Gunning down England

You can't silence history [contains bad language]

 BEFORE YOU READ THIS, PLEASE WATCH:

 

 

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qBpChVZ4zeA

 

THANKS

 

 

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Gunning Down England

 

 

 

So you wanted your early years to go off with a BANG, did you?

 

 

                         Sitting in a squalid jail, bleeding because of our lady's coppers in blue

Truncheons at their waists, metal plates on their shoes

Cuz I tell ya wot, mate,

Them beating you to a bloody pulp won’t make the BBC news!

 

Shut up, man, shut it! You don't know me!

You don't know wot that gun made me be!

You can't get inside me brain and understand

Wot it was to have that gun in me 'and!

  

Yeah, so you did that bloke in with your little magnum 

                  And for a poor, lost English kid, that protection and power was fun

You even thought that maybe you’d fought the system and won!

 Ha!

This country is small, there ain’t no  place to run

And now you have to say goodbye to your dad and your mum

well done, mate, well done.  

 

Yeah, I shot that guy dead

Popped that bullet in 'is 'ead!'

I'd do it again as well

I don't even care if I'm in this cell!

 

So you don’t give a crap, eh? Don’t give a monkeys? Not now, at least!

But now you’ve killed someone, you’ll soon clock what you unleashed

The ghosts and the demons are coming for you, lad, ghosts of the deceased,

And no weapon will take em down, not a gun in London East!

No one will help you, even after you've been released

Because you’re not human anymore, mate, look in that mirror there,

               You’re just like those demons- you're a  monster, a beast. 

  

Whatever! Okay, so it wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever ‘ad

But as you say, I’m a poor, working class English lad!

No, I ain’t got an education, or any qualifications,

 The system’s fucked me over too many times to mention,

But s**t!

This country is sinking, and I ain’t going down with this ship!

 

Ok, so you’re a hardman, real tough, can leave the Krays themselves shaking in their boots

It may have everything to do with society's roots

Still,  you did'nt need to do that just to get some loot

But let’s live that moment again, shall we? In slow motion, ha ha, it’s a hoot!

Look at you raising your gun to shoot! 

Stop it! What are you doin', ya wanker? STOP!

Ain’t it enough that I’m in 'ere to rot?

 

Look at you, with that gun in your hand! You looked so dangerously cute! 

All tired out from your victim's pursuit!

Look it here it comes now, look! This is your  moment of  ill-repute!

 

I don’t wanna look!

Stop it! Piss off, and shut yer gob!

Ya fecking c*nt, get out of my head!

 

Wow, look there! Did you see the bullet burst through his suit?

 

Yes, now f**k off and leave me alone!

Can’t you see I’m f*****g crying here?

Oh, God!

I think I’m going to die in here! 

 

One moment, let’s turn this off mute...

 ...And boost that to full volume...

 

BANG

 

No...

 

And again, shall we?

This is your moment, mate!

 

BANG

 

...Shut up...

 

BANG

 

SHUT UP!

 

BANG

 

Not so clever are you now, little lad?

Wipe those tears and snot on the back of your hand!

You look like a mess, like a stupid little kid

Well, act like a child you certainly did!

 

...I can still hear that sound... turn it off...

 

That certainly wiped the smile off your face!

But get this-

Sorry mate, forget Drum and Bass,

This is your soundtrack to your life, that and this:

BANG BANG BANG

 

Murder means you'll suffer too, don’t you see?

And don’t you know what that sound means?

It means to me that you can’t silence history

And now you’re going to have to live with that sound for the rest of your entire life.

 

BANG

BANG

BANG!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[JohnL]

Powerful, Emily. The use of dialogue and the emphasis lent by colour make this a strong inditement of gun crime. The choice of red (spilled blood) and black (Sin) say so much. It speaks of the tiny but irrevocable moment of time - just one bang's worth, indeed and two lives lost forever. The victim dead and the offender, incarcerated might as well be. As realisation dawns, it is too late. the die is cast and now he is no more than a drain on the exchequer, and on the tax-payer. This piece has the power to make one think deeply. As the shooter was forced to address his problem (sadly, too late) we must address ours (not too late) nd the difference between us could be as little as the length of a bang! Fine piece, a nettle grasped.
John

[An owl on the moon]

Powerful! Brilliant and chaotic, with word images that capture the brutal nature of the this world we find ourselves in... Your works so clearly paint pictures of the human soul in all its stark patterns...

Craig

[C.T. Bailey]

A brilliant interogation. You pulled out all of the emotional stops here. I'm with the rest here...accent is an asset...and you only added additional impact by incorporating rhyme against the accent. Ok...for me...this is as real as it gets. Chastising but written, almost, from a peer point of view. Written almost like the writer was of kin to the criminal...I could almost see a mother as the writer pointing her finger at a son...


"So you wanted your early years to go off with a BANG, did you?
Sitting in a squalid jail, bleeding because of our lady's coppers in blue
Truncheons at their waists, metal plates on their shoes
Cuz I tell ya wot, mate,
Them beating you to a bloody pulp won't make the BBC news!"

Powerful Emily....thought provoking.
Todd

[Nik Dendera]

Excellent piece. My husband works in Islington and in 4 months, 4 people have been stabbed. The knives are now rivalling the gun.

Brilliantly written, very thought provoking. Loved the accent, by the way. And the 'drum and bass' bit! Get this published. Seriously. Its got so much potential out there in the big bad world.

Fantastic. :)

[Reuel]

I liked the accent. It gave it a voice inside my head. It was like I could hear two men talking in a prison cell. I really don't know what to say about this except stunning. I hate to give such a woefully short review, but.. it's perfect! It sticks in my head, and I could hear the gunshots ring. I really do like this, it's very emotional. Makes me think more than twice about telling someone "try me, I'll kill you." when I get mad.

[Constance]

It didn't come out strange to this American. It came out succinct, easily understood, powerful, meaningful, and very nicely done. I always love writing with purpose and vision, like this. Excellent work.