Words I Never Said
Lupe Fiasco, also known as Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, 2011 |
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Give an example of a time when you wanted to speak up about something but did not. What made you feel that you could not say what you were thinking? |
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Lupe Fiasco raps that "the war on terror is … / Just a poor excuse for you to use up all your bullets." What was the War on Terror? |
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Who is Fiasco suggesting benefitted from it? |
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What economic disparities does Fiasco describe? According to Fiasco, how do institutions (such as the media, corporations, and political parties) contribute to these disparities? Do you agree with his characterization of these institutions? |
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What does Fiasco suggest "the people" should do? What shouldn't they do? |
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"Words I Never Said" performed by Lupe Fiasco on Lasers, © 2011. Available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.
For more information about Lupe Fiasco, visit their official website.
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Rights have not been secured to reprint the words for this song. Please consult the following online resource for lyrics:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/
lupefiasco/wordsineversaid.html
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 Lupe Fiasco (b. 1982) was raised in Chicago in the Madison Terrace housing project. He was born Muslim and is active in the faith today, but he admits that his family did not always practice the religion while he was growing up. As a child he took an interest in poetry and music. Since he could not play an instrument he decided to apply what he had learned about poetry to hip-hop. He now crafts lyrics that are highly regarded for their use of poetic devices, such as internal rhyme, assonance, and alliteration.
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| Single cover for "Words I Never Said." |
"Words I Never Said" is a diatribe against those who keep silent instead of speaking out against what Fiasco sees as injustices occurring during the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. In the first verse Fiasco addresses the War on Terror, racism in the media, Obama's silence on humanitarian crises, budget cuts, and more. In the hook ("It's so loud inside my head…"), Skylar Grey regrets remaining silent on these issues. The second verse reflects Fiasco's understanding of the Muslim faith as he criticizes those who engage in terrorism, saying, "You are not a Muslim." He laments that terrorists have influenced the world's idea of Islam and wishes he had been more outspoken to counter this perception. In the final verse he claims that he thinks "silence is worse than all the violence" and encourages his listeners to be brave and speak out. |
