Pieces Of A Man - Gil Scott-Heron

Jagged jigsaw pieces

Tossed about the room

I saw my grandma sweeping

With her old straw broom

But she didn’t know what she was doing

She could hardly understand

That she was really sweeping up

Pieces of a man

I saw my daddy meet the mailman

And I heard the mailman say

«Now don’t you take this letter to heart now, Jimmy

Cause they’ve laid off nine others today»

But he didn’t know what he was saying

He could hardly understand

That he was only talking to

Pieces of a man

I saw the thunder and heard the lightning

And felt the burden of his shame

And for some unknown reason

He never turned my way

Pieces of that letter

Were tossed about that room

And now I hear the sound of sirens

Come knifing through the gloom

But they don’t know what they are doing

They could hardly understand

That they’re only arresting

Pieces of a man

I saw him go to pieces

I saw him go to pieces

He was always such a good man

He was always such a strong, strong man

Yeah, I saw him go to pieces

I saw him go to pieces