Life Told Through Rap - Telefone
A poem portraying the plight of the powerless
Author’s note: This is a work of fiction. The only thing real about this story is the music.
“The phone is an instrument of intrusion into order…Just when you think you are alone and safe, the call could come that changes your life.” – Janice Galloway, The Trick is to Keep Breathing
Ring, ring, go away / I don’t want to hear any bad news today
Ring, ring, go away / I want to go outside and play
I want to see my friends alive / I want to see less “babies in suits”
I want to be free, what else do I have to do?
Further Reading
[1] Gwendolyn Brooks, We Real Cool
[2] Mohith Subbarao, “Yesterday”: Noname’s Telefone Is The Search For Our Soul, Self-Published (Blog)
[3] Carvell Wallace, The Darkness and Beauty of Noname’s Telefone, MTV News
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I definitely feel the sense of anxiety around the phone in this poem. And how that one call can shift one’s peace. I also get the sense of not being able to enjoy/sit with the peace of the current moment—I can so relate to this. Thanks for sharing.
this noname album is one of my favourites ever!!!