ArtLung

May 10th, 2007

Black Men Ski

I will update this post later, but today this video for Black Men Ski by Stew and Heidi has made me pretty ecstatic. Look for a longer post and transcribed lyrics when I have some time to spare. Right now, I don’t!

black men go to Aspen and rent colorful chalets
giggle at the questions their mere presence seems to raise
get taken for men we don’t resemble in the least
(are you?…)
(no)
it’s a winter wonderland in the belly of the beast
and black men ski
black men ski
black men send back sushi with a scorned Yakuza’s flair
we make postmodern art with bacon grease and hot combed hair
we secretly play beethonven inside our bass-mobiles
we can tell you how cool looks, but cannot show you how it feels
when black men ski
when black men ski
black men now are students of gay sensibility
we wear ironic t-shirts drenched in code unknown to thee
we get baptized in Walden pond amongst a searing mob
because the cleansing blood of Jesus could not do a thorough job
black men ski
black men ski
Chinese guys can jump real high and Germans cook soul food
white boys rap and hippies nap up their dreads to look rude
jazz is now suburban, it’s Marsalis-ly clean
and now we’ve got Viagra everyone’s a sex machine
so black men ski
(what else can we do?)
black men ski
black men ski
black men ski
some kids i’ll describe as friends say i am race-obsessed
the luxury of your opinion shows you that you are blessed
i have poems about sunsets, flowers and the rain
i’ve read them to policemen, but it was all in vain
so black men ski
black men ski
elegantly
black men ski
black men ski


Comments: 5

Becky

September 1, 2008 4:51am

how can i purchase a recording of stew singing this?

Joe Crawford

September 2, 2008 8:01pm

You can’t Becky, but it may show up on one of the boots sometime.

Joe Crawford

October 30, 2008 5:21am

Robert, i linked to the TED post in the original post.

Thanks for contributing.

C.

August 13, 2009 9:42am

we get baptized in WALDEN pond amongst a searing mob
because the cleansing blood of Jesus could not do a THOROUGH job

…I think the Walden Pond reference points to a, “Thoreau job” (as in Henry David) rather than a “thorough job”.

I just started reading Walden Pond (by Emerson) last week, found out Emerson was a disciple of Thoreau’s . . . or I never would have picked up on the subtle reference myself.

FYI. Hope it helps.

C.

It’s a great song and I thought it was worth getting it right

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