Added: 2 years ago
From: rovingeye2
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  • This is wonderful.

  • Gil Scott Heron lives on thru the people who loved and cherished his music! What's the word!

  • Imagine that. A man responsible for providing for his family. Broken. Stirs too many emotions to describe.

  • Wonderful!!!! Absolute amazing!!!!

  • Such an incredible work! And ever more poignant now, as this scene is happening all over America, moreso than even back then...

  • i must admit this is my 1st time hearing GSH (i'm 25) but still it makes my eyes swell up as if im gonna cry....beautiful song

  • Hope you are in a beatifull place Mr Heron. You were one of my favorite musicians. You were a real artist, that only cared about the music, poetry and activism, never giving a shit about fame or money. The opposite of all the rubbish that call themselves musicians that pollute our radios and tv´s today.

  • Great artist. I love listening to his music. He will always be missed, but live forever in our hearts through his music.

  • ...the sounds of silence knifing through the gloom...(pure genius)

  • SOUL!

  • still grabs you,,,,,,don't it...............

  • I get chills listening to this--it's very poignant and powerful. I've wept listening to this. GSH always made things plain. What a loss for us all.

  • Thanks ,rovingeye2

  • I just shared this with my x-boyfriend of almost a year. We told me he loved someone else, yet we are still intimate. His other love lives in French, and he Skpes her everyday or so. But I have a key to his home, he spends time with me. Oh dear...

  • @voluptuouscars The Freudian slip, "we told me". Someday you will find you're looking for what you already had all along. If only we could bank credit for all the wasted time. This man would still be around.

  • Soul Man!!! Soul!!!!

  • Does anyone know the chords for this?

  • @tomygunn911 It is a combination of C Maj & Eb Maj. Check out my version on my CD Visions "The Creator"

  • I was lucky enough to see G-S-H in Edinburgh, 20yrs ago. Sounds just as good now. The World's a far more empty place without him!

    "Now don't you take this letter to hard now Jimmy, coz they laid off 9 others today"

    Sounds all to familiar! Viva la Revolucion!

  • creo que gil scott heron es un artista maravilloso simplemente cuando escucho sus canciones que produce una sensacion rara ,un maestro

  • @hiss73 De Verdad Hermano, De Verdad!

  • Rest In Peace Brother! Big Up from Naples, Italy! One Love!

  • this song is a description of what goes on today

  • @tjjt678 then, before, then, after then, now.....and forever into the future............

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  • @2:16 " I saw the Thunder and heard the Lightning, and felt the Burden of His Shame." Kills me every time.

  • GSH just makes 99% of music today insignificant.

    He prolly wishes that his music raised the bar for modern songwriters to achieve a higher level, rather than show how thin modern songwriting has become.

  • absolutely absolute....

  • One Of The Most Powerful Voices In Music.... R.I.P (Revolutionize In Paradise) My Brother

  • Beautiful song.....as relevant today as the day he wrote it

    

  • I saw Gil play at Liverpool philharmonic hall a few months before he died. On my way to the gig i thought, 'I will be a happy man if Gil plays "Pieces of a man" tonight'. How lucky i was to hear him play it. It was the only truly old song from his earliest work that he played. It made my night. RIP Gil, a true genius and a beautiful man. The world is a sadder place without Gil, but we still have his music. I know Gil is somewhere strung out playing the music he loves.

  • PURE.

    

  • I was just thinking about this song and wanted to share it with my FB friends, Thanks for posting it!

  • Absolutely one of the greatest pieces recorded & written. This shows the fullness of GSH, Thank you my brother for voice, powerful presence, may your new journey reward you forever

  • By far the saddest song I've ever heard. Just the bass line is depressing. A+

  • @driz86 Ron Carter nails it ! Transcendent bass

  • this is music....the way it was intended............soft, powerful, almost too loud to bear lyrically, yet too good to pass on.

  • rip my father

    

  • Votre départ me donne beaucoup de tristesse ! J'espère qu'un jour, je pourrais vous revoir. In 'ch Allah.

    Reposez en paix Mr Gil Scott Heron.

  • awesome

  • a man with a conscience because of that he died with a broken heart r.i.p. Gil

  • Amazing!!! Very, very beautiful!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!!

  • A Giant who has now left us. Unique combination of xray-vision insight + mind blowing language talent + the pitch perfect musician + raw revolutionary rage

    hope the next generation can savour this Giant Man

  • It makes me cry every time

  • A Classic...thank you for posting this song. Gil was the man.

  • @Dbello827 Still IS the man.

  • Been following Gil forever...a brilliant musician & poet....saw him last in Philly...so happy I did

  • A beautiful record by a beautiful human, RIP Gil.

  • In a world of cheap 'celebrity' here is a song from a star.

  • Beautiful.

    Love is the eternal life, Gil.

  • He was one of a kind, and will be missed for his peace which was within him

  • Gil, wishing you peace and love, always!

  • "Pieces of a Man" was his best composition.

  • haunting ..

  • 1974 Corning Community College Gil Scott was right on time.

  • Man you opened my eyes to a better meaning of what the soul of a man is all about,,

    RIP

  • Gone from this journey but not forgotten!

  • We're all slowly dying. Gil Scott did it with style, like he knew somethin' the rest of us just glimpse in brief moments.....

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  • People are never broken. If they survive, they are winners. Then they push on and keep going. Everyone does, day by day.

  • Hell Ya, Finding your channel is like winning the Lotto! I'm all ears...

  • I'm from far Bosnia & Herzegovina, and his music is still beloved! GSH is listened by aliens, by black people, by whites, by latino people, by people from Asia, muslims listen to him, christians love him, scientist from arctic have him on their mp3 players! RIP brother, I hope you found some better place!

  • Such a grief that you are gone. I'm discovering you only now... I'm buying the "Pieces of a Man" album... Great tunes and great songwriting. I wish I'd become aware of your artistry sooner.

  • Whoever disliked this video has never been broken or known anyone that's been broken before.

  • Damn :( RIP Gil Scott Heron!!!!

  • r.i.p listening to this makes me feel more black and proud peace the legend

  • Not only was he a magnificent poet,the man had a beautiful voice!

  • RIP my brother.

  • ...now dont you take this letter to hard now jimmy, they laid off nine others today... crazy how history repeats itself in this song. Massive unemployment then & now

    huh, go figure. Thank you Gil for sharing your soul with me & the world. I love you

    my brother.  G.S.H. =THE MAESTRO

  • I saw every single time he was in the bay area from 1969 to to 1989 when I moved to southern Ca. he changed my heart---opened my mind---man the memories, at least, will never die--go in peace Gil-you deserve that!!

  • does anyone else get chills listening to this?

  • @kedarguru Yes indeed. I have for over 25 years EVERYTIME  I listen to this song. Gil's music touches my soul like no other artist!

  • @kedarguru Yes, although this song is a masterpiece, it does have a haunting sadness to it. Everybody has a breaking point and some things that happen , through no fault of your own, can change your life forever and even the way you feel about yourself. Living with the scars can be harder than living with the pain. Now, you've got my eyes watering up Kedarguru (smile). I share your sentiments about this song. Thanks for commenting.

  • @babytaylorm I am glad you felt the same way that I do. it's the bitter-sweetness of being alive and human...

  • When all the others sold OUT, when the others put down their clenched FISTS, when coins, tell, N Pro wore them down to Amatuers.... and the kitchen was hot as a straightenin' comb.. Gil-Scott didn't give up Remember him, cuz the rest of us livin' LARGE... cuz of bruhs like HIM. Believe dat he's Still... wearin' FRO's and fist pumpin' for Freedom and Flight not birdies.... He never gave up.. Perhaps I can do the SAME.
  • "The revolution will be live!!"

    R.I.P. Gil Scott-Heron

  • I saw him last year at Central Park Summerstage. A Brillant poet. This poem should part of every HS english class. Just heartbreakingly beautiful. RIP Gil.

  • Tears streaming.

    Fare ye well beautiful prince. Peace be with you.

  • thank you for songs like this one; going deep into everybodies heart & timeless

    

  • I performed alongside Gil in 1981 at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, California. It was cool. Another victim of the dreaded.........crack cocaine.

  • @peppersax ... now's not the time for your square soap box, bud. He didn't die of an overdose. and we all have our obsessions. and who the hell says 'crack cocaine,' anymore?

  • @ellipseElkshow You know you took all of this the wrong way. I didn't say he died of an overdose idiot! He admitted himself that he loved smoking crack cocaine (yes, asshole, he himself said "CRACK COCAINE"! which most likely contributed to his death. You need to crawl back into the hole you came from. THAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH ROACHES. IT'S DIFFICULT TO RID THE EARTH OF THEM!!!

  • @peppersax : right right. good call. i don't believe he stated on his deathbed that a drug he enjoyed over a decade before contributed to his death. life kills us all, in the end. but yeah, our unhealthy choices do contribute... doodly doo. Most people called it "crack cocaine" back in the 60s-80s. These days the term is a little redundant. "Crack cocaine" means cheap cocaine. My mother has recently closed off her genitals for re-entrance... So i may have to decline your directive.

  • @ellipseElkshow "My mother has recently closed off her genitals for re-entrance... So i may have to decline your directive". THAT'S GOT TO BE ONE OF THE GREAT COMEBACKS EVER!!! Good job.

    Peace:)

  • @peppersax I went to a Gil Scott-Heron concert in Berkeley Ca round about that time. It was on May 5th, cinco de Mayo. Gil acknowledged the date and holiday onstage. The other musician featured was Patrice Russian (sic?)

    Was that the concert? That was one of the best concerts I've ever been to.

    D Bishop aka Kountzer in NW Houston

  • @kountzer It was at Zellerbach Hall. I played with Rodney Franklin and I believe, Angela Bofill was the front-liner.

  • Dont weep, rejoice! And thank the Most High 4 sharing Gil with us

  • Peace be with you Gil...

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  • Heartbreaking then, even more so now.

  • RIP Gil Scott. Thank you. Rest well.

  • im in tears rip brother

  • i shed a tear everytime i hear dat tune

  • RIP

  • A great Human - he just 'Knew'...thanks, Gil x

  • rest in peace... c/s , e.

  • Peace be with you, we love and miss you always apart of us

  • Rest in Peace~

  • I must say, despite all disagreement about his political vision, he was a great musician and left an unmeasurable music legacy.

    God bless you.

  • His voice whether speaking or singing touched my soul.

  • @wombbat909 I agree. One of my favorite songs is 1980.

  • my favorite - brings me to tears especially now. Rest Peacefully Brother Gil

  • R.I.P.

  • Beautiful. Perhaps the Rapture is a week late if the good guys are leaving.

  • RIP Sir

  • Hey was the best to do is

  • RIP G S-H

  • Ain't nobody givin' up now.......Rest in peace El Jefe

  • feel as though I've lost a psychic/spiritual anchor.....the man gave the power to Rise Above with impunity and provided a place of comfort and warmth where respite was palpable......a mighty mighty man is gone. Listen to "B Movie", Rivers of my Fathers....listen to every damned song he ever recorded and weep today, children....

  • Who Jah bless let no man curse, thank God he is past the worst

  • goose bumps...

    

  • Fuck, can't say anything more...

    RIP ...

  • Rip Mr. Heron.. :(

  • R.I.P Brother.

  • Gil has been the constant soundtrack to my last 20 years.Im truly devastated by this sad loss.We have lost a truly great and inspirational man.Rest in peace brother

  • first started listening to his music when he released The revolution will not be televised..he was a fantastic artiste..As djdark1 says..his music was highly political and inspirational...he spoke about Injustice and inequality..he will be missed..RIP..

  • This man was a Hero to me. He spoke truth to power and made music that changed the way so many of us viewed the world. I owe him much of my political mindset including my NEED to speak out against injustice. You will be missed, but your music will continue to inspire. RIP GSH.

  • RIP GIL....this song is my midnight slow...

  • this cat never wasted a track. talk about all killer, no filler. go ahead and try to find a piece of fluff by Gil, you can't. you may not agree with all of it, but you will respect it . always had something to say. and said it well.

  • My favorite of his many, many great songs..... & reflects the mood I'm in, upon hearing the news..... Love you, & be in Peace...

  • GIL SCOTT HERON DIED IN MAY 2011 R.I.P.

  • Say not in grief 'he is no more' but live in thankfulness that he was.

    RIP Gil

    

  • @rovingeye2 Very well said.

  • tonight i pray for your safe return to home....i will always keep you in my heart...thank you..LOVE

  • Thank you for lessons in life!

  • May your soul live forever Gil. Rest in peace

  • Moved me to tears when I saw him perform this live last year... Amazing. Thank you Gil... Rest in Peace.

  • Gorgeous song and artist. I'm sad to see him go. Rest in Peace Mr. Scott-Heron.

  • So beautiful. Rest in Peace.

    So sad, so sad.

  • "Peace be with you brotha"...... 1949-2011 :'(

    

  • RIP

  • Rest IN Power to the God

  • Dear, RIP!

  • I love you Gil. Your music and poetry has almost served as a father figure to me. Rest In Peace Eternally

  • LEGENDARY! BEAUTIFUL SOUL!

  • RIP Brother Gil.

  • We will miss you Gil...they could hardly understand...

  • Jagged Jigsaw pieces.... Live forever Gil

  • R.I.P Gil, true legend and the peoples poet!

  • RIP Gil.

  • still a genius. . .

  • This song, These words have stayed with me and carried me through so many hard times. Thank you Gil Scot Heron for making the music that has helped me through so many trials and tribulations.

  • @cop1fish you are correct Brother. FEELIN' YOU

  • the one song that bring tears to my eyes

  • This was always one of my favorites. Did you ever really listen to the words of this poem? The subject of the song is my father in so many ways.

  • genius

  • There is nothing new under the Sun... :-)*~~~Time waits for no man

  • don't you know millions of people are going through this feat right this very moment?

  • Having heard the angry (Black History, The Revoution Will Not Be Televised, We Beg Your Pardon, Home is Where the Hatred Is), the melancholy (Winter in America, The Bottle) and the sarcastic (B Movie, Whitey On the Moon), I am very greatful to finally hear the tender and sensitive side of this complex volcano of creative energy known as Gil Scott Heron.

    Play on troubador--we may not always understand, but we need to hear it as much as you need to say (or sing) it.

  • KMD - What a Niggy Know? (Remix)

  • @197supreme-beautiful not afraid many things have changed but a song like this?

  • Beautiful

  • At the height of my Drug use and wanting so bad to be clean i would listen to this and contemplate my future or the lack there of ! No doubt i was pieces of man and not complete in the least, but i persevered and over came after only severing ten and a half years in federal prison after being sentenced to life plus 80 ! talk about Gods mercy.

  • thanks 4 posting - I use this song as a stimuli in Drama lessons - beautiful - so nice to have a decent audio version on here :)))))

  • saw him in Philly back in the day - this song still makes me misty - tortured GENIUS

  • just classy soul music :)) ktf

  • The man is a modern day icon.

  • @TheBiddyBear yes he is- "I saw the thunder and felt the lightning, and felt the burden of his shame" WOW.

  • Such a powerful piece. And, now in 2010, the message is the same. The Game has not changed, just the players. I appreciate this piece, and I am still listening to the message!!!! Thanks for this powerful song.

  • (1971) What you know about that ? Home is where the Hatred is, along with the jagged pieces of the "man of the house"...shattered and left sitting on the outside, by economic downsizing and racial indifference; and an on going War...39 years ago

  • I Love You Gill! your lyrics made me socially conscious!

  • thank you Gil, thank you from the bottom of my Soul...<3

  • How do we help the pieces come back together??

  • It trips me out when i see only 7,500 views for such a powerful song.

  • @yoitsgiook ... they could hardly understand...

  • How can this song have ONLY 6.984 views?!!!

  • This song is extra deep. I don't think ANYONE can't match.

  • No words. This song really touched the heart of my soul.

  • ¡Awsome!

  • It's music like this that has literally made understanding the world today & yesterday...Timeless!

  • Saw him live last night in Manchester... You could hear a pin drop when he played this one.

  • @taffi9 yes I must say this was a nice one as , I was in manchester myself. Old gil just makes my day..

  • kmd

  • Incedible. Simply awesome. I had the pleasure of seeing Gil in concert. One of my all time favorite artists ever. Period. Compare this with what's on the radio today.....'nuff said.

  • Mr Gil Scott-Heron has always impressed me, with his musicial social expression! I am sure glad I have had the pleasure of a live performance.

  • This is the Greatest song Mr.Heron ever wrote!!

  • @SuperXavier30 your welcome

  • @SuperXavier30 Ah! -- but dig "I Think I'll Call it Morning"!