El músic i poeta Gil Scott-Heron va néixer a Chicago l’1 d’abril de 1949 i va morir a Nova York el 27 de maig de 2011. Se’l coneix principalment com a autor i intèrpret de spoken word (paraula parlada) i poesia jazz, amb arrels en el blues i el soul, i per la seva influència en el rap. Scott-Heron és conegut pel poema-cançó The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, però també per The Bottle, que va publicar el 1974, una cançó sobre l’abús de l’alcohol i les seves conseqüències personals i socials.
Oh, uno, dos, uno, dos, tres, cuatro
You see that black boy over there, running scared
His old man in a bottle
And he done quit his 9 to 5, he drink full-time
And now he’s living in a bottle
You see that black boy over there, running scared
His old man got a problem and it’s a bad one
Now he ain’t done pawned off damn near everything
His old woman’s wedding ring For a bottle
And don’t you think it’s a crime
When time after time after time, people in a bottle
There’s people living in the bottle
Listen to me
You see that sister sure was fine
Before she started drinking wine from the bottle
She told me her old man committed a crime
He’s doing time
Now she’s hanging in the bottle.
I’ve seen her out there on the avenue all by herself
Sure need help from the bottle
I’ve seen a preacher man tried to help her out
She cussed him out and hit him in the head with a bottle
They turned to me, they asked me:
“Gil, now don’t you think it’s a crime
Knowing time after time after time people in the bottle?”
There’s people sure enough in the bottle
Give another good example
You see that gent in a wrinkled suit,
Now he done damn near blown his cool to the bottle
He was a Doctor helping young girls along
If they wasn’t too far gone to have problems
But the defenders of the dollar eagle said:
“What you’re doing, man, ain’t legal”
Now he’s in the bottle
And now we watch him every day
He’s trying to chase the pigeons away from the bottle
He turned to me and said:
“Hey now, ah, don’t you think it’s a crime
The way time after time, friends of mine, in the bottle?”
There’s people sure enough in the bottle
Come on, give me the lick one time, stick
If you ever come looking for me
You know where I’m bound to be: in the bottle
Turn around, look around on any corner
If you see some brother looking like a goner
It’s gonna be me
Sing the song:
Na na na na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na na na
Na na na, Na na na…
A dollar-nine or a bottle of wine
A dollar-nine get a bottle of wine
A dollar-nine get a bottle of wine
A dollar-nine get a bottle of wine
The bottle, all that I’m concerned about is a bottle
It can turn me inside-out for a bottle
Said-a all I want, said-a all I want, said-a
All I want, said-a all I want-a
Since I’m living on the bottom of a bottle
Sure enough, sure enough, sure enough
Sure enough, sure enough, sure enough
Sure enough, sure enough, sure enough
Yeah, right here
