Benjamin Zephaniah Quotes

martin learnt quickly to take every day as it came and never expect one day to be the same as the last

De young an old are doing it I have a rappin mudder
Everybody has dere rap so let's rap to each other
No matter what yu style or de hat dat yu are wearing
Yu can even get away wida little swearing,
Fuck.

Reminders

'The peace garden is opposite the War Memorial,'
Said the old soldier.

'We had to fight to make peace
Back in the good old days.'

'No, the War Memorial is opposite the peace garden,'
Said the old pacifist.

'You've had so many wars to end all wars,
Still millions are dying from the wars you left behind.'

'Look,' said the old soldier.
'You chickens stuck your peace garden
In front of our War Memorial to cause non-violent trouble.
This War Memorial is necessary,
It reminds us that people have died for our country.'

'Look,' said the old pacifist,
'In the beginning was peace
And the peace was with God
And the peace was God,
This peace garden is unnecessary but
It reminds us that people want to live for our country.

The way animals are carted around reminds me of the slavery of my people ... The slavery of animals has to be ended too.

Now The Head Lines


How do you like your truth?
Gently spoken on breakfast TV
By a man and a woman who sit comfortably
Saying riots, and murder, when will it end?
As they struggle to act as if they are good friends.

How do you like your truth?
Bite-sized in sound bites cut easy to chew, With a talking head saying the victim's like you
And when you've digested the horrors you've seen
You find good, you find evil, and no in-between.

How do you like your truth?
Fantastic, sensational, printed in bold,
Today it's exclusive, tomorrow it's old,
All on the surface with nothin too deep
With a story about animals to help you to sleep

How do you like your youth?
From perfect families with parents thet care,
Or in perfect families but still in despair,
Ten out of ten parents say they'd not choose
To have bad kids like those in the news.

Living rooms are arranged around the TV, but when you take away the box you have the freedom to arrange the room to suit yourself.

I think they had something to do with the killing of Mr. Joseph, miss."

She laughed, as all adults seem to do when they don't believe something.

Don't give me truth, just give me gossip
And skeletons from people's closets,
I wanna be normal
And millions buy it,
I am blinded by The SUN.

Rap comes from the oral tradition. The oral tradition gives voice to those who would've otherwise been voiceless.