En del af Stevie Wonders tekster kan virke naive. Det gælder særligt de politiske, som for en stor del handler om racisme. Det skal siges, at mange af de antiracistiske tekster, vi hørte i min barndom, var naive. Tænk blot på 'Jeg har set en rigtig negermand' med Lille Bo og familien Andersen fra 1970, hvor voksne har spekuleret i, hvordan et fireårigt barn mon ville opleve at møde mænd af forskellig farve, for så at slutte med at lade Lille Bo synge, at det var nemmere og sjovere, hvis vi alle sammen var blå.
Den sang tror jeg ikke, Wonder ville have sunget med på, men han sang med på Paul McCartneys iørefaldende, men fjollede duet 'Ebony and Ivory', fra Tug of War. Den havde alle kvaliteter til at blive et hit, og det blev den, men det er ikke en af de firsersange, der står tilbage som mindeværdige. Sangen spørger om, at når de sorte og de hvide tangenter lever side om side i fuld harmoni på klaveret, hvorfor kan menneskene så ikke bare gøre det samme. Ud over det banale i at se menneskelivet som lige så enkelt som samklangen mellem halve og hele toner så virker det vel heller ikke antiracistisk gennemtænkt at tildele de hvide mennesker den absolutte hovedrolle, som de hele toner har i musikken, og efterlade de sorte med rollen som undtagelsen, det skæve, den blå tone i en blues.
Flere af Wonders egne tekster er omtrent lige så naive, men nogle af dem har til gengæld en aggressiv energi, som alligevel gør dem værd at høre. Det gælder udpræget den socialrealistiske 'Living for the City' fra 1973.
Jeg synes ikke, teksten til 'Black Man' fra Songs in the Key of Life, udsendt i 1976, er dårlig, selvom der også her er noget naivt over det, når Wonder vil docere politisk. Men størstedelen af teksten i den 8.34 minutter lange sang er opremsning af, hvad mænd (og to kvinder) af forskellig farve har bidraget med til civilisationens fremskridt og udviklingen af USA som nation. Sangen var en del af tressernes og halvfjerdsernes bevægelse for Black pride. Teksten skal naturligvis ses i lyset af, hvordan USA's historie op til det tidspunkt i skolebøgerne, i film, litteratur og sangtekster var beskrevet som den hvide mands succesfulde fremmarch i den nye verden.
Hør Black Man
First man to die
For the flag we now hold high (Crispus Attucks)
Was a black man
The ground were we stand
With the flag held in our hand
Was first the redman's
Guide of a ship
On the first Columbus trip (Pedro Alonzo Nino)
Was a brown man
The railroads for trains
Came on tracking that was laid
By the yellow man
We pledge allegiance
All our lives
To the magic colors
Red, blue and white
But we all must be given
The liberty that we defend
For with justice not for all men
History will repeat again
It's time we learned
This World Was Made For All Men
Heart surgery
Was first done successfully
By a black man (Dr Daniel Hale Williams)
Friendly man who died
But helped the pilgrims to survive (Squanto)
Was a redman
Farm workers rights
Were lifted to new heights (Caesar Chavez)
By a brown man
Incandescent light
Was invented to give sight (Thomas Edison)
By the white man
We pledge allegiance
All our lives
To the magic colors
Red, blue and white
But we all must be given
The liberty that we defend
For with justice not for all men
History will repeat again
It's time we learned
This World Was Made For All Men
Here me out...
Now I know the birthday of a nation
Is a time when a country celebrates
But as your hand touches your heart
Remember we all played a part in America
To help that banner wave
First clock to be made
In America was created
By a black man (Benjamin Banneker)
Scout who used no chart
Helped lead Lewis and Clark
Was a redman (Sacagawea)
Use of martial arts
In our country got its start
By a yellow man
And the leader with a pen
Signed his name to free all men
Was a white man (Abraham Lincoln)
We pledge allegiance
All our lives
To the magic colors
Red, blue and white
But we all must be given
The liberty that we defend
For with justice not for all men
History will repeat again
It's time we learned
This World Was Made For All Men
This world was made for all men
This world was made for all men
This world was made for all men
God saved His world for all men
All people
All babies
All children
All colors
All races
This world's for you
and me
This world
My world
Your world
Everybody's world
This world
Their world
Our world
This world was made for all men
Here me out...
Who was the first man to set foot on the North Pole?
Mattew Henson - a black man
Who was the first american to show the Pilgrims at Plymouth the secrets
of survival in the new world?
Squanto - a redman
Who was the soldier of Company G who won high honors for his courage
and heroism in World War 1?
Sing Lee - a yellow man
Who was the leader of united farm workers and helped farm workers
maintain dignity and respect?
Caesar Chavez - a brown man
Who was the founder of blood plasma and the director of the Red Cross
blood bank?
Dr. Charles Drew - a black man
Who was the first American heroine who aided the Lewis and Clark
expedition?
Sacajewa - a red woman
Who was the famous educator and semanticist who made outstanding
contributions to education in America?
Hayakawa - a yellow man
Who invented the world's first stop light and the gas mask?
- a black man
Who was the American surgeon who was one of the founders of
neurosurgery?
Harvey William Cushing - a white man
Who was the man who helped design the nation's capitol, made the first
clock to give time in America and wrote the first almanac?
Benjamin Banneker - a black man
Who was the legendary hero who helped establish the League of Iroquois?
Hiawatha - a redman
Who was the leader of the first microbiotic center in America?
- a yellow man
Who was the founder of the city of Chicago in 1772?
Jean Baptiste - a black man
Who was one of the organizers of the American Indian Movement?
Denis Banks - a redman
Who was the Jewish financier who raised founds to sponsor Cristopher
Columbus' voyage to America?
Lewis D. Santangol - a white man
Who was the woman who led countless slaves to freedom on the
underground rairoad?
Harriel Tubman - a black woman
For the flag we now hold high (Crispus Attucks)
Was a black man
The ground were we stand
With the flag held in our hand
Was first the redman's
Guide of a ship
On the first Columbus trip (Pedro Alonzo Nino)
Was a brown man
The railroads for trains
Came on tracking that was laid
By the yellow man
We pledge allegiance
All our lives
To the magic colors
Red, blue and white
But we all must be given
The liberty that we defend
For with justice not for all men
History will repeat again
It's time we learned
This World Was Made For All Men
Heart surgery
Was first done successfully
By a black man (Dr Daniel Hale Williams)
Friendly man who died
But helped the pilgrims to survive (Squanto)
Was a redman
Farm workers rights
Were lifted to new heights (Caesar Chavez)
By a brown man
Incandescent light
Was invented to give sight (Thomas Edison)
By the white man
We pledge allegiance
All our lives
To the magic colors
Red, blue and white
But we all must be given
The liberty that we defend
For with justice not for all men
History will repeat again
It's time we learned
This World Was Made For All Men
Here me out...
Now I know the birthday of a nation
Is a time when a country celebrates
But as your hand touches your heart
Remember we all played a part in America
To help that banner wave
First clock to be made
In America was created
By a black man (Benjamin Banneker)
Scout who used no chart
Helped lead Lewis and Clark
Was a redman (Sacagawea)
Use of martial arts
In our country got its start
By a yellow man
And the leader with a pen
Signed his name to free all men
Was a white man (Abraham Lincoln)
We pledge allegiance
All our lives
To the magic colors
Red, blue and white
But we all must be given
The liberty that we defend
For with justice not for all men
History will repeat again
It's time we learned
This World Was Made For All Men
This world was made for all men
This world was made for all men
This world was made for all men
God saved His world for all men
All people
All babies
All children
All colors
All races
This world's for you
and me
This world
My world
Your world
Everybody's world
This world
Their world
Our world
This world was made for all men
Here me out...
Who was the first man to set foot on the North Pole?
Mattew Henson - a black man
Who was the first american to show the Pilgrims at Plymouth the secrets
of survival in the new world?
Squanto - a redman
Who was the soldier of Company G who won high honors for his courage
and heroism in World War 1?
Sing Lee - a yellow man
Who was the leader of united farm workers and helped farm workers
maintain dignity and respect?
Caesar Chavez - a brown man
Who was the founder of blood plasma and the director of the Red Cross
blood bank?
Dr. Charles Drew - a black man
Who was the first American heroine who aided the Lewis and Clark
expedition?
Sacajewa - a red woman
Who was the famous educator and semanticist who made outstanding
contributions to education in America?
Hayakawa - a yellow man
Who invented the world's first stop light and the gas mask?
- a black man
Who was the American surgeon who was one of the founders of
neurosurgery?
Harvey William Cushing - a white man
Who was the man who helped design the nation's capitol, made the first
clock to give time in America and wrote the first almanac?
Benjamin Banneker - a black man
Who was the legendary hero who helped establish the League of Iroquois?
Hiawatha - a redman
Who was the leader of the first microbiotic center in America?
- a yellow man
Who was the founder of the city of Chicago in 1772?
Jean Baptiste - a black man
Who was one of the organizers of the American Indian Movement?
Denis Banks - a redman
Who was the Jewish financier who raised founds to sponsor Cristopher
Columbus' voyage to America?
Lewis D. Santangol - a white man
Who was the woman who led countless slaves to freedom on the
underground rairoad?
Harriel Tubman - a black woman
Ingen kommentarer:
Send en kommentar