Nikki Giovanni - Ego Tripping (sound file & words)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a sound file of and the words for Nikki Giovanni's 1972 poem "Ego Tripping (There May Be A Reason Why).

The content of this post is presented for inspirational and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remains with their owners.

FEATURED SOUND FILE

Ego Tripping-Nikki Giovanni



BRAZEN08, Uploaded on Apr 8, 2009

LYRICS: EGO TRIPPING (THERE MAY BE A REASON WHY)
(Nikki Giovanni)

I was born in the congo
I walked to the fertile crescent and built
the sphinx
I designed a pyramid so tough that a star
that only glows every one hundred years falls
into the center giving divine perfect light
I am bad

I sat on the throne
drinking nectar with allah
I got hot and sent an ice age to europe
to cool my thirst
My oldest daughter is nefertiti
the tears from my birth pains
created the nile
I am a beautiful woman

I gazed on the forest and burned
out the sahara desert
with a packet of goat's meat
and a change of clothes
I crossed it in two hours
I am a gazelle so swift
so swift you can't catch me

For a birthday present when he was three
I gave my son hannibal an elephant
He gave me rome for mother's day
My strength flows ever on

My son noah built new/ark and
I stood proudly at the helm
as we sailed on a soft summer day
I turned myself into myself and was
jesus
men intone my loving name
All praises All praises
I am the one who would save

I sowed diamonds in my back yard
My bowels deliver uranium
the filings from my fingernails are
semi-precious jewels
On a trip north
I caught a cold and blew
My nose giving oil to the arab world
I am so hip even my errors are correct
I sailed west to reach east and had to round off
the earth as I went
The hair from my head thinned and gold was laid
across three continents

I am so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal
I cannot be comprehended except by my permission

I mean...I...can fly
like a bird in the sky...

From http://nikki-giovanni.com/page_51.shtml

EDITORIAL COMMENT:
In African American slang, a person who is "trippin" is moving away from (taking a trip away from) the real world. "Ego Trippin[g]" usually means to brag about yourself without any basis in reality. It's usually an insult to say that someone is "ego trippin[g]". However, in "Ego Tripping", Giovanni probably wants her readers/listerners to positively view the self-boasting that is voiced in this poem.

The sub-title "There May Be A Reason Why" alludes to the poet's position that there's probably a legitimate reason or reasons for the ego trippin that is done in this poem. Incidentally, the sub-title "There May Be A Reason Why" is quite similar to the funk group War's 1971 song "There Must Be A Reason Why" which was included on their album "All Day Music". But the similarities in these titles might just be a coincidence.

In the seventh line of that poem, "I am bad" means "I'm very good".

The word "new/ ark" in the line ""My son noah built new/ark/..." is a form of the place name "Newark". Newark, New Jersey is a large metropolitan community that is near New York City. In the late 1960s and 1970s Newark was the site of a Black cultural nationalist organization, the Committee For Unified Newark" [CFUN], that was headed by the well known poet/playright/activist Amiri Baraka (Le Roi Jones). As such, and in no small part because of the positive connotations that could easily be made from that city's name, Newark, New Jersey was considered by Nikki Giovanni and some other persons in the Black cultural nationalists movement as a prototype for a city where [some] Black people had knowledge of and pride in their African heritage, and strived to adhere to the values of unity, self-determination, collective work & responsibility and other principles that are incapsulated in Maulana Karenga's Nguza Saba.*

I also believe that the phrase "new creation" in the last line of Nikki Giovanni's "Poem for a Lady of Leisure Now Retired" is an oblique reference to Newark, New Jersey. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/01/nikki-giovanni-poem-for-lady-of-leisure.html for a post about that poem.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to Nikki Giovanni for composing this poem and other poems. My thanks also for the producer & uploader of this video.

Thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

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Nikki Giovanni - Poem for a Lady of Leisure Now Retired

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post presents the words and a sound file of Nikki Giovanni's 1972 composition "Poem for a Lady of Leisure Now Retired".

The content of this post is presented for inspirational and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remains with their owners.

FEATURED SOUND FILE

Nikki Govanni's "Poem for a Lady of Leisure..." (Must Jesus...) - A T Short #18 (480p HQ)



ATBigger, Uploaded on Aug 1, 2010

Video number eighteen in the A T Short series: Nikki Giovanni reads her poem "Poem for a Lady of Leisure Now Retired" accompanied by the music of the New York Community Choir. Each A T Short has its own message (sometimes two: one musical and one visual), and because each A T Short video has a different message, you may not like all of them, but you will like enough of them.

WORDS TO "A LADY OF LEISURE NOW RETIRED"
(Nikki Giovanni)

This is a poem for an old prostitute that I know
who lives at the top of my building.
Some small island birthed her
and a big probably White ship took her from mother
to come to America’s re creation.
She lives in the top of my building.
I only know her through her eyes.
She is old now
not only from years
but from aging.
One gets the impression she was most beautiful
and like a good wine or a semi precious jewel
touted out for the pleasure of those who could afford
her re creation.
Her head is high
but the set of her mouth shows it’s not easy.
She asks nothing,
seems to have something to give,
but no one to give it to
if ever she gave it to anyone.

Age requires happy memories,
like Lavinia smiled when she died.
And though her doctor had told her not to
there was pork cooking on the stove.
There’s so many new mistakes for a lady of pleasure
that can be made.
It shouldn’t be necessary to repeat the old ones.
And it was cold on the elevator that morning
when I spoke to her and foolishly asked
“How are you?”
She smiled and tilted her head.
“At least” I said “the sun is shining”.
And her eyes smiled “Yes”.
And I was glad to be there to say to her
through spirits,
there is a new creation”.

EDITORIAL COMMENT:
I believe that the "new creation" in the last line of this poem is an oblique reference for Newark, New Jersey, a large metropolitan community that is near New York City. In the late 1960s and 1970s Newark was the site of a Black cultural nationalist organization, the Committee For Unified Newark" [CFUN], that was headed by the well known poet/playright/activist Amiri Baraka (Le Roi Jones). As such, and in no small part because of the positive connotations that could easily be made from that city's name, Newark, New Jersey was considered by Nikki Giovanni and some other persons in the Black cultural nationalists movement as a prototype for a city where [some] Black people had knowledge of and pride in their African heritage, and strived to adhere to the values of unity, self-determination, collective work & responsibility and other principles that are incapsulated in Maulana Karenga's Nguza Saba.*

Notice how Nikki Giovanni uses "new ark" - a form of the name "Newark" in her poem "Ego Trippin":
"My son noah built new/ark/..."
http://nikki-giovanni.com/page_51.shtml

*Click http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/NguzoSaba.shtml for a listing of the Nguza Saba (Seven Principles) which are also used as the names of the seven days of the Kwanzaa Holiday (Dec. 26-January 1).

RELATED LINKS
Click http://nikki-giovanni.com/bio.shtml for information about Nikki Giovanni.

Click http://nethymnal.org/htm/m/u/mustjesu.htm for information about the song
"Must Jesus Bare The Cross Alone"

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to Nikki Giovanni for composing this poem and other poems. Thanks to the New York Community Choir for their performance of the Gospel song "Must Jesus Bare The Cross Alone". My thanks also for the producer & uploader of this video.

Thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

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Barack Obama Election Poem And Mitt Romney Go Away Poem

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a poem about the United States Presidential election of 2008. The poem "Barack Obama: Poetic Politics" was written in February 18, 2008 by Chloe “Niveah” Rousseau before President Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States on November 8, 2008, and before he was re-elected President on November 6, 2012.

This post also provides an excerpt & explanations of the poem/parody "Willard M. Romney, will you please go now!" that was written in November 14, 2012 by dailykos.com blogger skralyx.

The content of this post is provided for historical, motivational, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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FEATURED VIDEO & TRANSCRIPTION: BARACK OBAMA POETIC POLITICS

Barack Obama: Poetic Politics



Uploaded on Feb 18, 2008

"This is my contribution to the movement. A poem expressing why I'm voting for Barack Obama, and why I believe he is the man to bring the fundamental change we've all been waiting for...Washington watch out!!

Yes We Can!"
-snip-
Note: I made this transcription from the video on November 15, 2012. This transcription doesn't include a reporter's spoken words that are part of the video. However, I did include two lines from a 2008 campaign speech by then then candidate Barack Obama that was also included in this video. I posted those words in parenthesis.

I wasn't able to decipher a few of the words in this poem. The words that I weren't able to decipher are noted with a question mark in brackets. Additions & corrections are welcome. Thanks!

BARACK OBAMA: POETIC POLITICS"
By Chloe “Niveah” Rousseau

He takes the stage.
In awe we silently watch and listen
as this indestructible force lifts modernity
into the palms of his hands
speaks to our souls
in the [?] white noise of prose.
Forgoes the pomp and circumstances of celebrity
and addresses us, his audience,
with humility and ease inspires within each breast
that same audacity
that we too may believe in change.
We hover
on the edge of our seats
anticipating redemption
thirsty for revitalization after years of complacency
we pray
for past sins to be tossed deep within the earth’s oceans
for everyone immersed in forgetfulness
suddenly and keenly aware that there is no future in regret
we press forward
reach upward
extend outward
and stand firm.
Yes, there is a foundation.
There is a universal truth that we can all tap into.
An eternal fountain of youth
not to be found in any person, place, or thing
but an interminable state of being.

(Some recorded words by a journalist not included in this transcription.)

True quality of life can only improve through
quality of mind.
It’s time we asked ourselves
“What is the state of my being?
Do I possess courage, endurance, and perseverance? “
Is not the relentless pursuit of joy, peace, and equality
the brick and mortar of this country?
See, we chant “Barack Obama for President”
print “Change we can believe in” on billions of posters
and brochures
But do we really believe
because “Barack Obama for President” is more than a slogan.
It’s an opportunity
for every American to embrace their inner strength,
seek out their life’s purpose,
and be a part of the rebirth of this nation.
Barack Obama stands for unity, integrity, and truth.

July 4th, 1776 *
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. (And) That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter (it) or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to (protect) their Safety and Happiness.”

Barack Obama for President.

We’ve been paralyzed for too long by fear.
Existed for too long as ghost
because we were afraid for too long of being labeled
a Judas, a traitor, a terrorist, or worst, a radical,
an advocate for complete and thorough political and social reform.

(Spoken excerpt from a campaign speech by then candidate Barack Obama:
“We need a President who will not just tell you what you want to hear, but will tell you what you need to hear, will tell you the truth.”)

Barack Obama stands for the transcendental truth that together we can.
We can have a President who keeps his word,
a leader we can trust with fortitude enough to admit when he’s wrong
and fight for what’s right.
There are wastelands filled with children [facing?]
neglect and indifference.
We’re in a war we can’t win yet
we still send soldiers to die.
It’s not right.
People, we’ve got to stop [???]
We’ve got to start caring about more than ourselves.
Progress and pride can’t coincide.
The only way we win is unify.
The crux of this campaign is fundamental change.
But change can’t occur without us.
We own the ballots.
We cast the votes.
We are the hope that we’ve been waiting for
not just November 8th **
But every day.
And not just for ourselves
but for our future.

-snip-
*This is an excerpt of the United States Declaration of Independence. The words in parenthesis are what the poet said that is different than the words in that document. For instance, the poet said "protect their Safety and Happiness.” and the actual words in that document are "effect their Safety and Happiness.”
Click http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/ for the full text of the United States Declaration Of Independence.

**November 8th was the date of the 2008 United States Presidential election. The election is always held every four years on the first Tuesday of November. In 2012, that day fell on November 6th.

****
EXCERPTS FROM THE POEM "WILLARD MITT ROMNEY WILL YOU PLEASE GO AWAY NOW"
Here's a link to a poem written in November 14, 2012 by skralyx, a dailykos.com blogger:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/15/1160914/-Willard-M-Romney-will-you-please-go-now Willard M. Romney, will you please go now!

This poem was written in the aftermath of the Presidential election of 2012 in reaction to the Republican candidate Willard "Mitt" Romney's comments to his donors that he lost the election because President Obama gave "big gifts" to Black voters, Latino voters, and young voters. Romney cited "health care" and the Dream (immigration) Act as examples of those "big gifts".
Click http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/14/mitt-romney-obama-gifts_n_2133529.html for a news report about those comments.

"Willard M. Romney, will you please go now!" is a parody of the 1972 Dr. Seuss book “Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!”. A parody of that children's book about then US President Richard Nixon was written in 1974 by political humorist Art Buchwald as a newspaper column.
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_K._Mooney_Will_You_Please_Go_Now! for information about that book.

For your reading pleasure, here are excerpts of skralyx's parody/poem:

I don’t care where
I don’t care how
Willard M. Romney, will you please go now!

You didn’t reach 2-7-0
So the time has come to go, Go, GO!

We don’t care what you have to say
You’ve clearly overstayed your stay
Obama won, but not with ‘gifts’
Go ride your automobile lifts

...

You ran a really low campaign
Got fewer votes than John McCain!
Mistakes were made, and they were Mitt’s
(Way to go insult the Brits!)
Yes, you got whipped and got whipped good
So you can’t defund Planned Parenthood
Get lost, Mitt Romney, if you would

...

The time has come
It’s come, indeed
It’s time now, Governor
Please proceed!

[End of quote]
The entire poem is filled with witty references such as [former Govenor of the state of Massachusett] Mitt Romney's plan to build an elevator for his cars in one of his mansions, and mention of the fact that Mitt Romney received less popular votes in the 2012 Presidential election than the Republican candidate John McCain received in 2008. That poem also refers to Mitt Romney's comments that insulted the British during a television interview right before the Olympics, and Romney's vow to defund Planned Parenthood on the first day of his presidency.

"Governor, please proceed!" is what President Obama said to Mitt Romney in their second Presidential debate. Romney thought that he was going to make the point that it took President Obama 14 days before the President described the attack on the USA consulate in Benghazi as a terrorist attack. Because President Obama knew that he had used the phrase "terrorist attack" in his Rose Garden speech the day after that attack which killed 4 Americans, he told Romney to "please proceed". Romney did so, and showed that he didn't know what he was talking about. Subsequently, the phrase "Govenor, please proceed" has become a saying that is used when a person is getting ready to do something that other people know is foolish.

The "270" that is mentioned in the poem is the number of electoral college votes needed to win the United States Presidential election. In 2012 President Obama won 332 electoral votes to Romney's 206. In 2008 Senator Obama won 349 electoral vote to Senator McCain's 173.

****
Thanks to Niveah Rousseau for her poem & video about then candidate Barack Obama.

Thanks also to skralyx for his Willard "Mitt" Romney poem.

Finally, thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

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Jill Scott - Ain't A Ceiling (Videos, Lyrics, & Comments)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases videos of a partial & the full version of Jill Scott's song/poem "Ain't A Ceiling". This post also provides the full English language lyrics to this song/poem and a French translation of a partial version (as found on a YouTube viewer comment thread.)

The content of this post is presented for inspirational and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owner.

****
Def Poetry: Jill Scott- "Aint a Ceiling"



Uploaded by im00your00density on Feb 22, 2007

Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry returns to HBO for a sixth season, now airing every Friday at midnight.
-snip-
Another version of this same video describes it as the "official version" of this poem. However, several commenters indicated that the end of the poem is missing, the audience applause at the end being added to that last portion. A video of the full version of this performance is found below.
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's viewer comment thread are excerpted in this post. WARNING: A number of comments in that thread contain profanity, racist, and/or sexist references.

****
Jill Scott - Ain't A Ceiling (Full version}


Jill Scott Ain't A Ceiling (Full Version) by Abstractionz

By Abstractionz

Reposted from
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x788fd_jill-scott-ain-t-a-ceiling-full-ver_creation

****
LYRICS - Ain't A Ceiling
(Jill Scott)

You say life's been hard on you.
Well brother I got news; it's hard on me too.
We seem to face the same old issues.
Some are just surface, some are deep some deep down in the tissue.
And I know slavery has played its part, word.
Being separated and subjugated and that passes to the brain of a child
So I want to step off what was, and start with the right now
You say "the world just don't understand"
But I ain't the world my love, I'm your woman.
And I know how deep it really goes
Trying to tread on a dream when the water feels low.
Ohh, if our ancestors could walk, barefoot, afraid in the dark, for miles and miles...
I know we can do this, come on let's start.
I wanna be real with you
I wanna get healed by you
I wanna grow up with you
I wanna be more with you
Be what’s in store for you
Open the doors for you
to a truer healing
Can you imagine the feeling
The sky ain’t a ceiling
At all


Part of this transcription is reposted from http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=h4Xu0LW7ilo; transcription by lisejoan, 2010
-snip-
Editor: lisejoan gave the French translation in parenthesis following each line. I separated them to enhance the reading experience.

NomadicSoulSahel also posted the English language words to this poem on that same viewer comment thread.

End transcription by Azizi Powell

****
LYRICS - Ain't A Ceiling (French Language, Partial Version)
(Jill Scott)

****
LYRICS (French Language Partial Version)

Tu dis que la vie est dure pour toi
Ben, mon frere, J'ai une nouvelle: C'est dur pour moi aussi.
Apparemment on traverse les meme vieux problemes
Certains superficiels, d'autres profonds, d'autres profondement incrustres dans la chair
Et je sais que l'esclavage a joue son role, oui
etre separe et subjugue et c'est transmis au cerveau d'un enfant
Alors je veux sortir du passe, et commencer avec le "maintenant"
TU dis "Le monde ne me comprend pas"
Mais je ne suis pas le monde, mon amour, je suis ta femme
Et je comprends a quel point on peut etre affecte
En essayer de realiser un reve quand les eaux se font rares
Oh si nos ancetres pouvaient marcher pieds nus, malgre leur peur dans le noir, pour des kilometres et des kms et des kms....
Je sais qu'on peut le faire. Allons y... commencons

Reposted from http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=h4Xu0LW7ilo; transcription by lisejoan, 2010
-snip-
Editor: lisejoan gave the French translation in parenthesis following each line. I separated them to enhance the reading experience.

Notice that the African American originated slang interjection "Word" is translated above as "oui" [yes]. "Word" does mean "yes" but it's an intensification of "yes" and means "I definitely agree with what you are saying".

****
SELECTED COMMENTS

What "Ain't A Ceiling" Means
Editor:
The following comment was written in response to a French viewer's request for an explanation of what this poem/song means:

Jill is basically speaking from the perspective of black women to black men who fret over the prejudice black people face in America. She's saying that: 1) black women too have an understanding of the struggles of the black race; 2) the history of American slavery does still hold black people back and; 3) if our ancestors can overcome through sincere effort, so can we.

Its VERY powerful and wonderfully sung too!

Hope this helped!
-keepthefaith27; 2010; http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=h4Xu0LW7ilo
-snip-
I have also seen this poem's title given as "The Sky Ain't A Ceiling". Those words are near the end of this poem.

I've read and often recited the saying "Reach for the sky and you'll hit the ceiling". I interpret that saying to mean that if you set your goals high you'll succeed more than if you set limited goals. My sense is that this saying probably inspired the title & the ending words of this Jill Scott poem.
-snip-
The "Sing it, girl" comment in this video
Here are several comments from http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=h4Xu0LW7ilo about the woman in the audience who shouted "Sing it girl" near the beginning of Jill Scott's performance (Note these comments don't all follow each other.)

"sing it girl! LMAO

why does someone always do that?
-martitz548; 2010
-snip-
[Editor: LMAO=Laugh My Ass Off]
**
lol as an artist its great when someone does that. sends you good energy! ;-)
-venus3003 in reply to martitz548; 2010
[Editor: lol=laugh out loud]
**
"SING IT GUUURL!!"

aside from the poem itself, thats my favourite part hahaha
-ourouc; 2010
**
That women who screemed out "sing it girl" runied a moment of perfect bliss!

yusuf1608; 2012
**

I disagree. This is part of black culture, call and response. Black culture is interactive.
-PatsBooks in reply to yusuf1608; 2010

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Why that program was called "Def Poetry
It's called Def Poetry because it was created by Russell Simmons who is one of the founders of Def Jam Records. He also created Def Comedy Jam.
-sazz419; 2011
-snip-
"Def" is a 198os African American originated slang word that is a clip (shortened form) of the word "definitely". Something that is "def" is definitely the real thing, something that is excellent, great, cool.

"Most definitely" is a African American originated vernacular saying that predates & almost certainly inspired the slang term "def". Perhaps not coincidentally, the host of "Def Poetry" was the Hip Hop artist whose stage name is "Mos Def".

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RELATED LINKS
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Scott for information about vocalist, song writer, spoken word artist, actress Jill Scott.

Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Def_Poetry for information about the television show Def Poetry (Def Poetry Jam)

****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND THANKS
Thanks to Jill Scott for composing and performing "Ain't A Ceiling". Thanks also to those whose transcriptions and comments are reposted in this post. Thanks to the uploaders of these videos.

Finally, thank you for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Read More