In this scenario dominated by manslaughter and perverse traditions, the pervasive double consciousness that haunts the singer seems to falter: the American heritage, which also entails this bitter history or racism, is too heavy for the singer to carry. Ultimately, he's African.

Synonym of dirty. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grimy

In this last verse, there is no possible misunderstanding: Lamar directly attacks centuries of racism, whose thousands of deaths he (rightly) labels as genocide. Another striking expression is that of "generational hatred": the singer evokes an atmosphere in which racism is like a twisted tradition which, instead of passing down from father to son, passes down from generation to generation, destroying people in the meantime.

It means I am going to in a process of word evolution which may be the following: I am going to be > I'm gonna > Imma > I'ma. http://ima.urbanup.com/2146

Dat means that. https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/dat/955

I could not find a match for this word, yet it is highly probable it may be an abbreviation of remember.

Dem ah seh could mean "they all say". Ah can mean different words, in which I could not find all, but I hypothesized this meaning also by comparing this version to Anglicized ones. https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/dem/961 https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/seh/1293

'pon means on. https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/pon/1257

The American English version would be: "How don't you see the whip, left scar on our back". https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/nuh/1055 https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/di/963 https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/pon/1257

It means in. https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/inna/1014

This sentence may be translated to American English in something like: "We feel a whole heap of pain because we are black". https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/wul/3671 https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/ah/883

Woi indicates "an expression of surprise or disbelief", similar to "Oh my God". https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/woi/4516

Cah means because. I hypothesize that it may be the outcome of an evolution process like the following: because > 'cause > cah. https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/cah/4365

I could not find any indications for this word, but I think it may be used as us.

This entire verse is written in Jamaican patois, that is, "an English-lexified creole language spoken by the majority of Jamaicans". As you will see, some words may be intuitive, but others are definitely not. While I was looking for the lyrics of the song, I found other anglicized versions which were certainly more comprehensible, but, I am afraid, less faithful to the singer's intention. Consequently, I opted for the original, more complex version. Why has the singer recurred to Jamaican patois? My hypothesis is that he features it as a way to give importance and centrality to a marginal community through its language.

Dem is they. https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/dem/961

Lamar mangles (storpia, in Italian) the words of the proverb: this modified version seems to represent a counterpart to the the original one. If the first one celebrates and honors Black culture, this one seems to connect to the brutality of reality, in which violence dominates and is, apparently, the only possible response.

"This Black proverb appears as early as 1929 in the title of Wallace Thurman’s novel, The Blacker the Berry. Most agree that the phrase is meant as an affirmation of the richness and beauty of Black people and of darker skin Blacks. In many ways it is a counter response to the pervasive celebration of white or lighter skin Black Americans. The phrase appears in Tupac Shakur’s 1993 song “Keep Your Head Up,” and continues to flow through Black culture as a form of praise and affirmation." https://thedig.howard.edu/all-stories/save-culture-slang-exploration-black-language-expressions

See the annotation I made on the same term in 2Pac's song "Changes".

This word is a highly offensive, derogatory term used to insult Black people by comparing them to animals. The likening of a person to an ape, a monkey or a gorilla is a discriminatory practice that takes the name of simianization. Simianization dates back to the Middle Ages and has progressively taken a racist turn and started only to indicate black-skinned individuals. Reasons for this association may include the prevalence of apes in Africa and the aesthetic difference between whites and blacks. In any case and whatever the reason may be, it is a form of degradation and dehumanization. In this case, it is probable that Lamar is aiming for a reclaiming (that is, semantic inversion) of the term. In other words, the same reasoning applied for "nigga" in 2Pac's "Changes" is applicable here: the singer uses this term to affirm his identity as an African-American. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/simianization https://theconversation.com/comparing-black-people-to-monkeys-has-a-long-dark-simian-history-55102

After having described some features stereotypically connected with being African-American, Lamar asks white people a rhetorical question ("you hate me, don't you?") since he already knows the answer. In such a perspective, there seems to be no glimpse of hope for Black people: they are hated and their culture is at risk of being "terminated". Nevertheless, Lamar does not renounce to his voice and gives space to the rage that feels since he was a teenager. https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/stream/pdf/24/1.0300649/4

Informal and sometimes derogatory adjective used to indicate coiled (that is, very curly) hair. In this case, think of afro hair. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nappy

Once again, the you corresponds to white people listening the song.

Here Lamar denounces a decade-long rage for anti-Black racism and police brutality he himself was a victim of. In a Rolling Stone interview, Lamar declared that as a teenager "the majority of my interactions with the police were not good […] there were a few good ones who were actually protecting the community. But then you have the ones from the Valley. They never met me in my life, but since I'm a kid […] they wanna slam me on the hood of the car. Sixteen years old […] Even if he's not a good kid, that don't give you the right to slam a minor on the ground or pull a pistol on him. " […] Indeed, "police pull guns on him on two occasions. The first when he was 17." https://issuu.com/lawrenceambrocio5018/docs/rolling_stone_march_26_2015_usa_1_

In this case, convey means communicate. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convey

Homie is a term used to refer to a close friend. http://homie.urbanup.com/1195050

Schizophrenia is a mental illness, in "characterized by disruptions in thought processes, perceptions, emotional responsiveness, and social interactions". https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/schizophrenia However, in this case the term is more likely to refer to W.E.B. Du Bois' double consciousness. This notion hints at the idea that black people possess a double identity: the first one is tied to being African-American, whereas the other corresponds to the perspective of the White oppressors. As a consequence, their sense of self is fragmented. Hence, the reference to the fragmented self of schizophrenic people. https://study.com/learn/lesson/web-du-bois-double-consciousness-overview-background-examples.html#:~:text=Double%20consciousness%20is%20the%20feeling%20of%20having%20two%20social%20identities,%2C%20and%20treatment%20by%2C%20Caucasians. https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/stream/pdf/24/1.0300649/4

Morn' is the abbreviation of morning. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/morn

Setting the scene: the song was released as a second single from the 2015 album To Pimp A Butterfly. The album (and the song as well) "is firmly in the present. It's [Lamar's] take on what it means to be young and black in America today". https://issuu.com/lawrenceambrocio5018/docs/rolling_stone_march_26_2015_usa_1_ Indeed, the album is deeply connected to contemporary issues in America (police brutality, systemic racism and inequality) and, in particular, to Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter is a "Black-centered political-movement-building project" that surged in 2013 as a reaction to the Travyon Martin murder. The core beliefs of the movement include: * the affirmation of the importance of Black Lives against police brutality and any other racist manifestation; * transforming the present world in which "Black lives are systemically targeted for deliberate and indirect demise"; * affirmation of Black humanity and contributions; * abolition of mass incarceration to the detriment of Black people; * collective safety.

https://blacklivesmatter.com/our-history/

Here the central critique to the lack of equality and the debunking of the immigration myths appears evident: in particular, Springsteen makes uses of the anaphora "they died" to underscore the timeless sacrifice of immigrants, who are identified with the makers of the United States ("the hands that build the country"). This last part of the song completely overturns what Springsteen has sung so far: there are no streets paved with gold, no diamonds in the sidewalks or "treasure for the taking". What remains is work "to bones and skin". Once again, Springsteen has not departed from the historical truth: despite their hopes, European immigrants who landed in the United States did not improve their status. In other words, if they were poor, they stayed as such; “past European immigrants often struggled when they first arrived, and most of them did not succeed in reaching the American Dream within their lifetimes.” https://ui.charlotte.edu/story/streets-gold-debunking-american-immigration-myths/ Moreover, research shows that from 1880 to 1920 immigrants "were the mainstay of the American industrial workforce". https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2760060/#abstract1 Making home in the American Land was, therefore, impossible for them because America itself rejected and discriminated immigrants after exploiting them for its own industrial and economic growth. Indeed, "often stereotyped and discriminated against, many immigrants suffered verbal and physical abuse because they were "different." […] The newcomers helped transform American society and culture, demonstrating that diversity, as well as unity, is a source of national strength." https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/immigration-to-united-states-1851-1900/

Springsteen's radical claim is that such discrimination and sacrifice are not limited to a distant past, but have continued up until now ("they're still dyin' now"). When Springsteen released the song, the country was actually undergoing a period of decline in immigration due to measures taken after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 such as the Patriot Act. https://library.law.howard.edu/civilrightshistory/immigration/history. However, it is true that immigration continues to be a divisive topic in the United States, especially in the current presidency: what do you know about Trump's immigration policies?

Springsteen is historically accurate here: during the second half of the 19th century, most of U.S. immigrants came from Ireland, Poland and Germany (including many Jews). Moreover, the 1900 census corroborates the same thesis, showing that European immigrants mostly migrated from Italy and Germany, as well as Russia, Austria-Hungary and Britain. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/spotlight-primary-source/map-foreign-born-population-united-states-1900#:~:text=According%20to%20the%201900%20census,Austria%2DHungary%2C%20and%20Russia. https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/immigration-to-united-states-1851-1900/ https://immigrationhistory.org/lesson-plan/european-migration/

Curiosity: Bruce Springsteen is actually a third generation immigrant and Zerilli was his mother's last name. His grandparents came to the United States from Vico Equestre (NA) in the beginning of the 20th century. https://napoli.corriere.it/notizie/cultura-e-tempo-libero/24_febbraio_02/torneremo-a-danzare-abbracciati-l-addio-di-bruce-springsteen-a-mamma-adele-era-originaria-di-vico-equense-8106e8ac-f4bf-415c-b8f1-162269453xlk.shtml

Curiosity: Springsteen's great-great-grandfather was named Richard McNicholas and emigrated from Ireland to the United States. https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/land-of-hope-and-dreams-untangling-the-puzzle-of-bruce-springsteens-irish-ancestry/a1466026818.html

This verse hints at other American myths: self-reliance, individualism and the self-made man. In short, these three combined point at the idea that working hard, putting effort and invest in one's self will eventually lead to (economic) success, independently from your initial condition.

Do you think that working hard is enough to achieve success? In other words, does success exclusively depend on effort or there may be other uncontrollable factors involved? Can poverty be overcome in this way?

Spires are "the upper tapering part of something". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spires

"Immigrants entered the United States through several ports. Those from Europe generally came through East Coast facilities, while those from Asia generally entered through West Coast centers. More than 70 percent of all immigrants, however, entered through New York City, which came to be known as the "Golden Door." Throughout the late 1800s, most immigrants arriving in New York entered at the Castle Garden depot near the tip of Manhattan. In 1892, the federal government opened a new immigration processing center on Ellis Island in New York harbor." https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/immigration-to-united-states-1851-1900/

Ellis Island was chosen as the first federal facility in which immigrants were processed because of its strategic position: it was isolated, far from the mainland and, therefore, considered fitting to carefully inspect immigrants and prevent them from entering the country without being registered. Inspection process was not detached from class distinctions: only indigent, (that is, poor), third-class passengers (also referred to as "steerage") were required to undergo the inspection process as Ellis Island. What was the criterion, then? Those who boarded the ship on first or second class were presumed to be wealthy people, less likely to "become a public charge in America due to medical or legal reasons". After a long trip, which entailed staying for days in unsanitary conditions and overly crowded spaces, poor people were submitted to a minimum of 3\5 hours of inspection in the Great Hall: their health condition was examined and their origins as well as destinations were investigated. https://klagenfurtmigrationstudies.home.blog/understanding-barriers-to-immigration-by-listening-to-ellis-island-oral-histories/ https://www.statueofliberty.org/ellis-island/overview-history/. Ellis Island is now seat of a National Museum of Immigration which can be visited (https://www.statueofliberty.org/visit/); otherwise, the official website offers many online resources if you are interested in digging in the topic.

Dock as a verb means "to come into or alongside a dock." https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dock#dictionary-entry-2

Merriam-Webster defines faucet as "a fixture for drawing or regulating the flow of liquid especially from a pipe."

Gutter is defined as "a trough or groove to catch and direct something" or, more specifically, "a trough along the eaves to catch and carry off rainwater". In Italian it would be something like canali di scolo. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gutters

These sentences evoke popular belief among immigrants that in America there were "streets paved with gold" : this rumor (this myth if you want) created anticipation and hope for those who left their homelands in search of better opportunities. The powerful expression gave birth to a homonymous exhibit: https://www.nps.gov/elis/learn/education/streets-paved-with-gold.htm.

The song opens with the story of a man who migrates to the United States to seek fortune: he is speaking directly to his girlfriend, to whom he promises to send money as soon as possible. https://voices.pitt.edu/TeachersGuide/Unit10/American%20Land.htm

Starting from "the late 1800s, people in many parts of the world decided to leave their homes and immigrate to the United States. Fleeing crop failure, land and job shortages, rising taxes, and famine, many came to the U. S. because it was perceived as the land of economic opportunity". https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/immigration-to-united-states-1851-1900/

Setting the scene: the song was first released in 2006 in the We Shall Overcome: the Seeger Sessions album as a bonus live track on a special edition of the album. The recorded version was added in 2012 to the Wrecking Ball album. The song has a long genesis: it is based on Pete Seeger's "He Lies in the American Land" (1956), which, in its turn, was the translation of a text originally written by a Slovak steelworker, Andrew Kovaly, at the beginning of the 20th century. Consequently, Springsteen recovers and adapts a song that deals with a timeless topic: immigration and, ultimately, the lack of equality for those who migrate to the United States. The music itself is a mixture of typical "American" sounds (rock 'n' roll, the electric guitar...) and an Irish-like folk motive.

Since its "discovery", America has been a land of immigration; in particular, the major wave of immigrants landed in America at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the following one. Indeed, between 1870 and 1900, nearly 12 million people arrived in the United States. Simultaneously, xenophobia and anti-immigration actions gained momentum: differentiations between "desirable" and "undesirable" immigrants based on racist assumptions around ethnicity and religion laid the foundations for the Immigration Act of 1917, which restricted immigration by imposing literacy tests and by preventing immigration from Asia and almost the entire Middle East. Context around this specific period of time is important because it is exactly in those years that Kovaly wrote "He lies in the American Land".

Compared to the previous songs, which focus mainly on African Americans and racism, this song shifts attention to inequality due to being an immigrant.

https://immigrationhistory.org/lesson-plan/european-migration/ https://voices.pitt.edu/TeachersGuide/Unit10/American%20Land.htm https://alessandroportelli.blogspot.com/2012/03/bruce-springsteen-wrecking-ball.html https://library.law.howard.edu/civilrightshistory/immigration/history

Synonym for beaten up (malmenato in Italian). https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=roughed%20up

Colloquial way to refer to a "male human being". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buck

Colloquial contraction of about. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=%27bout

From a strictly grammatical point of view, this expression is wrong: two negative forms (didn't and no) are not acceptable in a sentence. The correct form should be either "My mama did not raise any fools" or "My mama raised no fool". However, double negative (also called negative concord) is used in some varieties of English (in this case, African-American Vernacular English) to intensify the meaning of the sentence. In other words, the construction is a sub-standard form used mainly to give more emphasis and expressive force to what is being said. It should be avoided in written and formal writing, but it is normal to use in oral speech, especially in African-American communities.

Curiosity: labeling an expression or an usage as "wrong" or "correct" is rarely a matter of language and more frequently a matter of (social) prestige: normally, it is considered "right" the variant of the language that is used by educated, white people; in contrast, "wrong" expressions are often the ones employed by minorities, uneducated or stigmatized groups. Long story short: people think they are judging an incorrect linguistic form, when, in fact, they are stigmatizing the community that uses it.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/double%20negative https://web.archive.org/web/20100810125721/https://www.american.edu/cas/tesol/resources/upload/Kirby_Philippa.pdf

Synonym of break. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bust#dictionary-entry-2

(To) Rush means to move very quickly; in Italian, it could be translated to affrettarsi or precipitarsi. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rush#dictionary-entry-2

Informal alternative of you written to mimic the pronunciation in oral speech. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ya

In this case, the expression is a synonym of hold back that is prevent someone to do something, "to hinder the progress or achievement". In Italian, it would translate to ostacolare, tenere indietro. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold%20back

(To) Jack up has multiple meanings; however, given the content of the song, the most probable meaning in this context is "to treat or confront (someone) in a harassing, rough, or overly aggressive and typically unwarranted manner" or "to beat up or hurt (someone)". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jack%20up

The 1990s were a decade of unrest and, sadly, or great military violence. The main conflict that occurred in the Middle East is the Persian Gulf War (1990-1991), an international war fought between Iraq, Kuwait and the Unites States, which intervened when Kuwait was invaded by Iraqi forces. During the 1990s, other Middle East conflicts include: 1. the Iraqi Kurdish Civil War (1994-1997); 2. the Yemeni Civil War (1994); 3. the Operation Desert Fox (1998), which consisted in the U.S. bombing of Iraq.

https://www.britannica.com/event/Persian-Gulf-War#:~:text=The%20Persian%20Gulf%20War%2C%20also,Kuwait%20on%20August%202%2C%201990 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zhsssk7/revision/5

At the time in which 2Pac sang, there was a sharp rivalry among hip-hop singers of the East Coast and those of the West Coast, in which Shakur himself was implicated with and died for. Moreover, streets feuds among gangs were ferocious, mostly due to the control of drug markets. If you are interested in looking more into the topic, here is a 1990 short news special on L.A. youth gangs: https://youtu.be/-W_jhoknV1Y?si=8YSEmzi6PiZFwn5l.

Gotta is the informal abbreviation of got to, which is, in turn, a more informal alternative to have to. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gotta

To be on someone (to) is an American idiom used to indicate that it is someone's responsability to do something. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/be-on

Again, similar to the "We gotta start makin' changes" verse, there seems to be glimpse of hope through intentional actions to improve the world.

Adjective used to connotate something as morally bad, repugnant. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/sleazy

(To) Make a G is the abbreviation of making a grand, where grand stands for a thousand dollars. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/grand

This verse and the following ones delve into a moral dilemma: the only way to survive in this ruthless America for Black people is by "operating the easy way", which means going behind the law. Already introduced at the beginning of the song, the idea of committing crimes as a result of poverty and lack of resources is here confirmed. The "G" is made illegally, by selling drugs to a child. When confronted with the immorality of his action, the man answers that he "gotta get paid", meaning that morals and ethics come second when the priority is making ends meet. https://americansongwriter.com/the-painful-meaning-behind-the-song-changes-by-tupac/

Informal synonym of stupid. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dope

Apart from the reference to crack, this verse has another important element to be noted: 2Pac is trying to debunk the myth that only African-Americans use drugs. In fact, this 1995 report clearly shows racial disparity in connection to arrests for drug sale and possession: https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/rdusda.pdf. Although it is undeniable that the African-American community was deeply affected by the (ab)use of crack, it is also true that it was widespread among poors, including whites.

As you can note, 2Pac seems picking up where Hornsby left off: he shares the same disillusionment towards the possibility of equality in the United States. The entire song, as a matter of fact, denounces the hardships of being Black in an America that refuses you. https://americansongwriter.com/the-painful-meaning-behind-the-song-changes-by-tupac/

The "Huey" mentioned is Huey Newton was the co-founder (with Bobby Seale) of the Black Panther Party in 1966. (https://americansongwriter.com/the-painful-meaning-behind-the-song-changes-by-tupac/) The Black Panther was a 1960s revolutionary party whose original purpose was that of protecting Blacks from the attack of police officers and eventually extended its scope "to a Marxist revolutionary group that called for the arming of all African Americans, the exemption of African Americans from the draft and from all sanctions of so-called white America, the release of all African Americans from jail, and the payment of compensation to African Americans for centuries of exploitation by white Americans". (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Black-Panther-Party)

Abbreviation of them. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/'em

In this verse and in the previous one, the singer is making explicit reference to the police brutality in the U.S.A: excessive use of force (also culminating in murder) by police officers towards specific categories has been documented since the early 19th century. The targets have varied through the centuries, but African-Americans are historically the most targeted group because of racial implications. In this case, the singer emphasizes policemen's impunity before the law; on the contrary, they are acclaimed and welcomed as "heros". https://www.britannica.com/topic/police-brutality-in-the-United-States-2064580/Police-brutality-after-World-War-II

Just as the previous term, this one is charged with a derogatory connotation, so much as it is preferred to refer to it with the euphemistic expression "N-word", which emcompasses both this word and its -er variant. The phenomenon that allowed the erosion of the -er ending is called r-dropping: the -r is replaced by a schwa (ə), an indistinct vowel pronounced "uh". These terms have always been linked with white supremacy, racism and white power. Even though the two terms may seem synonyms, in fact there is a difference: the -er ending word is strictly connected with the all-encompassing hatred and contempt towards black people, whereas the second one is perceived as a term of endearment when uttered by someone belonging to the Black community. Indeed, starting from the 1980s, the word has underwent a process of reclaiming (also called semantic inversion or looping) which corresponds to "taking a word meant as a slur and reappropriating it as a term of endearment" (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2014/11/09/the-n-word-an-entrenched-racial-slur-now-more-prevalent-than-ever/?utm_term=.1590a4928864). This strategy allows the originally oppressive term to be re-semantized (that is, to acquire a new meaning) and used to celebrate the community's unique identity and humanity as "an act of redemption by black folk. The word survives on the conditions that black folks have inscribed for it and nobody else can take that. And it becomes violent when other people try to take it and use it." Indeed, white people "have created the word in the first place, but […] they have lost the power to use it with impunity, they have lost the power to reclaim it." […] "If you understand the history of the word and how it's been used, it's not for white people to use […] So if you're not black you can't do that. You actually can't use the word in the way that we use it. It's not possible, because you're not in that space. So any other usage of it is completely wrong." (https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-53749800). https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/N-word https://share.google/2p6rElVA4Vin0v2cC https://www.dailydot.com/irl/how-not-to-use-the-n-word/

The word is notoriously a derogatory term to indicate African-Americans. However, "both Negro and Negress are sometimes used by Black people in self-reference, but use of either term by others is offensive". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Negro

Police officers. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cop

Disclaimer: sensitive content.

In a world dominated by racism and in which nothing changes, the singer wonders whether the struggles he has to cope with on a daily basis make living worth it. He even contemplates the possibility to end his life in the same verse. If you have ever felt the same way the singer does in this verse, please seek help at https://azzurro.it/ or at least talk with an adult or a teacher.

Disclaimer: some of the punctuation marks (commas, mainly) were not present in the original lyrics of the song; I added them later. I found it as a useful, non-intrusive alteration of the text which may result in a better understanding of the content. Commas, indeed, help separating sentences and organize the content in a clearer way; in this context, I argue that they are necessary, especially for non-learner students who are approaching a song that employs a variant of English (the African-American Vernacular English) they are probably not familiar with. Apart from punctuation, the lyrics were not altered in any way.

Note how don't is paired with a singular noun, law. "Don't is occasionally used in American English speech and in historical writing as a contraction of does not (as in, "He don't know where he is going."), but this use is now considered improper and should be avoided. Remember that in modern speech and writing, don't cannot be used in the third person singular." https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/eb/qa/don-t-and-doesn-t

Informal alternative for have not. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ain't

The "law" in this verse could allude to: * the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964 by President Lyndon Johnson. It "prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal" (https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/civil-rights-act#:~:text=This%20act%2C%20signed%20into%20law%20by%20President,most%20sweeping%20civil%20rights%20legislation%20since%20Reconstruction.) In other words, it made segregation in all its forms illegal. * the Economic Opportunity Act which was introduced in the same year. It "aimed at facilitating education, health, employment, and general welfare for impoverished Americans" (https://www.britannica.com/event/American-civil-rights-movement). It was part of the so-called "War on Poverty", a program endorsed by President Johnson and which intended to reduce poverty in the United States, along with making the country more equitable. https://www.britannica.com/topic/War-on-Poverty

It is probable that the song hints at both Acts, rather than pointing at just one.

Normally, will is contracted when preceded by there, here and personal pronouns (I, you, she\he\it, we, you, they) only in oral speech or informal writing. In this case, things'll https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/contractions In everyday casual language, it is quite common to find will contracted even when combined with proper nouns and objects just as in this case. However, it is important to remember that it is not appropriate to use this form in formal writing. In the following video, starting at the minute 4:16, you can see (and hear) other examples similar to things'll: https://youtu.be/tXTu2tpJKaM?si=4e6I2J3wHd7On5i3&t=256

Here is the chorus of the song: at first, the singer's reaction to the widespread inquality that dominates the society seems to coincide with a resigned acceptation of the status quo. The feeling of quiet resignation amplifies as the song goes on, reaching its climax when the singer makes reference to the Civil Rights Act and, therefore, establishing a parallelism between the present and the past. However, the chorus closes with a glimpse of hope: indeed, the author invites the audience not to believe to inevitability, thus suggesting that things may change if only people started thinking and acting differently. As a matter of fact, the singer himself insists upon this last verse: "Some things will never change is a statement of resignation, but the most important line in that song is the one that comes after that: But don't you believe them. So I've always been about being strong when resignation is a possibility. Trying to pull up from that and have a positive outlook so that things can change" (http://www.musicfordemocracy.org/node/34.html).

Your turn: do you think that injustice and inequality will never be defeated?

In this sad scene, a new character is introduced: a man in a silk suit. He represents the rich and wealthy people who do not have to wait in line for economic help and, for this reason, hurries by (that is, he moves rapidly). His perspective is biased: he blames those in line for being poor and encourages them to "get a job". Therefore, Hornsby's intention is that of criticizing social polarization and inequality, apart from biased convictions that link poverty to laziness.

Your turn: is the man in a silk suit right? Are poor people always lazy or are there any other reasons for poverty?

The reason that is provided as for why they are waiting and need financial support is their poverty. The expression "buy a job" may refer to the fact that they cannot afford college education, in a modern scenario in which education assures better job opportunities; in a darker perspective, it might also mean that they have no connections to secure themselves a job through nepotism or bribery.

Shorter and informal synonym of because. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/'cause

As an adjective, welfare means "of, relating to, or concerned with welfare and especially with improvement of the welfare of disadvantaged social groups" (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/welfare). Dime, instead, is a synonym of coin (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dime). The combination of the the two words refers to the economic assistance provided by the government to families in financial distress.

Setting the scene: the song was released in July 1986 as a single from the band's debut album The Way It Is. It was a great success and the band won the 1987 Grammy Awards in the Best New Artist category. The success of the song has had a long-lasting effect in the music industry: it was sampled by other artists and included in songs such as 2Pac's Changes and Polo G's Wishing for a Hero. The singer has "never counted it" but he has read that his song "has now been recorded 17 times by hip-hop artists" (https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/bruce-hornsby-interview-way-it-is-non-secure-connection-1036032/). In order to understand the following lyrics, it is necessary to place the song in its historical context. The 1980s were years in which several issues emerged: * The process of de-industrialization (that is, the process in which American companies moved their seats abroad, outside the country) deeply affected the job market: tens of thousands of workers lost their jobs. In particular, Blacks were the ones who suffered the most since the majority of them were employed in various industrial fields. As a consequence, poverty spread: 30% of black work force was jobless in 1982. * The conservative Reagan presidency (1981-1989) reduced federal (governmental, that is) economic support to people in need by 20%. The cut to financial measures combined with the ongoing industrial crisis was disastrous. * White supremacy movements and groups (such as the Ku Klux Klan) reignited and engaged in violent acts against African Americans, firebombing of churches and campaigns against affirmative actions programs and integration in schools. "Millions of white Americans had become convinced that “too much” had been given to blacks". * Poverty, hunger and hopelessness paved the way to the abuse of drugs; crack was especially consumed by poor Americans as it was inexpensive and easily available. As a consequence of the combination of low employment, educational poverty and drug popularity, drug dealing became the source of income for young people and violence increased significantly in Black neighborhoods.

What was the government's response? Aggravated levels of violence and crime were responded with the "War on Drugs", which entailed: 1. the elimination of parole (that is, the conditional release of a prisoner, often on the basis of good behavior in prison); 2. stricter penalties for drug sale and possession; 3. building a larger network of prisons.

Needless to say, African-Americans were most targeted. Mass incarceration as a system of control (see the "home" of the website for more on the topic) started to bloom.

https://www.amistadresource.org/the_future_in_the_present/social_and_economic_issues.html

Till means until and they are largely interchangeable; however, it is not its abbreviated form because till predates the longer word. https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/should-you-use-until-or-till-or-til

Here is the chorus of the song: to all the questions posed, the songwriter is not able to answer. In fact, the answer is as elusive as the wind and impossible to grasp. https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/bob-dylan/blowin-in-the-wind

Another interesting element to point out is the relationship that Dylan seems to have with the audience: as previously remarked, this song converts Dylan into a spokesman of the common people, a "primus inter pares" if you wish, who makes use of his art to denounce inequality and social struggles. He does not think of himself as a custodian of a hidden truth no one else has discovered: just as everybody else, he does not have a clue about why discrimination and wars occur.

Your turn: if there are no answers, why asking questions? Do you think there is value in asking questions that cannot be answered?

"The mountain […] is a symbol of those human institutions that keep war and oppression in place. The stony mountain is all that resists change: the shape of government and history, certainly, but also the rocky terrain inside people's hearts. The slow, persistent erosive power of the ocean, on the other hand, symbolizes the action of internal and external change." https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/bob-dylan/blowin-in-the-wind

This word presents a common linguistic phenomenon called g-dropping: it consists in the drop of the -g at the end of certain words. In fact, no -g is actually "dropped" because the 'g' is not even pronounced. All English speakers g-dropped, but the frequency of this phenomenon is tied to class belonging, race, sex and degree of formality. Generally, it is more common among lower social classes. http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/000878.html

What does this mean in the context of this song? Answer: By adopting g-dropping and thus language-wise, Bob Dylan positions himself in the tradition of folk music and becomes the spokesman of the people.

Here, the reference to the Vietnam war is explicit through the usage of the key word cannonballs.

The dove is a white bird that corresponds to colomba in Italian. It usually symbolizes peace. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/dove <br /> "There's also a reference here to a specific dove: the biblical dove of Noah's Ark, which flew out from the Ark to seek dry land and returned bearing a hopeful olive branch. The symbolism of the dove here suggests that the change the speaker hopes for may not be easy to come by" (https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/bob-dylan/blowin-in-the-wind).

The repetition of "yes" at the beginning of many verses indicates the usage of a specific rhetorical device — the anaphora. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anaphora

'n': abbreviation for "and" (Cambridge Dictionary) https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/n

Eminem speaks directly at the heart of the white supremacist ideals, which support the idea that whites are considered "untouchable rockstars" just for the color of their skin. Regardless of the crimes they commit (and especially if they are policemen), they won't ever be charged or held accountable for them. As a matter of fact, in most of the cases in which African-Americans were victims of police brutality, white policemen were acquitted (which means assolti) of all charges.

Eminem refers to the very symbol of slavery, plantation fields.

Eminem's wording strikes again: he plays with America's ideals and bitter social reality by pairing the concluding phrase of the U.S. national anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner, ("O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!") and the expression racist ville (that means the city of racists). https://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/the-lyrics.aspx

The oxymoronic expression reveals that America's ideals are just aspirations that never became reality.

The reference to President Donald Trump (he is a Republican) could not be more straightforward.

Notice how this part of the song echoes Lamar's lyrics "gang-banging make me kill a nigga blacker than me?": both songs highlight feuds inside the African-American community due to gang divisions. However, Eminem seems to be more reluctant to blame African-Americans: in the following lines, he underscores that said fights are rooted in problems such as single-parenting, drug abuse and struggle with addiction that lead people "with nothin(g) to lose to shoot each other for shoes".

Do you think hiring more African-American policemen would make a difference?

Eminem links high levels of crime to poor neighborhoods and socio-economic status — which singer whose song we analyzed made the same connection? Do you agree with Eminem's viewpoint?

"Once again, he tries to kill stereotypes by denouncing the “crack spot” as a hangout place for blacks. He’s also critical of naive cops who walk into black neighborhoods with no sense of understanding of their behavior or culture. Instead of walking with a fair mind and attitude, their level of fears heighten because of the unknown, and cause them to automatically be racists." https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/eminem-untouchable-lyrics-decoded-8062711/

We have already come across this word: do you remember what it alludes to?

The singer does not pretend to be colorblind and acknowledges the fact that he is white. Nevertheless, his ideals do not coincide with the ones supported by white suprematists; hence, the shame in being white.

What form of violence is Eminem attacking here?

Synonym of celebrate. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/praise#synonyms

The derringer is a type of handgun.

Here the reference is to the Black Panther Party: do you remember which singer (or which song) among the previous ones mentioned it?

Lamar compares the civil war between two African ethnic groups (Zulu and Xhosa) to the street fighting between the Crips and the Bloods. Indeed, street fighting between local gangs is read by the singer as a form of civil war since it involves people that live in the same area. A bitter ending awaits those who kill each other ("only death settle(s) the score").

Lamar refuses to accept that Blacks are "doomed from the start": making use of a sport metaphor, he speaks in terms of a "race", in which everyone begins from the same starting point.

Double consciousness is a key concept to interpret this line: Lamar feels like a prisoner in his own head, enchained by his own thoughts. This occurs because he has internalized a way of perceiving and judging reality which pertains to the oppressor (in this case,whites).

Synonym of dirty. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grimy

It means I am going to in a process of word evolution which may be the following: I am going to be > I'm gonna > Imma > I'ma. http://ima.urbanup.com/2146

According to you and to what we have been examined in the explanatory part, what does this line refer to? Clue: focus on the word "penitentiary".

These lines pose a critique towards societal impositions: Lamar feels irrelevant and deprived of any importance in American society. However, this feeling entirely depends on what white people have been telling him. Once again, double consciousness dominates the self.

Dat means that. https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/dat/955

I could not find a match for this word, yet it is highly probable it may be an abbreviation of remember.

Lamar refuses to accept that Blacks are "doomed from the start": making use of a sport metaphor, he speaks in terms of a "race", in which everyone begins from the same starting point.

The. https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/di/963

'pon means on. https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/pon/1257

The American English version would be: "How don't you see the whip, left scar on our back". https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/nuh/1055 https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/di/963 https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/pon/1257

It means in. https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/inna/1014

This sentence may be translated to American English in something like: "We feel a whole heap of pain because we are black". https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/wul/3671 https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/ah/883

Woi indicates "an expression of surprise or disbelief", similar to "Oh my God". https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/woi/4516

Cah means because. I hypothesize that it may be the outcome of an evolution process like the following: because > 'cause > cah. https://jamaicanpatwah.com/term/cah/4365

I could not find any indications for this word, but I think it may be used as us.

"This Black proverb appears as early as 1929 in the title of Wallace Thurman’s novel, The Blacker the Berry. Most agree that the phrase is meant as an affirmation of the richness and beauty of Black people and of darker skin Blacks. In many ways it is a counter response to the pervasive celebration of white or lighter skin Black Americans. The phrase appears in Tupac Shakur’s 1993 song “Keep Your Head Up,” and continues to flow through Black culture as a form of praise and affirmation." https://thedig.howard.edu/all-stories/save-culture-slang-exploration-black-language-expressions

See the annotation I made on the same term in 2Pac's song "Changes".

As you may have gathered by now, Lamar's song is unfiltered: although he acknowledges the hierarchy that forces his community to remain "at the bottom of mankind", he does not feel inferior. On the contrary, he is proud of his identity and his African ancestry, so much as he does not hesitate in judging the oppressors.

After having described some features stereotypically connected with being African-American, Lamar asks white people a rhetorical question ("you hate me, don't you?") since he already knows the answer. In such a perspective, there seems to be no glimpse of hope for Black people: they are hated and their culture is at risk of being "terminated". Nevertheless, Lamar does not renounce to his voice and gives space to the rage that feels since he was a teenager. https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/stream/pdf/24/1.0300649/4

Informal and sometimes derogatory adjective used to indicate coiled (that is, very curly) hair. In this case, think of afro hair. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nappy

Lamar's viewpoint is crystal clear: not only is there a social hierarchy in America, but also he identifies black as the ones "at the bottom". There is no possible equality in this scenario.

Once again, the you corresponds to white people listening the song.

In this case, convey means communicate. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convey

This sentence functions as an explanation of the previous one: Lamar claims that he may be experiencing life in a schizophrenic way but blames whites (the ideal interlocutors in this scenario) for it.

Homie is a term used to refer to a close friend. http://homie.urbanup.com/1195050

Schizophrenia is a mental illness, in "characterized by disruptions in thought processes, perceptions, emotional responsiveness, and social interactions". https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/schizophrenia However, in this case the term is more likely to refer to W.E.B. Du Bois' double consciousness. This notion hints at the idea that black people possess a double identity: the first one is tied to being African-American, whereas the other corresponds to the perspective of the White oppressors. As a consequence, their sense of self is fragmented. Hence, the reference to the fragmented self of schizophrenic people. https://study.com/learn/lesson/web-du-bois-double-consciousness-overview-background-examples.html#:~:text=Double%20consciousness%20is%20the%20feeling%20of%20having%20two%20social%20identities,%2C%20and%20treatment%20by%2C%20Caucasians. https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/stream/pdf/24/1.0300649/4

Morn' is the abbreviation of morning. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/morn

We should be familiar with this linguistic phenomenon by now, shouldn't we?

Springsteen is historically accurate here: during the second half of the 19th century, most of U.S. immigrants came from Ireland, Poland and Germany (including many Jews). Moreover, the 1900 census corroborates the same thesis, showing that European immigrants mostly migrated from Italy and Germany, as well as Russia, Austria-Hungary and Britain. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/spotlight-primary-source/map-foreign-born-population-united-states-1900#:~:text=According%20to%20the%201900%20census,Austria%2DHungary%2C%20and%20Russia. https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/immigration-to-united-states-1851-1900/ https://immigrationhistory.org/lesson-plan/european-migration/

Curiosity: Bruce Springsteen is actually a third generation immigrant and Zerilli was his mother's last name. His grandparents came to the United States from Vico Equestre (NA) in the beginning of the 20th century. https://napoli.corriere.it/notizie/cultura-e-tempo-libero/24_febbraio_02/torneremo-a-danzare-abbracciati-l-addio-di-bruce-springsteen-a-mamma-adele-era-originaria-di-vico-equense-8106e8ac-f4bf-415c-b8f1-162269453xlk.shtml

Curiosity: Springsteen's great-great-grandfather was named Richard McNicholas and emigrated from Ireland to the United States. https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/land-of-hope-and-dreams-untangling-the-puzzle-of-bruce-springsteens-irish-ancestry/a1466026818.html

Spires are "the upper tapering part of something". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spires

Dock as a verb means "to come into or alongside a dock." https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dock#dictionary-entry-2

This verse hints at other American myths: self-reliance, individualism and the self-made man. In short, these three combined point at the idea that working hard, putting effort and invest in one's self will eventually lead to (economic) success, independently from your initial condition.

Your turn: do you think that working hard is enough to achieve success? In other words, does success exclusively depend on effort or there may be other uncontrollable factors involved? Can poverty be overcome in this way?

Merriam-Webster defines faucet as "a fixture for drawing or regulating the flow of liquid especially from a pipe."

Gutter is defined as "a trough or groove to catch and direct something" or, more specifically, "a trough along the eaves to catch and carry off rainwater". In Italian it would be something like canali di scolo. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gutters

The's is not an actual English word. In this case, it is probable that the singer means there are.

The song opens with the story of a man who migrates to the United States to seek fortune: he is speaking directly to his girlfriend, to whom he promises to send money as soon as possible. https://voices.pitt.edu/TeachersGuide/Unit10/American%20Land.htm

Starting from "the late 1800s, people in many parts of the world decided to leave their homes and immigrate to the United States. Fleeing crop failure, land and job shortages, rising taxes, and famine, many came to the U. S. because it was perceived as the land of economic opportunity". https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/rise-of-industrial-america-1876-1900/immigration-to-united-states-1851-1900/

Synonym for beaten up (malmenato in Italian). https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=roughed%20up

Colloquial way to refer to a "male human being". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buck

Colloquial contraction of about. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=%27bout

From a strictly grammatical point of view, this expression is wrong: two negative forms (didn't and no) are not acceptable in a sentence. The correct form should be either "My mama did not raise any fools" or "My mama raised no fool". However, double negative (also called negative concord) is used in some varieties of English (in this case, African-American Vernacular English) to intensify the meaning of the sentence. In other words, the construction is a sub-standard form used mainly to give more emphasis and expressive force to what is being said. It should be avoided in written and formal writing, but it is normal to use in oral speech, especially in African-American communities.

Curiosity: labeling an expression or an usage as "wrong" or "correct" is rarely a matter of language and more frequently a matter of (social) prestige: normally, it is considered "right" the variant of the language that is used by educated, white people; in contrast, "wrong" expressions are often the ones employed by minorities, uneducated or stigmatized groups. Long story short: people think they are judging an incorrect linguistic form, when, in fact, they are stigmatizing the community that uses it.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/double%20negative https://web.archive.org/web/20100810125721/https://www.american.edu/cas/tesol/resources/upload/Kirby_Philippa.pdf

Synonym of break. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bust#dictionary-entry-2

(To) Rush means to move very quickly; in Italian, it could be translated to affrettarsi or precipitarsi. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rush#dictionary-entry-2

Informal alternative of you written to mimic the pronunciation in oral speech. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ya

In this case, the expression is a synonym of hold back that is prevent someone to do something, "to hinder the progress or achievement". In Italian, it would translate to ostacolare, tenere indietro. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold%20back

(To) Jack up has multiple meanings; however, given the content of the song, the most probable meaning in this context is "to treat or confront (someone) in a harassing, rough, or overly aggressive and typically unwarranted manner" or "to beat up or hurt (someone)". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jack%20up

Given what has been already noted on the previous song, do you remember what is the war on drugs? Which President of the United States promoted it?

The 1990s were a decade of unrest and, sadly, or great military violence. The main conflict that occurred in the Middle East is the Persian Gulf War (1990-1991), an international war fought between Iraq, Kuwait and the Unites States, which intervened when Kuwait was invaded by Iraqi forces. During the 1990s, other Middle East conflicts include: 1. the Iraqi Kurdish Civil War (1994-1997); 2. the Yemeni Civil War (1994); 3. the Operation Desert Fox (1998), which consisted in the U.S. bombing of Iraq.

https://www.britannica.com/event/Persian-Gulf-War#:~:text=The%20Persian%20Gulf%20War%2C%20also,Kuwait%20on%20August%202%2C%201990 https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zhsssk7/revision/5

At the time in which 2Pac sang, there was a sharp rivalry among hip-hop singers of the East Coast and those of the West Coast, in which Shakur himself was implicated with and died for. Moreover, streets feuds among gangs were ferocious, mostly due to the control of drug markets. If you are interested in looking more into the topic, here is a 1990 short news special on L.A. youth gangs: https://youtu.be/-W_jhoknV1Y?si=8YSEmzi6PiZFwn5l.

Gotta is the informal abbreviation of got to, which is, in turn, a more informal alternative to have to. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gotta

To be on someone (to) is an American idiom used to indicate that it is someone's responsability to do something. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/be-on

Again, similar to the "We gotta start makin' changes" verse, there seems to be glimpse of hope through intentional actions to improve the world.

Adjective used to connotate something as morally bad, repugnant. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/sleazy

(To) Make a G is the abbreviation of making a grand, where grand stands for a thousand dollars. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/grand

This verse and the following ones delve into a moral dilemma: the only way to survive in this ruthless America for Black people is by "operating the easy way", which means going behind the law. Already introduced at the beginning of the song, the idea of committing crimes as a result of poverty and lack of resources is here confirmed. The "G" is made illegally, by selling drugs to a child. When confronted with the immorality of his action, the man answers that he "gotta get paid", meaning that morals and ethics come second when the priority is making ends meet. https://americansongwriter.com/the-painful-meaning-behind-the-song-changes-by-tupac/

It means "What does a mother have to do?" This verse alludes to what has been examined in the "Setting the scene" section: the single-parent families.

Informal synonym of stupid. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dope

What topic, already mentioned in the discussion, does this sentence point to?

What 2Pac considered impossible actually occurred in 2009, when Barack Obama was elected President of the United States and then again in 2012, when he was reelected. Nevertheless, his presidency was filled with conspiracy theories (especially revolving around his being born in the Unites States) and controversies that tried to undermine the figure of the President. Ultimately, this may suggest that the United States was not ready for a black President.

Here, the condemnation towards the lack of equality and straight-up racism in America is explicit.

As you can note, 2Pac seems picking up where Hornsby left off: he shares the same disillusionment towards the possibility of equality in the United States. The entire song, as a matter of fact, denounces the hardships of being Black in an America that refuses you. https://americansongwriter.com/the-painful-meaning-behind-the-song-changes-by-tupac/

In this disheartening scenario, 2Pac seeks refuge in the pleasant memories of an idealized childhood, which is perceived as the only moment in space and time where he may find solace.

At times, hopelessness alternates with a heartfelt responsability to take action and making changes to transform society once and for all.

There is a missing word here: what is it? Clue: the following verb is in the present tense, so…

Do you notice anything strange in this line? For an answer, see the comment on the line "My mama didn't raise no fool".

Abbreviation of them. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/'em

This is directly connected to what has been said about the pervasiveness of drugs (of crack, in particular) among poor families.

Just as the previous term, this one is charged with a derogatory connotation, so much as it is preferred to refer to it with the euphemistic expression "N-word", which emcompasses both this word and its -er variant. The phenomenon that allowed the erosion of the -er ending is called r-dropping: the -r is replaced by a schwa (ə), an indistinct vowel pronounced "uh". These terms have always been linked with white supremacy, racism and white power. Even though the two terms may seem synonyms, in fact there is a difference: the -er ending word is strictly connected with the all-encompassing hatred and contempt towards black people, whereas the second one is perceived as a term of endearment when uttered by someone belonging to the Black community. Indeed, starting from the 1980s, the word has underwent a process of reclaiming (also called semantic inversion or looping) which corresponds to "taking a word meant as a slur and reappropriating it as a term of endearment" (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2014/11/09/the-n-word-an-entrenched-racial-slur-now-more-prevalent-than-ever/?utm_term=.1590a4928864). This strategy allows the originally oppressive term to be re-semantized (that is, to acquire a new meaning) and used to celebrate the community's unique identity and humanity as "an act of redemption by black folk. The word survives on the conditions that black folks have inscribed for it and nobody else can take that. And it becomes violent when other people try to take it and use it." Indeed, white people "have created the word in the first place, but […] they have lost the power to use it with impunity, they have lost the power to reclaim it." […] "If you understand the history of the word and how it's been used, it's not for white people to use […] So if you're not black you can't do that. You actually can't use the word in the way that we use it. It's not possible, because you're not in that space. So any other usage of it is completely wrong." (https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-53749800). https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/N-word https://share.google/2p6rElVA4Vin0v2cC https://www.dailydot.com/irl/how-not-to-use-the-n-word/

The word is notoriously a derogatory term to indicate African-Americans. However, "both Negro and Negress are sometimes used by Black people in self-reference, but use of either term by others is offensive". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Negro

Police officers. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cop

In Tupac's perspective, crime is a consequence of poverty. What do you think about it? Do you think crimes are response to people being unable to afford life?

This linguistic phenomenon has already been analyzed in other song: what is it?

In the society in which the narrative voice lives, both poverty and blackness have a negative connotation. In other words, being Black adds up to being poor.

The verb blast can have multiple meanings; in this case, the most probable is shoot (sparare in Italian) https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blast#dictionary-entry-2

Disclaimer: sensitive content.

In a world dominated by racism and in which nothing changes, the singer wonders whether the struggles he has to cope with on a daily basis make living worth it. He even contemplates the possibility to end his life in the same verse. If you have ever felt the same way the singer does in this verse, please seek help at https://azzurro.it/ or at least talk with an adult or a teacher.

Note how don't is paired with a singular noun, law. "Don't is occasionally used in American English speech and in historical writing as a contraction of does not (as in, "He don't know where he is going."), but this use is now considered improper and should be avoided. Remember that in modern speech and writing, don't cannot be used in the third person singular." https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/eb/qa/don-t-and-doesn-t

Hornsby's posture seems clear: in these verses, he states that legal measures can only "go so far", that is, they can only operate up to a certain extent. He hints at the fact that another change has to occur: a cultural one. According to the author, indeed, equality can be achieved only in a co-constructive process that implicates the law on one side, and the culture on the other. In other words, what Hornsby is trying to state is that acts can be signed into law and assure people their rights, but it is equally important that people change their mindsets.

Informal alternative for have not. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ain't

The "law" in this verse could allude to: * the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964 by President Lyndon Johnson. It "prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal" (https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/civil-rights-act#:~:text=This%20act%2C%20signed%20into%20law%20by%20President,most%20sweeping%20civil%20rights%20legislation%20since%20Reconstruction.) In other words, it made segregation in all its forms illegal. * the Economic Opportunity Act which was introduced in the same year. It "aimed at facilitating education, health, employment, and general welfare for impoverished Americans" (https://www.britannica.com/event/American-civil-rights-movement). It was part of the so-called "War on Poverty", a program endorsed by President Johnson and which intended to reduce poverty in the United States, along with making the country more equitable. https://www.britannica.com/topic/War-on-Poverty

It is probable that the song hints at both Acts, rather than pointing at just one.

In this sad scene, a new character is introduced: a man in a silk suit. He represents the rich and wealthy people who do not have to wait in line for economic help and, for this reason, hurries by (that is, he moves rapidly). His perspective is biased: he blames those in line for being poor and encourages them to "get a job". Therefore, Hornsby's intention is that of criticizing social polarization and inequality, apart from biased convictions that link poverty to laziness.

Your turn: is the man in a silk suit right? Are poor people always lazy or are there any other reasons for poverty?

The reason that is provided as for why they are waiting and need financial support is their poverty. The expression "buy a job" may refer to the fact that they cannot afford college education, in a modern scenario in which education assures better job opportunities; in a darker perspective, it might also mean that they have no connections to secure themselves a job through nepotism or bribery.

Shorter and informal synonym of because. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/'cause

As an adjective, welfare means "of, relating to, or concerned with welfare and especially with improvement of the welfare of disadvantaged social groups" (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/welfare). Dime, instead, is a synonym of coin (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dime). The combination of the the two words refers to the economic assistance provided by the government to families in financial distress.

This first stanza describes a specific image: the songs opens with a symbolical "line" where people in distress are waiting to receive some help from the government.

Here is the chorus of the song: to all the questions posed, the songwriter is not able to answer. In fact, the answer is as elusive as the wind and impossible to grasp. https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/bob-dylan/blowin-in-the-wind

Another interesting element to point out is the relationship that Dylan seems to have with the audience: as previously remarked, this song converts Dylan into a spokesman of the common people, a "primus inter pares" if you wish, who makes use of his art to denounce inequality and social struggles. He does not think of himself as a custodian of a hidden truth no one else has discovered: just as everybody else, he does not have a clue about why discrimination and wars occur.

Your turn: if there are no answers, why asking questions? Do you think there is value in asking questions that cannot be answered?

"The mountain […] is a symbol of those human institutions that keep war and oppression in place. The stony mountain is all that resists change: the shape of government and history, certainly, but also the rocky terrain inside people's hearts. The slow, persistent erosive power of the ocean, on the other hand, symbolizes the action of internal and external change." https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/bob-dylan/blowin-in-the-wind

Here, the reference to the Vietnam war is explicit through the usage of the key word cannonballs.

The dove is a white bird that corresponds to colomba in Italian. It usually symbolizes peace. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/dove <br /> "There's also a reference here to a specific dove: the biblical dove of Noah's Ark, which flew out from the Ark to seek dry land and returned bearing a hopeful olive branch. The symbolism of the dove here suggests that the change the speaker hopes for may not be easy to come by" (https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/bob-dylan/blowin-in-the-wind).

Notice how the structure "before […] how many" is repeated throughout all the song. https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/bob-dylan/blowin-in-the-wind

The repetition of "yes" at the beginning of many verses indicates the usage of a specific rhetorical device — the anaphora. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anaphora

'n': abbreviation for "and" (Cambridge Dictionary) https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/n

This is the opening of the song, which starts and procedes by asking multiple rhetorical questions to the listeners. In this case, Bob Dylan is calling into question the essence of humanity by describing an activity as simple as walking. The "roads" may hint at the long history of difficulties and hardships that Black people have experienced. The call to equality is unmistakable. https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/bob-dylan/blowin-in-the-wind

According to you, what makes us human?

Setting the scene: the song was released in 1963 and included in the album The Freewhelin' Bob Dylan. All of Dylan's "most famous political songs were written [...] between January 1962 and October 1963" and "those [...] fixed him in the popular imagination" as a protest songwriter (Lynskey, 2010, 67). The historical context in which the song was released is essential to understand its meaning: during the 1950s the civil rights movement against racial segregation started to gain momentum, reaching its highest point precisely in 1963. Indeed, in that year: * Desegregation protests spread throughout the Southern states over more than 100 cities. The most famous was the March on Washington: it was organized by the "Big Six" of the civil rights movement (Martin Luther King Jr., James Farmer, J. Lewis, P. Randolph, R. Wilkins, W. Young), attended by more than 250.000 protesters (including Bob Dylan). It was in this occasion that the renowned "I have a dream" speech took place. * On June 12, President Kennedy announced he would present a civil rights bill to Congress, which was eventually passed the following year under the name of the Civil Rights Act. https://www.britannica.com/event/American-civil-rights-movement https://www.britannica.com/event/American-civil-rights-movement

It is important to bear in mind that protests were not only motivated by the insufferable racial segregation, but they were also anti-war oriented: the Vietnam war (1955-1975), which had been raging for ten years by the mid-1960s, was felt as an unnecessary conflict, especially by students and young people, who were the ones recruited in the U.S. army. Indeed, "the average age of an American soldier in Vietnam was 19" (https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z6dk8hv/revision/4 ).