What Are Words Worth?

The Tom Tom Club is an awesome band that recorded its first album in 1981. It was led by two members of the Talking Heads, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth. While David Byrne and Jerry Harrison worked on separate solo projects, Frantz and Weymouth started the Tom Tom Club which included family members, friends, and took musical inspiration from dance, funk and polyrhythmic world music. The first single they cut was called Wordy Rappinghood. It was followed by the single Genius of Love (which is amazing!) and an entire album released by Island Records in Europe and Sire here in the states. The lyrics of Wordy Rappinghood struck my wife and me one night while driving in Maryland. Check them out below(!):


What are words worth?
What are words worth? - words

Words in papers, words in books
Words on tv, words for crooks
Words of comfort, words of peace
Words to make the fighting cease
Words to tell you what to do
Words are working hard for you
Eat your words but dont go hungry
Words have always nearly hung me

What are words worth?
What are words worth? - words

Words of nuance, words of skill
And words of romance are a thrill
Words are stupid, words are fun
Words can put you on the run

Mots pressx, mots sensx,
Mots qui disent la vit?
mots maudits, mots mentis,
Mots qui manquent le fruit desprit

What are words worth?
What are words worth? - words

Its a rap race, with a fast pace
Concrete words, abstract words
Crazy words and lying words
Hazy words and dying words
Words of faith and tell me straight
Rare words and swear words
Good words and bad words

What are words worth?
What are words worth? - words

Words can make you pay and pay
Four-letter words I cannot say
Panty, toilet, dirty devil
Words are trouble, words are subtle
Words of anger, words of hate
Words over here, words out there
In the air and everywhere

Words of wisdom, words of strife
Words that write the book I like
Words wont find no right solution
To the planet earths pollution
Say the right word, make a million
Words are like a certain person
Who cant say what they mean
Dont mean what they say

With a rap rap here and a rap rap there
Here a rap, there a rap
Everywhere a rap rap
Rap it up for the common good
Let us enlist the neighbourhood
Its okay, Ive overstood
This is a wordy rappinghood, okay, bye.

What are words worth?
What are words worth? - words
What are words worth?
What are words worth? - words

Hell stop ... dont stop ... stop.