La Note Firebarzzz
« The Bottle » de Gil Scott-Heron est basé sur ses conversations avec des alcooliques devant un magasin d’alcool en Virginie du Nord, près de Washington D.C. « The Bottle » vise à capturer l’histoire derrière le déclin de l’alcoolisme, par opposition aux calomnies habituelles de la société. »
The Bottle (La Bouteille) est une chanson et un single de Gil Scott-Heron et Brian Jackson sorti en 1974. La chanson est une sorte de commentaire social sur l’abus d’alcool.
Sur un rythme caribéen, Jackson joue de la flûte traversière, tandis que Scott-Heron joue du clavier.
La chanson a été publiée en tant que seul et unique single de l’album commun de Scott-Heron et de Jackson Winter in America (1974).
Devenu rapidement populaire à sa sortie, le single atteint la 15e place du Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Le succès commercial de The Bottle aide Jackson et Scott-Heron a négocier leur prochain contrat d’enregistrement avec Arista Records.
Lyrics
See that black boy over there, runnin’ scared
his ol’ man’s in a bottle.
He done quit his 9 to 5 he drink full time
so now he’s livin’ in the bottle.
See that black boy over there, runnin’ scared
his ol’ man got a problem and it’s a bad one
Pawned off damn near everything, his ol’
woman’s weddin’ ring for a bottle.
And don’t you think it’s a crime
when time after time, people in the bottle.
See that sista, sho wuz fine before she
started drinkin’ wine
from the bottle.
Said her ol’ man committed a crime
and he’s doin’ time,
so now she’s in the bottle.
She’s out there on the avenue, all by herself
sho’ needs help from the bottle.
Preacherman tried to help her out,
she cussed him out and hit him in the head with a bottle.
And don’t you think it’s a crime
when time after time, people in the bottle.
See that gent in the wrinkled suit
he done damn near blown his cool
to the bottle
He wuz a doctor helpin’ young girls along
if they wuzn’t too far gone to have problems.
But defenders of the dollar eagle
Said « What you doin’, Doc, it ain’t legal, »
and now he’s in the bottle.
Now we watch him everyday tryin’ to
chase the pigeons away
from the bottle.
And don’t you think it’s a crime
when time after time, people in the bottle.
