Slowly Surely

(That’s Jilly from Philly.)

Before I get started, they say that imitation is the highest from of flattery. Well then I guess I should be flattered. I have a couple of many me’s out there. Have taken my blogging style, my shout outs, my incorporation of lyrical content into their blogs, even the idea to blog came from me. Egotistical on my part? Maybe, but maybe it would be all right if they’d stop writing to me. Responding to my blogs, sending veiled threats my way, spilling the tea.

Must I quote El Presidente again? (BTW did you hear, he’s already coming back?)

There's never been a Ni$$a this good for this long
This hood, or this pop, this hot, or this strong
With so, many different flows there's one, for this song
These f**ks, too lazy to make up sh!t, they crazy
They don't, paint pictures, they just, trace me
You know what? Soon they forget where they plucked
they whole style from, they try to reverse the outcome
I'm like - TOUGH!
I'm not a biter I'm a writer for myself and others
I say a B.I.G. verse, I'm only biggin up my brother
Biggin up my borough, I'm big enough to do it
I'm that thorough, plus I know my own flow is foolish
So them rings and things you sing about, bring 'em out
It's hard to yell when the bar-rell's in your mouth
I'm in - new sneakers, dual-seaters
Few divas, what more can I tell you?
Let me spell it for you
W, I, double-L, I-E
Nobody truer than, [R-E-G]
And I'm back for more, [DC's] ambassador
Prime Minister, back to finish my business up - Jay-Z “What more can I say?”

I remember when I first heard this “Beautifully human” artist. It was a weekend where Rod Dog, L and some other friends of theirs decided to get together for the weekend, celebrating going back to school. It’s funny, none of graduated from Howard but we all got our educations from there. I rode with L and his girlfriend as we traveled from U st. to Adam’s Morgan. Another friend from FAMU brought the CD with her. I remember seeing it in the store and looking at the girl who’s hat covered her face and wondering, since she was amongst the featured CD’s just “who is Jill Scott?” That night I would have my first introduction. Then a little while later, still not quite a believer, I had a private listening party. She played for me, “Do you Remember”, “ A Long Walk” and “He loves Me (Lyzel In E Flat” and I was mesmerized. It was so beautiful, music like that I had never heard before, at least not in so long that it felt like something I had never heard before.

One of those classic CD’s, that you can listen to all the way through and all the songs were good. I remember having the privilege on the way to a mutual friends grand parent’s funeral, of sharing this experience with Bird. She had never heard her before and that was a great joy.

I also remember me and La La (not that one, I wish) went to go see her live. It was the night before she cut her second CD Experience. It was awesome; it defied being captured in words.

She was able touch hearts because, true to the Baldwin quote, her art comes from a place of love. She describes love in a way that resonates with your spirit. And even in this example she describes, I won’t call it not love, but a misplaced, ill-formed kind of love, so perfectly that it resonated. So much so that I had to post it.

It’s amazing how we can see the speck in someone’s eye but can’t see the 4 x 4 in our own. How we can see how someone else has done us wrong but can’t see how we’ve been foul ourselves. I’m not even going to go into it, so don’t ask. And I know there will be some that will ‘ask is it I? Did you post those lyrics about me?’ I’ll say it again, like I said it before. If you wear a size nine and these happen to fit, don’t blame me. It applies to anyone that’ it's befitting. Anyone.

Slowly Surely
Artist: Jill Scott
From her debut album Who is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1

Slowly surely,
I walk away from
that old desperate and dazed love
caught up in the maze of love
the crazy craze of love
thought it was good
thought it was real
thought it was
but it wasn't love

I just don't know
Where i should go
So

Slowly surely
I walk away from
self-serving
undeserving
constantly hurting me love
deserting me love
you said, I said, we said
but

Slowly surely
I walk away from
confusing love
misusing love
abusing love
this can't be

Slowly surely
I walk away from
self serving
undeserving
constantly hurting me love

I just don't know
where I should go
No
I just don't know
know, know, know
Where I should go
so

Slowly surely
I walk away from
that old desperate and dazed love
caught up in the maze of love
the crazy craze of love

thought it was good
thought it was real
thought it was
but it wasn't love

I just don't know where to go
So

Slowly surely
I walk away from
I walk away from
Slowly surely
I walk away from love
Oh

slowlyy, surely one step at a time
but surely
I will pass the old love aside
and love me
slowly,
surely I walk away from
slowly surely I walk away from desperate and dazed love
caught up in the maze love
crazy crazy craze of love
slowly surely, I walk away from [repeat 5 times]
Slooooooowly Suuuuuuurely, slowly surely