I'd encourage you to listen to the song and read through the lyrics before diving into the post.
Educatin’ my mind
Keep my tongue on a leash
Disciplinin’ my passion to listen before I speak
It’s been hot for a minute and I been feelin’ the heat
Trying to speak with love but patience is growin’ weak
Evil is growin’ strong
And every word is a bomb
And even when I be careful the haters be sayin’
WRONG
OK, I guess we fightin’
I was tryin’ to be civil but you comin’ at me crooked
I’m about to keep it rizzle
Won’t make it any better but it’s gonna feel great
when I flex my intellect and put your stupid on display
Oh Laaawd I need to pray
Venom in my poetry
Death and life is in the tongue
Oratin’ a killin’ spree
I’m heavy with the speech
Always been my greatest skill
I’m heavy with the speech
Always my Achilles heel
I’m ready for the beef
I’ll roast all ya bull
But the wise stay quiet in the presence of a fool
Let ‘em talk
The foolish run they mouth all night all noon all day
Let ‘em talk
Be wise and tune them out, just close your eyes and pray
Let ‘em talk
Be slow to speak and when you do, don’t be afraid
Let ‘em talk
The simple truth will cut through hate like razor blade
Like razor blade
I don’t believe my actions
speak louder than my words
With hand-crafted diction entire sentence is a verb
In other words, our words are actions too
Will you speak the truth or react and spew
Gotta choose when to stay quiet and swallow your pride
When to yell like a fool that the roof is on fire
Best believe there’s a time when you gotta do both
Don’t argue with disbelievers who deny the smoke
Betta ring the alarm for the ones who don’t know
I’ma scream out the truth till I got a sore throat
Hold my tongue when we win
Jesus don’t let me gloat
‘Cause my God get no pleasure in the death of a fool
Let ‘em talk
The foolish run they mouth all night all noon all day
Let ‘em talk
Be wise and tune them out just close your eyes and pray
Let ‘em talk
Be slow to speak and when you do don’t be afraid
Let ‘em talk
The simple truth will cut through hate like razor blade
Like razor blade
7 - Razor Blade (FT Aisea Taimani)
Educatin’ my mind
Keep my tongue on a leash
Disciplinin’ my passion to listen before I speak
It’s been hot for a minute and I been feelin’ the heat
Trying to speak with love but patience is growin’ weak
Evil is growin’ strong
And every word is a bomb
And even when I be careful the haters be sayin’
WRONG
In this tumultuous moment in american history, it has become more and more difficult to have constructive dialogue about anything of importance. So many debated topics are connected to larger issues of justice which I consider personal. It is easy to be swept up in emotion and use words to wound people instead of educate or challenge them. Even though I try to avoid disrespectful debate at all costs, sometimes my passion boils over and I find myself indulging in pettiness. I am constantly “disciplinin’ my passion to listen before I speak”, as the bible instructs “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19). It is doubly upsetting when I do listen, take time to respond in a reasoned and humble manner, yet am still attacked and slandered.
OK, I guess we fightin’
I was tryin’ to be civil but you comin’ at me crooked
I’m about to keep it rizzle
Won’t make it any better but it’s gonna feel great
when I flex my intellect and put your stupid on display
I am not proud to admit that I occasionally give in to the temptation to stoop. In these moments, I am no longer seeking to do good, but rather satisfy my desire to embarrass my opposers. I know it “won’t make it any better, but it’s gonna feel great.”
Oh Laaawd I need to pray
Venom in my poetry
Death and life is in the tongue
Oratin’ a killin’ spree
Proverbs 18:21 says “death and life are in the power of the tongue..” I am responsible for the life and death I speak into this world.
I’m heavy with the speech
Always been my greatest skill
I’m heavy with the speech
Always my Achilles heel
I’m ready for the beef
I’ll roast all ya bull
But the wise stay quiet in the presence of a fool
As a writer, poet, and public speaker, I am aware of the power of words. I am also aware that I am particularly gifted with words. This however can manifest itself in unhealthy ways. I believe a person’s greatest strength and greatest weakness are two sides of the same coin. My ability with words is both my “greatest skill”, as well as my “Achilles heel”. Regardless to how reckless others might be with their words, I must remember that I answer to God for everything I let out of my mouth. Jesus said “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak” (Matthew 12:36).
Let ‘em talk
The foolish run they mouth all night all noon all day
Let ‘em talk
Be wise and tune them out, just close your eyes and pray
Let ‘em talk
Be slow to speak and when you do, don’t be afraid
Let ‘em talk
The simple truth will cut through hate like razor blade
Like razor blade
“The foolish run they mouth all night, all noon all day.” Ecclesiastes 10:14 says “A fool multiplies words.” Foolish people often talk way too much. Wise people are more selective and thoughtful when they speak. Foolish words create a big mess, but wise words have the power to pierce through the foolishness. Hebrews 4:12-13 reminds us how powerful the truth of God is, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” When we speak the truth and love and justice of God with confidence and humility, “the simple truth will cut through hate like razor blade.”
I don’t believe my actions
speak louder than my words
With hand-crafted diction entire sentence is a verb
In other words, our words are actions too
Will you speak the truth or react and spew
Though I understand the spirit behind the saying “actions speak louder than words,” I believe it creates a false dichotomy between actions and words. Words are actions. Words, like other actions, are not mere abstract ideas, empty promises or threats. With words we can affect real change for better or for worse. Our words can heal, encourage and challenge us to grow, or our words can wound, belittle and discourage people. To dismiss words as “just words” without real consequences, is foolish and irresponsible. We must understand the power our words possess. In a divisive time like this, will we be committed to speaking necessary truth, or will we get caught up in the frenzy of foolish words and allow our speech to become destructive, reactionary venom intending to destroy our opponents?
Gotta choose when to stay quiet and swallow your pride
When to yell like a fool that the roof is on fire
Best believe there’s a time when you gotta do both
As a person committed to constructive truth-telling, it is not always necessary to respond to foolish words. At times, we have to swallow our pride and let foolish people put their foot in their own mouth. Depending on the situation though, sometimes we must speak out and challenge a foolish person who is spreading dangerous ideas. It takes maturity and discernment to know when to do what. Proverbs 26:4-5 speaks to this very predicament, “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.” On the surface these back to back statements seem contradictory, but they are not. They are simply saying, know when to roll your eyes, let ‘em talk and keep silent, and know when stand up and say something.
Don’t argue with disbelievers who deny the smoke
Betta ring the alarm for the ones who don’t know
I’ma scream out the truth till I got a sore throat
It is not our job to convince ignorant people of truth, but rather to confront them with it. It is a waste of time to argue with people who knowingly choose a narrative that suits them best. Trump’s assistant Kellyanne Conway coined the phrase “alternative facts.” But there is no such thing as an alternative fact. What she was describing was willful ignorance.The prophet Ezekiel spoke of the prophetic responsibility of confronting, without being burdened with the impossible task of convincing those who knowingly choose to ignore truth.
Ezekiel 33:1-6 says: The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.
Hold my tongue when we win
Jesus don’t let me gloat
‘Cause my God get no pleasure in the death of a fool
When we are boldly opposing foolish people, we must constantly check our heart. Our aim should not be simply to prove them wrong, or to make them look stupid. Our aim should be to faithfully present the truth while hoping they take it to heart and change for the better. When foolish people don’t change, and end up suffering because of it, we should not get excited. Ezekiel 33:11 shows us what our posture ought to be, “As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live, turn back, turn back from your evil ways…”
(Aisea Taimani)
Let ‘em talk
The foolish run they mouth all night all noon all day
Let ‘em talk
Be wise and tune them out just close your eyes and pray
Let ‘em talk
Be slow to speak and when you do don’t be afraid
Let ‘em talk
The simple truth will cut through hate like razor blade
Like razor blade
“Razor Blade” ends with an obnoxiously long montage of Donald Trump claiming to be the best at just about everything in the world. In between I keep repeating “let ‘em talk”. In context of the song, the Trump claims are revealing. They reinforce the fact that sometimes there is no need to call out a foolish person. Sometimes their own words prove their foolishness better than any well articulated critique of them.
Grace and Peace,
Micah
