By the time he reached adolescence, Robert knew his destiny was to be a jazz musician. He was accepted to the Houston's famed High School for the Performing Arts ("Jason Moran went there before me."). Post-graduation, Glasper enrolled at New School University in Manhattan. Soon after arrival, he hooked up with future bandmember Reid and vocalist Bilal, an old schoolmate. As an undergrad, Glasper gigged with Christian McBride, Russell Malone and Kenny Garrett. Professional life after the New School was even sweeter: stints with Nicholas Payton, Roy Hargrove, Terence Blanchard, Carmen Lundy, and Carly Simon.
The Bilal connection brought the pianist back to hip-hop. Glasper's contributions to Bilal's debut and subsequent tour brought him to the attention of Q-Tip (A Tribe Called Quest). "Tip would come hang out at my shows, and one day he called me and said, ‘I'm doing this tour and I need you to play keys. Can you do it?’” He's also since played with Mos Def, and is featured prominently on Bilal's forthcoming sophomore release.
In 2003, Glasper's first album Mood was released on indie label Fresh Sound New Talent, and two years later, Blue Note came calling. At Blue Note, Glasper joins a jazz piano legacy that stretches back to 1939, beginning with Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis, and continuing through Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Andrew Hill, Cecil Taylor, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Jacky Terrasson, Jason Moran and Bill Charlap. Undaunted, Glasper reflects, “I’m just happy to be a part of the Blue Note family and its rich history.”
-- From Glasper's Official Website
Why We Speak
Robert Glasper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Terre
Feu
Air
Cœur de l'eau
Cœur de terre
Il se tait dans notre papier cadeau
Vous n'avez jamais eu la liberté de tourner
C'est dans l'esprit de la Terre
Ce qui n'a pas de prix
N'a pas de prix
Tout à coup, c'est maintenant
Qu'il faut même encore pleurer
We got a long while left to burn
But it's easier when you know whatever's alive in you
Nous sommes réveillés
It's love alive (maintenant et puis en avant)
Et l'arbre de vie et l'œuf cosmique
Et le sang de la Terre
Se souvenir
Se souvenir - While we speak the English
Se souvenir - While we speak the French
Se souvenir - While we speak the Spanish
Se souvenir - And bargain with the vendors
Se souvenir - Not to sell our souls
Se souvenir - In between, remember how to speak
Out of my mouth before I had to say
Nobody ever wants to sit there one day
Je me suis souvenu
Toutes les couleurs du ciel
Et c'est dans le cœur de mon ventre
Tout à coup, c'est maintenant
Qu'il peut même encore pleurer
We got a long way left to go
But it's easier when you know whatever's alive in you
Nous sommes réveillés
Oh love alive (maintenant et puis en avant)
Et l'arbre de vie et l'œuf cosmique
Et le sang de la Terre
Sometimes in life when you go too far
The truth will bring you to who you are
Sometimes in life when you go too far
The truth will bring you to who you are
Sometimes in life when you go too far
The truth will bring you to who you are
Sometimes in life when you go too far
The truth will bring you to who you are
Life can bring you down when you're living in it
These circles and cycles go round though you even spin it
But you stoppin it when your shoulder is a reminder
To not run yourself in the ground, to yourself be kinder
Sometimes I got real cast by truth even in the rear view
Driving aimlessly around with nowhere to stay to
She ain't the should be them, the vibes like an abstract poet
If somebody ask who you are, well
You better know it, better know it, better know it
Se souvenir
Se souvenir - While we speak the English
Se souvenir - While we speak the French
Se souvenir - While we speak the Spanish
Se souvenir - While we, ah
Se souvenir - And bargain with the vendors
Not to sell our souls
In between remember how to speak
How we speak
How she speaks
Out of my mouth before I had to say
Feu
Air
To remember often, all the sage disasters are done
Se souvenir
Se souvenir
How to cry, how to ground, how to burn, how to breathe
Se souvenir
To remember often, all the sage disasters are done
How to ground, how to burn, how to breathe
Se souvenir
L'arbre de vie
L'œuf cosmique
Et le sang de la Terre
Se souvenir
L'arbre de vie
L'œuf cosmique
Et le sang de la Terre
We've got a lot left to unlearn
But it's easier when you know how to use the light in you
It's a love alive
L'arbre de vie
L'œuf cosmique
Et le sang
Cœur de l'eau, cœur de terre
Se souvenir
The lyrics to "Why We Speak" by Robert Glasper, Q-Tip, and Esperanza Spalding are a vivid mix of elemental, environmental, and linguistic imagery. The song challenges listeners to remember and honor the natural elements of water, earth, fire, and air that sustain life, while recognizing how human language can both help and hinder our connection to the world. The repeated phrase "Se souvenir" (French for "remember") underscores this theme throughout the song. The lyrics also touch on personal introspection, the importance of self-care, and the need for individual and collective transformation.
The opening lines of the song list the four elements and their French translations, suggesting a universality and interconnectedness beyond language. This idea is reinforced later in the song when the singers alternate between speaking English, French, and Spanish while reminding us to "remember how to speak." The lyrics also acknowledge the power of language to shape our perceptions and actions, warning us not to "sell our souls" or forget who we truly are.
The chorus repeats the phrase "We got a long way left to go" while acknowledging that it's easier to navigate life's challenges when we cultivate an awareness of the "love alive" within us and lean into the elemental forces that sustain us. The metaphor of the "tree of life" and the "cosmic egg" evoke ancient mythologies and the cyclical nature of existence.
Line by Line Meaning
L'eau
Water
Terre
Earth
Feu
Fire
Air
Air
Cœur de l'eau
Heart of water
Cœur de terre
Heart of earth
Il se tait dans notre papier cadeau
It remains silent in our gift paper
I crack the ball and remember
I break the ball and recall
Vous n'avez jamais eu la liberté de tourner
You have never had the freedom to turn
C'est dans l'esprit de la Terre
It is in the spirit of the Earth
Ce qui n'a pas de prix
What has no price
N'a pas de prix
Has no price
Tout à coup, c'est maintenant
Suddenly, it's now
Qu'il faut même encore pleurer
That we still need to cry
We got a long while left to burn
We have a long time left to burn
But it's easier when you know whatever's alive in you
But it's easier when you know what lives within you
Nous sommes réveillés
We are awakened
It's love alive (maintenant et puis en avant)
It's alive love (now and then)
Et l'arbre de vie et l'œuf cosmique
And the tree of life and the cosmic egg
Et le sang de la Terre
And the blood of the Earth
Se souvenir
To remember
Se souvenir - While we speak the English
To remember - While we speak English
Se souvenir - While we speak the French
To remember - While we speak French
Se souvenir - While we speak the Spanish
To remember - While we speak Spanish
Se souvenir - And bargain with the vendors
To remember - And bargain with the vendors
Se souvenir - Not to sell our souls
To remember - Not to sell our souls
Se souvenir - In between, remember how to speak
To remember - In between, remember how to speak
Out of my mouth before I had to say
Out of my mouth before I needed to speak
Nobody ever wants to sit there one day
No one ever wants to stay there one day
Je me suis souvenu
I remembered
Toutes les couleurs du ciel
All the colors of the sky
Et c'est dans le cœur de mon ventre
And it's in the heart of my belly
We got a long way left to go
We have a long way left to go
Oh love alive (maintenant et puis en avant)
Oh alive love (now and then)
Sometimes in life when you go too far
Sometimes in life when you've gone too far
The truth will bring you to who you are
The truth will lead you to who you are
Life can bring you down when you're living in it
Life can bring you down when you're experiencing it
These circles and cycles go round though you even spin it
These circles and cycles continue even when you try to control them
But you stoppin it when your shoulder is a reminder
But it stops when your shoulder reminds you
To not run yourself in the ground, to yourself be kinder
To not exhaust yourself, be kinder to yourself
Sometimes I got real cast by truth even in the rear view
Sometimes I'm really affected by the truth, even in hindsight
Driving aimlessly around with nowhere to stay to
Driving around without purpose or a place to stay
She ain't the should be them, the vibes like an abstract poet
She's not who she should be, her vibes are like an abstract poet
If somebody ask who you are, well
If someone asks who you are, well
You better know it, better know it, better know it
You should know it, know it, know it
Feu
Fire
Air
Air
To remember often, all the sage disasters are done
To frequently remember that all wise disasters are over
How to cry, how to ground, how to burn, how to breathe
How to cry, how to stay grounded, how to burn, how to breathe
To remember often, all the sage disasters are done
To frequently remember that all wise disasters are over
Se souvenir
To remember
L'arbre de vie
The tree of life
L'œuf cosmique
The cosmic egg
Et le sang de la Terre
And the blood of the Earth
L'arbre de vie
The tree of life
L'œuf cosmique
The cosmic egg
Et le sang
And the blood
Cœur de l'eau, cœur de terre
Heart of water, heart of earth
We've got a lot left to unlearn
We have a lot left to unlearn
But it's easier when you know how to use the light in you
But it's easier when you know how to utilize the light within you
It's a love alive
It's a love that's alive
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Missing Link Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Burniss Earl Travis, Esperanza Spalding, Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, Robert Andre Glasper
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Thomas Maynard
This along with some of the other songs from Black Radio lll shows that there is no limit to Roberts creativity.
He has a gift for finding the right vocalists / musicians / hip hop artists for whatever the vibe of the song is he writes.
Check out " Heaven's Here " feat. Ant Clemons.
It starts out as though Robert is going into an odd meter abstract jazz / fusion tune - then he effortlessly segways into a sensual , beautiful , ballad , with advanced chrods that no one else could possibly pull off.
Robert and his boys are BAD.
He has created his own genre ; blending jazz with RnB , hip hop , and Neo Soul that is often copied , but cannot be duplicated.
No one has come along and created thier own thing since Teddy Riley and New Jack Swing.
Robert reached the top proving once again that true talent , musical artistry , having something to say will always out last trends and stand the test of time.
Go Robert , go.
Tom Maynard , Musician , CA
Dr BigF MC
Hearing Qtip's voice is like receiving a phone call from a childhood friend. Soothing music in these troubled times.
Mel Smith
If only people in Ukraine could hear this..it's soothing and so peaceful!
Faiya Staar
NEVER BETTER SAID................ JEEZ!
Corie B
Brilliant. This comment is brilliant. I love Q-Tip…my children love him too.
marjorie wallace
Yes!! And he's singing too, which for me is a treat. I love Q-Tip's voice in any way, shape, or form!!
Paul Winston
Man listennnn….whew!✊🏿
OTooleRules
Holy God. Can we have a whole album of Rob, Esperanza and Q-Tip?
Music fiend
Im with you on that!
Lisa L Chambers
Ikr
L. Daniels
Not just because it's French, but I get a "Les Nubians" french-soul vibe here. So dope, so fresh! With Q-Tip and the Queen of Bass, Esperanza? Yassssssssss!! Robert, you did it again! Out the ballpark with a rocket on it's tail!!! :>))