Forgiveness & Love (3)
Me’shell Ndegéocello
Download Only, 2003 (?)
This is a track that Me’shell made available to her email list for free download several years ago. My memory is a little hazy on this one and this was before I had iTunes so I can’t see exactly when I added it to my library.
This song grew/morphed into “Fellowship” on Me’shell’s Comfort Woman album that came out in 2003. In my mind, I feel like she posted this song a few months after Sept. 11th, 2001 (I remember several artists offering free downloads of political/war songs, some new versions of old songs, some, like this, advance material) but she also had an album that came out in 2002 (that it wasn’t on) so it was probably later (closer to the beginning of the Iraq war – March 2003). Either way, it was definitely during a period when I felt that someone questioning the American government’s response to 9/11 (outside of closed circles) was still going out on a limb. Accordingly, I was moved when she basically said “yeah, you heard me” in the pause between “welcome to the reign where the son like father” and “welcome to the reign where the son murder like his father.” (emphasis added).
great white man discoveries
to another man that’d be robbery
mr. politician – how you sleep?
hide behind all the justice money can buy
all the justice money can buy
god bless america / who god you talkin’ bout? (twice)
my god – forgiveness and love
mother mother, mother’s mother
government slave they rape and murder
tell me that i’m set free
now my brothers wear their uniforms
brutality
who god you fight for?
let me tell you who you kill for
welcome to the reign where the son like father
welcome to the reign where the son murder like his father
god bless america / who god you talkin’ bout? (twice)
my god – forgiveness and love
god bless america / who god you talkin’ bout? (twice)
my god be forgiveness and love
If you like Me’shell (or like what you hear) and don’t own Comfort Woman – don’t sleep – it’s a masterpiece (available on iTunes, or CD).
Songs are available for two weeks.
