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Benjamin Zephaniah

Benjamin Zephaniah

SOS (Save Our Sons)

We Black men of England
Too proud to cry for shame,
Let’s cry a sea
Cry publicly,
Expose our very pain,
For Babylon the bandit
Is on our sisters trail,
The bad talk
And the cool walk
Will not keep us out of jail.
 
We Black men of England
Our guns are killing us,
How dare we?
Now hear me
How great is dangerous?
There’s a fascist and a druggist
Out to get our kith and kin,
Let silent guns
Save our sons
The power is within.
 
We Black men of England
Excel as if in sport
For our people,
Because some people
Want to see our face in court,
When we Black men of England
Look the mirror in the face,
Through our sisters eyes
We men shall rise
As proud sons of our race.

#EnglishWriters

Other works by Benjamin Zephaniah...
Everybody Is Doing It

In Hawaii they Hula They Tango in Argentina They Reggae in Jamaica And they Rumba down in Cuba, In Trinidad and Tobago
The Race Industry

The coconuts have got the jobs. The race industry is a growth indu… We despairing, they careering. We want more peace they want more… The Uncle Toms are getting paid.
 1
Who's Who

I used to think nurses Were women, I used to think police Were men, I used to think poets
 1
White Comedy

I waz whitemailed By a white witch, Wid white magic An white lies, Branded by a white sheep
Touch

When I see you I know life was ma… When I see you I don’t wanna die When I don’t see you, I sleep and… It’s the truth I am telling you,… Sometime I think I cant survive w…
Wot a Pair

I waz walking down Wyefront stree… When me trousers ran away, I waz feeling incomplete But still me trousers would not st… When I found where they had gone
What Stephen Lawrence Has Taught Us

We know who the killers are, We have watched them strut before… As proud as sick Mussolinis’, We have watched them strut before… Compassionless and arrogant,
Neighbours

I am the type you are supposed to… Black and foreign Big and dreadlocks An uneducated grass eater. I talk in tongues
 1
Fair Play

Mirror mirror on the wall Could you please return our ball Our football went through your cra… You have two now Give one back.
Eat Your Words

I am a veggie table A table made of veg, There’s so much fruit upon me All living on the edge, Life is hard
 1
Rong Radio

My ears are battered and burned an… i have just learned that i have be… listening to the wrong radio stati… My mind has been brutalised now th… I’ve been listening to the wrong r…
Talking Turkeys!

Be nice to yu turkeys dis christma… Cos’ turkeys just wanna hav fun Turkeys are cool, turkeys are wick… An every turkey has a Mum. Be nice to yu turkeys dis christma…
 2
 1
Bought and Sold

Smart big awards and prize money Is killing off black poetry It’s not censors or dictators that… The lure of meeting royalty And touching high society
 2
Vegan Steven

There was a young vegan Called Steven, Who just would not kill for no rea… This kid would not eat No cheese or no meat
Dis poetry

Dis poetry is like a riddim dat dr… De tongue fires a riddim dat shoot… Dis poetry is designed fe rantin Dance hall style, big mouth chanti… Dis poetry nar put yu to sleep
 2



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