[Verse 1]
Historical production in the West is almost exclusively a written affair
History books are compiled from archives
Whose endless sheaves of papers are generally produced
By institutions and figures of authority
The truth suffers many casualties in the process
History as we know it typically explains itself
By way of the actions of Great Men and their consequences
In part, as a way to find coherence out of chaos
But men of action rarely leave behind much indication of what was felt by those around them
As they marched and bayoneted their way through time
Their stories are trapped between the bounds of cause and effect
[Verse 2]
Music, on the other hand, knows no such limitations
Its creation is always marked by the moment and place in which it was made
But songs move more freely in time
As a music tradition travels and evolves, its texture is the sum of all it has been before
A drumbeat comes from West Africa to the Caribbean
Where it is combined with instruments from Spain
And used to describe a life very different
From anything experienced on either continent
Living testimonials, these melodies allow their listeners to perceive history through the senses
Instead of the mind
Historical production in the West is almost exclusively a written affair
History books are compiled from archives
Whose endless sheaves of papers are generally produced
By institutions and figures of authority
The truth suffers many casualties in the process
History as we know it typically explains itself
By way of the actions of Great Men and their consequences
In part, as a way to find coherence out of chaos
But men of action rarely leave behind much indication of what was felt by those around them
As they marched and bayoneted their way through time
Their stories are trapped between the bounds of cause and effect
[Verse 2]
Music, on the other hand, knows no such limitations
Its creation is always marked by the moment and place in which it was made
But songs move more freely in time
As a music tradition travels and evolves, its texture is the sum of all it has been before
A drumbeat comes from West Africa to the Caribbean
Where it is combined with instruments from Spain
And used to describe a life very different
From anything experienced on either continent
Living testimonials, these melodies allow their listeners to perceive history through the senses
Instead of the mind
( Sabertooth Swing )
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