Me green poem (1992)


Everybody talking bout protecting de planet
As if we jus cum on it
It hard fe understan it.
Everybody talking bout de green revolution
Protecting de children an fighting pollution
But check – capitalism an greed as caused us to need
Clean air to breathe, Yes
When yu get hot under de collar
Yu suddenly discover dat yu going Green all over.
Fe years
Yu hav been fighting wars an destroying de scene
An now dat yu dying
Yu start turn Green

A few years ago if yu wanted peace yu would hav fe mek a demonstration.
Yu were called a traitor, a Russian infiltrator,
De scourge of de nation
A few years ago if yu said yu were Green 
Yu were really seen as Red.
Yes a few years ago yu were seen as a weirdo
If yu were to eat brown bread.
Now yu don’t hav to be clever fe know bout salmonella
An dere are many reasons fe diet like a vegan.
Now it is official, don’t eat too artificial
When yu told yu hav no future, try some acupuncture.
Fe live long, get wise an try some exercise.
Feget de Harp, stay sharp
An tek care of yu heart
To go jogging is belonging
Walk instead of driving

Now dat yu are dying, start tinking of surviving.
Yu start tinking of surviving now dat yu are dying
Remember old time saying : Beware of what yu spraying
Now is de time fe panic
So let’s go eat organic
Yu fridge will burn creation
Dis is so-called progression
Fe years
Yu hav been fighting wars an destroying de scene
An now dat yu dying
Yu start turn Green

Many singer-songwriters hav it as a topic
De rainforests, dose hungry people
‘Daddy we must stop it.’
De ozone layer’s fading
I mus make an LP
I’ll get de credit an I’ll give de cash to charity
I mus be really honest,
An I speak personally,
I don’t hav dat much money fe give to charity,
My people were rich but robbed
An we were healthy
So I don’t know bout yu, but me, I plead Not Guilty.
So now yu hav a house
World music gets yu high
An now yu exercising hard cause yu don’t want to die
An yu got loadsamoney but yu don’t need nu cash
Cause yu got loadsa credit cards an yu so proud a dat
De greenhouse effect meks de world hotta
If yu hav loadsamoney really it nu matta.
Nobody knows what’s happening to de weather
An all of a sudden we’re told to pull together
Pull together?
Pull together
An recycle ya paper.

De government said if yu don’t yu will regret it later.
Dem used to sey dat Green was soft
Don’t worry bout de atmosphere
An now a scientist has said,
‘Oh damn, we’re going to disappear.’
Fe years
Yu hav been fighting wars an destroying de scene
An now dat yu dying
Yu start turn Green

Now when it come to wars, governments are funny
Lives are secondary, first is bloody money
Troops out if it costs too much, troops in if it pays
An in de English dictionary what is war anyway?
Angola ...........................dat’s war
Afghanistan....................dat’s war
Tibet ..............................dat’s war
Far-off people hav dem,
Ethiopia .........................dat’s war
El Salvador ....................dat’s war
Bolivia ...........................dat’s war
Feel sorry fe de children,
Lebanon..........................dat’s war
Gaza ...............................dat’s war
Mozambique...................dat’s war
An someone’s got to stop dem,
Korea ..............................dat’s war
Haiti ................................dat’s war
Northern Ireland ............................dat’s something else
Now dat is just a problem.
Still we don’t hav nu constitution
An so-called progress breeds pollution
Yu can buy a share in de illusion
Or yu can gu to school an study de Green solution,
Fe years Green tings hav been pushed aside
Now we’re going fast on a downward slide
Who’s going Green on de sly?
Is dat kinda business upset I
Fe years
Yu hav been fighting wars an destroying de scene
An now dat yu dying
Yu start turn Green

Everybody talking bout protecting de planet
As if we just cum on it
It hard fe understan it.
Everybody talking bout de Green revolution
Protecting de children an fighting pollution.
But check
Humans hav been taking an not giving
An now de boat is sinking yu stop an start tinking,
Now we see dere is a change of tone
De problem’s cuming home
De world’s a danger zone
Fe years
Yu hav been fighting wars an destroying de scene
An now dat yu dying
Yu start turn Green
Fe years yu hav been getting technological
But ignoring de facts
An now yu so technical
But yu cannot relax,

Blue will turn Green
When votes are seen
An yu will get lead-free gasoline


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"Me green poem" is from Benjamin Zephaniah's book "City Psalms" which was first published in 1992. You can listen to Benjamin Zephaniah reciting the poem back in 1989 in Central Park, New York City, here.







Also check out these poems by Benjamin Zephaniah: