Edsel's Song - Accessible Transcript

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you know
I think I kind of just got lost
for a second, 
had to find my way back

reverse a story
a narrative
the truth of our arrival
the history of our conditions

we will build home 
from home

only the real will prevail
only the real will ascend
only the real will become

everything I’m not
makes me everything I am

A. reclaim
B. we flippin back

this be the flip side

I haven’t seen myself 
that brave in a long time

into shadow
into face 
into resistance

being Filipino American
a body to forget
tongues to feel shame
to toss is to turn in the air

but then I force my pen
upon the paper on the table

my literature was
spoken word poets
& Hip Hop artists

I’m not hiding anymore

I didn’t want to be known
as a slam poet
I wanted to be known as a poet

I didn’t want to be known
as a spoken word artist
I wanted to be known 
as just an artist

reverse a story
a narrative
the truth of our arrival
the history of our conditions

we will build home 
from home

only the real will prevail
only the real will ascend
only the real will become

everything I’m not
makes me everything I am

A. reclaim
B. we flippin back

this be the flip side

we repurpose their cries
into an anthology of stories

I’ve contoured my skin
I’ve even cut my heart
from my chest & 
stitched it to my sleeve

memories & feelings
that I haven’t really explored
in a long time

damn—
you go through all this shit
but you’re still here

the B side of a record
the unimportant side
in which we dance on
in which we sing to
in which we collect the dust from

I became more socially aware
it’s all connected, you know, 
how we live
how we perceive others
it’s all political

I never remember where I started from
even though I haven’t traveled that far

reverse a story
a narrative
the truth of our arrival
the history of our conditions

we will build home 
from home

only the real will prevail
only the real will ascend
only the real will become

everything I’m not
makes me everything I am

A. reclaim
B. we flippin back

this be the flip side

I wanna write my own shit
do it my way

into the fissures of arrival
toss the fight from our fists
in the air

until it’s blown away
until it’s wind

we must cultivate the chaos

I think what I still carry with me
is just the courage & the bravery
to still write

I walked through the door
of Hip Hop & spoken word

almost like a fever dream, right?

enter as an uncertainty
& when asked what you are
when you exit
say you are becoming

taking claim to my words
& my poetry
& my writing

it’s never about where we will go
because that will never be a concern
as long as we make everything a home

reverse a story
a narrative
the truth of our arrival
the history of our conditions

we will build home 
from home

only the real will prevail
only the real will ascend
only the real will become

everything I’m not
makes me everything I am

A. reclaim
B. we flippin back

this be the flip side

this is my last time performing
for a long time

I’m not just a performer now
we’re all one right now
    

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