went downtown with a five-dollar bill

With a bottle of gin
And a bottle of gin

Birthday party for a woman he knows
He was attending a birthday party for a woman he knew

(Knows her well)
Clarifying that he knew the woman well

But now they got Slim in a Florida jail
But now the man, Possum Slim, is in a Florida jail

Just waitin to go on trial
Waiting to be tried in court

Sun known Slim for a hundred years
The sun has known Possum Slim for a century

The sun can't help but smile
The sunshine seems to be happy about something

Possum Slim is alright with me
I am okay with Possum Slim

Don't you mess with him
Do not mess with him

(Got to understand)
An interjection, signaling that something must be understood

Possum Slim (my man)
Referring to the man in the story again

And I don't want you to mess with him
I implore you not to mess with him

(Feel the spirit moving)
An interjection, suggesting that one must follow a spiritual feeling

Yeah the brother took all he could
Once again stating that the man endured as much as he could

This story don't prove that he ain't no good
Restating that this story does not prove that he is a bad person

Possum Slim (my man)
Referring to the man again

Don't you mess with him
Do not mess with him

I heard me a story about this brother
Repeating the first line, recalling the man in the story

(At the time) one hundred and five years old (Done time)
Clarifying that he was actually 105 years old when he was arrested

Beat up and robbed by friends of his
Restating how the man was attacked and robbed by people he knew

Which proves this world can still be cold
Reiterating that this shows how the world can be cruel

Yeah but now they got Slim in a Florida jail
Reminding that Possum Slim is now in jail

Waitin to go on trial
Waiting to be tried in court

The sun known Slim for a hundred years
Repeating that Possum Slim is known by the sun

The sun can't help but smile
The sunshine seems happy again

Possum Slim is alright with me
Reiterating that I am okay with Possum Slim

So don't you mess with him
So, once again, do not mess with him

My man, my man, my man
Addressing Possum Slim affectionately

Don't you mess with my man
Reiterating that people should not mess with him

Oh people power, people power
An expression, emphasizing the power of people

Is the thing for the day
It is the popular trend of the day

Possum Slim is leadin the way
Possum Slim is setting an example

Possum Slim
Referencing the man once again

Don't you mess with him
Do not mess with him

Contributed by Ryan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

ΑΝΤΙ'

5y↑9

Heard me a story about this brother
Heard he was more than a hundred years old
Beat up and robbed by friends of his, so he thought
Which proves this world can still be cold
But even old, bent Florida sunshine trees
Stand a little bit taller today
And you can hear the whisper from the seaside breeze
This is what they say:
Possum Slim
Don’t you mess with him
Yeah, the brother took all he could
This story don’t prove that he ain’t no good
Possum Slim (my man)
And don’t you mess with him
Brother said he been robbed so many times
I reckon he just couldn’t take it no more
He took a five-dollar bill downtown
With a bottle of gin
Birthday party for a woman he knows
(Knows her well)
But now they got Slim in a Florida jail
He’s waiting to go on trial
The Sun known Slim for a hundred years
The Sun can’t help but smile
Possum Slim is alright with me
And don’t you mess with him
(Got to understand)
The brother took all he could
This story don’t prove that he ain’t no good
Possum Slim (my man)
And I don’t want you to mess with him
(Feel the spirit moving)

[Bridge 1: Instrumental Break]

[Verse 2: Gil Scott-Heron]
Yeah, the brother took all he could
This story don’t prove that he ain’t no good
Possum Slim (Oh, the people power)
And don’t you mess with him

[Bridge 2: Instrumental Break]

[Verse 3: Gil Scott-Heron]
I heard me a story about this brother
(At the time) one hundred and five years old
(Done time)
Beat up and robbed by friends of his
Which proves this world can still be cold
Yeah, but now they got Slim in a Florida jail
Waiting to go on trial
The Sun known Slim for a hundred years
The Sun can’t help but smile and say
Possum Slim is alright with me
So don’t you mess with him
My man, my man, my man
Don’t you mess with my man
My man, my man, my man, brother man
Don’t you mess with my man
Oh, people power, oh, people power
Is the thing for the day
Oh, people power, oh, people power
Possum Slim is leading the way
Possum Slim
Don’t you mess with him

All comments from YouTube:

rick reese

10y↑16

This particular side is music from the spirit; the spirit that lives in each and every one of us. Hopefully we'll all get to be the age of Possum Slim and nobody will mess with us.