Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson -The Bottle (1974) TV Live

Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson
"The Bottle"
Album: Winter in America (1974 Strata-East)

SINGLE:



LYRICS:

See that black boy over there runnin’ scared
His old man in a bottle
He done quit his 9 to 5
He drink full time and now he’s livin’ in a bottle

See that black boy over there runnin’ scared
His old man got a problem
And it’s a bad one
He done pawned off damn near everything,
His old woman’s weddin’ ring for a bottle

And don’t you think it’s a crime when
Time after time after time
People in the bottle
There’s people livin’ in the bottle

Listen to me
See that sister, sho’ was fine
Before she started drinkin’ wine in a bottle
She told me her old man committed a crime
He’s doin’ time and now she’s hangin’ in a bottle
I seen her out there on the avenue
All by herself, she sho’ need help from the bottle
I seen a preacherman try to help her out
She cussed him out and hit him in the head with a bottle
They turn to me, and they ask me, Gil,

Don’t you think it’s a crime the way
Time after time after time
People in the bottle
There’s people sho’ nuff in the bottle

I’ll give you another good example

You see that gent in the wrinkled suit
He done damn near blown his cool to the bottle
He was a doctor helpin’ young girls along
If they wasn’t too far gone in her problems
But defenders of the dollar eagle said,
“What you doin, man, ain’t legal”
Now he’s in the bottle
And now we watch him everyday
He’s tryin’ to chase the prisons away from the bottle
He turned to me and he said to me, hey now

Don’t you think it’s a crime the way
Time after time
Friends of mine in the bottle
There’s people sho nuff in the bottle

Come on, hit me the lick one time, stick
Uuh

I’ll tell you a little secret
If you ever come lookin’ for me
You know where I’m bound to be,
In the bottle
Turn around
Look around on any corner
If you see some brother lookin’ like a goner
It’s gonna be me
Sing the song
Na na na na na na na na na
na na na na na na na na na

A dollar nine or a bottle of wine
A dollar nine, get a bottle of wine
A dollar nine, get a bottle of wine
A dollar nine, get a bottle of wine
The bottle

All that I’m concerned about is a bottle
It can turn me inside out for the bottle
All I want
Said all I want
Said all I want
Said all I want since I’m livin in the bottle
A bottle

Sho nuff
Sho nuff
Sho nuff
Sho nuff sho nuff sho nuff sho nuff
Sho nuff

ALBUM: