Lyrics to
Angola, Louisiana

This version of Angola, Louisiana was released by Gil Scott-Heron in 1978.

Our Decade Lyrics Gil Scott-Heron profile has all of the Angola, Louisiana lyrics from 1978 and many more songs from the Gil Scott-Heron discography that we have on file.

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Well I’m feeling fine
I could’ve been doing time.
Well, I’m doing fine, thank you,
but I could’ve been pulling time.

I know a brother man doing time,
and he didn’t commit no crime.
So, thank you, I’m doing fine,
cuz I could’ve been pulling time.

I’ve been painting a picture of Angola, Louisiana
pictures of deals in back alleys where politicians often hide
But it’s much more important to me than Angola, Louisiana
Got a lot to do with justice but more with Gary Tyler’s life
I got a letter from his mother (that) said,
“Please! Say somethin’ to my son.”
Truth is: Angola, Louisiana, you’re the one.

I ain’t never been nowhere near Angola, Louisiana.
Down in St. Charles Parish where the sun won’t go alone.
But injustice is not confined to Angola, Louisiana.
It can walk in your livin’ room
as long as it surrounds your home.
I send love to brother Tyler, but after all is said and done;
Truth is: Angola, Louisiana, you’re the one.

I can’t tell a man not to defend himself,
not at this late stage.
I can’t tell a man he got no rights, nowhere,
not in this day and age.
This song may not touch a whole lot of people
persuaded by the truth,
but take a look at what’s goin’ on, people,
’cause this all could happen to you.

I’ve been painting a picture of Angola, Louisiana
Down in St. Charles Parish, where the sun won’t go alone
But injustice is not confined to Angola, Louisiana
Well, it can be in your living room
Brother Tyler, hold on, be strong, you’re not alone!
I got a letter from his mother that said,
“Please, say something to my son!”
Truth is: Angola, Louisiana, you’re the one.

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Gil Scott-Heron has released many songs over the years besides Angola, Louisiana. Gil Scott-Heron released songs from 1970 to 2005 spanning across albums like Small Talk At 125th And Lenox, Pieces Of A Man, Free Will, Winter In America, The First Minute Of A New Day, It's Your World, From South Africa To South Carolina, Bridges, Secrets, The Mind Of Gil Scott-Heron, 1980, Real Eyes, Reflections, Moving Target, Spirits, and Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - Messages (Anthology). Decade Lyrics has over lyrics & songs by Gil Scott-Heron.

If you're a fan of popular 1970s songs looking for more songs from 1978 or the 1970s overall, you've come to the right place!

About Lyrics and Angola, Louisiana by Gil Scott-Heron

The lyrics for Angola, Louisiana are made up of the words, verses and background chorus for the popular 1978 song by Gil Scott-Heron. Like a lot of songs, the lyrics to Angola, Louisiana have both direct meanings and metaphorical context hidden within the song's words. All of the meanings are only truly known by the creators of the lyrics for Angola, Louisiana - Gil Scott-Heron and any of the writers who worked with them on the song.

If you have an interest in the structure of words and phrases, you can dissect the lyrics to Angola, Louisiana by Gil Scott-Heron in multiple ways. The word "lyric" itself derives from the Latin word lyricus, with the actual English word lyrics applied to the definition "words set to music" listed in Stainer and Barrett's 1876 Dictionary of Musical Terms. Continuing the chain, the Latin word lyricus derives from the Greek word λυρικός or lyrikós. This somewhat means "poetry accompanied by the lyre" or "words set to music." You can easily see that by looking at the background of the word lyric, that the "lyrics to Angola, Louisiana" means the words set to the music of Angola, Louisiana, or poetry accompanied by the lyre played by Gil Scott-Heron. The singular form "lyric" is still used to mean the complete words to a song. However, the singular form lyric is also commonly used to refer to a specific line (or phrase) within a song's lyrics. Hence, by this analysis of word structure, you could say that the lyric to Angola, Louisiana and the lyrics to Angola, Louisiana are both one and the same thing. None of this talk about the word Lyrics is really relevant to fans of Gil Scott-Heron who came here looking just for the lyrics to Angola, Louisiana, but we feel it is still fun to learn what's behind commonly used words and lyrics in songs.

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