Brain Pickings

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Poems

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spoken word

David Whyte:  The Poetry of Self-Compassion

Background, transcribed highlights, and more: http://www.brainpickings.org/2015/03/26/sense-of-nonsense-alan-watts-tao-of-philosophy/

CONTEXT / TRANSCRIPT

Alan Watts: Sense of Nonsense

Background, context, and poem text: http://www.brainpickings.org/2015/07/15/nikki-giovanni-love-friendship-loneliness/

MORE / POEM TEXT

"A Poem of Friendship" by Nikki Giovanni (read by Maria Popova)

"When I Die" by Nikki Giovanni (read by Maria Popova)

Listen to 'Wildchild' featured on our new album 'Portrait', available now.  Download 'Portrait' on iTunes: http://wbr.fm/Portrait

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Check out the lyrics...

VERSE 1
1, 2, 3, 4
IF YOU WANNA BE TONGUE TIED
YOU BETTER KNOW WHERE I HIDE
UNDER THE BLEACHERS
WITH PLEASURE SEEKERS
I GOT YOUR BABY BLUE EYES WIDE
DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO
GO ROW YOUR OWN CANOE
LIKE A DRUMMER BOY I RAT TAT TAT
THROUGH ALL YOUR FEEDBACK
I’M AT THE LAUNDROMAT
SINGING FULL BLAST

CHORUS
NEVER GROWING UP
CUZ I DO WHAT I FEEL LIKE
NEVER GROWING UP
I’LL BE YOUNG TIL THE DAY I DIE
I GUESS I’M JUST A WILD CHILD

VERSE 2
THE TAXIS NEVER STOP
I GUESS WE’LL HAVE TO WALK
I’M ALWAYS ACTING UP WHEN THE SUN’S DOWN
THEY GOT ME SCREAMING OUT

BRIDGE
EVER SINCE I WAS A KID I BEEN GETTING IN TROUBLE
EVER SINCE I WAS A KID I BEEN GETTING MY HUSTLE ON

Portrait

Wild Child

Part of an interview with Sarah about  being a working artist in today's world and how we measure creative success, as individuals and as a culture: https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/03/07/sarah-kay-interview/

MORE / INTERVIEW

Sarah Kay reads "On Being Prepared"

Background, discussion, and poem text: https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/04/11/david-whyte-vulnerability/

Excerpted from https://soundcloud.com/onbeing/david-whyte-the-conversational-nature-of-reality

Photograph by Nicol Ragland

David Whyte reads "Sweet Darkness"

Background and poem text: https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/05/16/wait-galway-kinnell/

POEM TEXT

Galway Kinnell reads "Wait"

I gave the brilliant Ben Folds a copy of 'Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space' by astrophysicist Janna Levin (http://eepurl.com/bYXz6z), highlighted a passage for him, and he set it to song.

The real magic begins at 5:03, but it's marvelous to witness the orchestral arrangement improvisation building up to it, so I've kept that in. 

Recorded at the Beacon Theater in New York City, May 4, 2016.

More about the book: 
http://brainpickings.org/2016/04/25/black-hole-blues-janna-levin-joseph-weber/
http://twitter.com/brainpicker/status/723481944512696320

More of Ben Folds's musical genius: http://benfolds.com/

On Twitter: @BenFolds, @JannaLevin

MORE

Ben Folds sets "Black Hole Blues" to song

Poem text and context: https://www.brainpickings.org/2018/04/23/ursula-k-le-guin-hymn-to-time-janna-levin/

POEM TEXT / CONTEXT

Astrophysicist Janna Levin reads "Hymn to Time" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Go Tell it on the Mountain 
(broadcast 06/04/13)
.
I saw the falling feathers of an angel’s wing,
And I wanted them tattooed upon my spine,
Call me a scavenger or demonic thing,
Who cares for names if I can fly?
.
Who cares for names if I can rise?
Beyond the frame of gazing eyes,
Beyond the foot of this historic mountain,
Which casts a haze upon my life,
.
You know it’s impacting how I’m living,
You know it’s exact & unforgiving,
It traps my soul within a box,
And holds a lock to my upliftment,
.
I just wanna float away so high,
I just wanna fade the colour lines,
Fade the minimum wage & slavery,
Fade the canons guns & knives,
.
That I can escape the prison time,
Escape the trips to courtroom trials,
Rewind the school exclusions,
When Daddy leaves & Mummy cries,
.
Am I wrong to want to escape this plight?
These angel wings give me insight,
To levitate my mental state,
& leave these shackles far behind,
.
But falling wings leave scattered feathers,
And I tried my best to just collect them,
But they were spread oh-so far apart,
To unite them all would take forever,
.
So I gathered just what I could,
Looked to the skies from where I stood,
That I could leave behind this mountain,
Behind this city, behind this ‘hood,
.
Behind these streets, Behind these roads,
Behind a past that leaves me cold,
I’ll fly so high that they’ll never find me,
And I’ll never go back to the days of old,
.
But as I flap & flap & flap,
There are no wings upon my back,
There is no magical elevation,
And my puppet strings are still attached,
.
I raise my eyes up to the sky,
Way beyond this mountain high,
I look to the heavens to just ask why,
This world won’t get off my back & let me fly,
.
I’m stuck at the bottom with my regrets,
With the single feather that I now possess,
One day I’ll reach that mountain-top,
But I’ll have to do it…. Step by step.
.
(c) Mr Gee 
 

Go Tell it on the Mountain (Martin Luther King tribute)

An inspiring commencement address delivered to the graduating class at San Jose State University. Transcript and discussion: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/05/15/debbie-millman-look-both-ways-fail-safe/

Debbie Millman: Fail Safe

The Bar of the Unwanted Sound
.
A Record & a Cassette,
Drowned their regrets,
In The Bar of the Unwanted Sound,
.
The Record recollects,
A smooth needle’s caress,
Way before he frequents,
The Bar of the Unwanted Sound,
.
The cassette interjects,
Over long car journeys & treks,
Far away from The Bar of the Unwanted Sound,
.
Until technology’s progress,
Caused him to prematurely eject,
Into The Bar of the Unwanted Sound,
.
A CD walks in,
Looking pale & quite thin,
Up to The Bar of the Unwanted Sound,
.
His mid-life crisis begins,
As he orders a gin,
From behind The Bar of the Unwanted Sound,
.
An iPod passes by,
Looking sick & quite fly,
Outside The Bar of the Unwanted Sound,
.
The ladies give him a wink & a smile,
While the others just blink as they cry,
From inside The Bar of the Unwanted Sound,
.
They jeer & shout to him:
“Enjoy it while it lasts my friend...
One day you’ll be old yourself & then!!!!”
.
Haha!
.
He laughs all the same,
Switches & shuffles down the lane,
Ignorant of their claim,
That one day a seat will bear his name,
Right beside them & their pain,
With only echoes of lost acclaim,
From within The Bar of the Unwanted Sound,
.
(c) Mr  Gee
