I'd encourage you to listen to the song and read through the lyrics before diving into the post.
Money stay low
Rock second hand clothes
And I’m dippin’ in a whip bout 20 years
Wear the same shoes ‘till them boys got holes
5 years deep tryin’ slang these poems
Still aint got the cheese just to make these hits
Had to run Kickstarter for “A Time Like This”
Momma said
Boy why you beggin for bread
Need to quit
Need to quit it and get you a real gig
Very next week went to spit some poetry
At open mic at Fox Coffee in Long Beach
A sister said
brotha, ya poetry changed me
A brotha said
brotha you speaking my story
Molested by a priest when I was a lil boy
Freakshow gonna help me to grow and move forward
Sold a couple discs made a few pesos
But I’m feelin like I’m swimmin’ in Oprah Queso
Everybody get it when I drop a new jawn
Free download at my name dot com
I don’t want ya money
I just wanna give life
‘Cause I got da joy dat money cannot buy
I Got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I Got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money
Joy dat da money can’t buy
I’m the brokest one of all of my squad
But I’m happy as can be and they be hatin’ they jobs
Got a salary and benefits a car and a dog
Feelin hollow but they followed all the wisdom they got
Gotta go into debt if you ever wanna be rich
Don’t think about it just listen I’m tellin you what it is
Went to college had to borrows from the capitalists
Now instead of dreaming big they worried bout pay checks
To pay off they school debt then pick up a mortgage
Making them six figs but feel like some poor kids
Cause they livin’ on the edge of they means
But life is more than comfort and havin’ some nice things
Lord I’m a good man
But my soul lean
Life so bland
What does all this mean?
Follow God give your wealth to the poor
Bet you walk away sad, you don’t want this joy
I Got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money
Joy dat da money can’t buy
Been broke
But we neva lose hope
Singin bout joy since whips and lynch ropes
Eyes on the prize since days of Jim Crow
Remixed our pain to Blues and Gospel
Faith in the Christ who favors poor folks
Ears to the cries that rise from ghettos
Not many wise or wealthy get chose
God gives the light to despised and low
Poor find pride and the proud humbled
Weak made strong and the shy made bold
Joy so full everybody wanna know
Where it come from so we gotta let ‘em know
We got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
We got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
We got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
We got joy
Got joy
Got joy from Da Lord
Joy from Da Lord on high
13 - I Got Joy
Money stay low
Rock second hand clothes
And I’m dippin’ in a whip bout 20 years
Wear the same shoes ‘till them boys got holes
5 years deep tryin’ slang these poems
I’ve been a full time artist for five years. At times, I’ve lived up to the starving artist stereotype. From the clothes I wear, to the car I drive, I’m very intentional about my lifestyle choices. I do not live frugally because I lack the ability to make money. I know I am skilled enough to find some type of employment which pays significantly more than my current income, however, I am willing to sacrifice certain comforts in order to continue slangin’ these poems. For me, the fulfillment I receive from doing something I love and believe in is worth the inconveniences that come with living on a humble income.
Still aint got the cheese just to make these hits
Had to run Kickstarter for “A Time Like This”
Momma said
Boy why you beggin for bread
Need to quit
Need to quit it and get you a real gig
Although my Mother loves me, and even enjoys many of my songs and poems, she has never quite understood the idea of my art being my job. On my 2014 album “Alive and Ill”, the song “Nine to Five” begins with an interview with my Mom. She expresses her concerns about my lifestyle, ending the interview by saying, “I still think [Micah] needs a real job… Seriously!” Years later in 2017, my art has allowed me to tour the world. I’ve released more music and had bigger opportunities than I did in 2014, but I still don’t make a lot of money compared to most americans with a bachelor’s degree. When I began working on the album “A Time Like This”, I quickly ran out of money and decided to run a crowdfunding campaign to help me complete it. One day while hanging out with Momma, I explained to her what crowdfunding was, and how I was about to launch a kickstarter campaign for twenty thousand dollars. Her response was, and I quote, “See, you out here beggin’ for money!” She then proceeded to explain that people with real jobs don’t have to beg other people for money. At this point, I’ve come to accept that my Momma and I just see the world differently. Still though, her comments were discouraging, and we got into an argument. When I went home that night, I was doubting myself and my choices. Twenty thousand dollars was quite an ambitious amount, especially considering Kickstarter’s all or nothing policy. Even apart from the campaign, things were incredibly tight financially at that moment. I wondered if my Mom might be right. Maybe it was time to hang it up. I was thankful for all the things I’ve experienced through my art, but I hate asking other people for money. Was it time for me to get a “real job”?
Very next week went to spit some poetry
At open mic at Fox Coffee in Long Beach
A sister said
brotha, ya poetry changed me
A brotha said
brotha you speaking my story
Molested by a priest when I was a lil boy
Freakshow gonna help me to grow and move forward
Sold a couple discs made a few pesos
But I’m feelin like I’m swimmin’ in Oprah Queso
Everybody get it when I drop a new jawn
Free download at my name dot com
I don’t want ya money
I just wanna give life
‘Cause I got da joy dat money cannot buy
The week following the discouraging argument with my Mother, I had back to back performances at one of my favorite venues, Fox Coffee House in Long Beach, California. After one performance, a woman told me that my poetry changed her. She said, “I was sitting in the back corner of the room, and I could feel myself changing as I listened to your words.” During another poetry event, also held at Fox, I performed my poem “Freakshow”, in which I speak of forgiveness and healing between victims and their abusers. More specifically, I mention reconciliation between young boys and repentant catholic priests who molested or raped them. After the poem was finished, an older gentleman approached me in tears. He said, “You’re telling my story. That’s me, I was an altar boy.” He then thanked me and said, “I’ve never heard anyone talk about it the way you did. Everyone needs to hear this.” My own eyes welled up with tears of joy. In those moments, I felt like a billion bucks, I felt like the wealthiest person on the globe. I was no longer discouraged. When I have experiences like that, I’m reminded of why I do what I do. Of why I live how I live. Of why changing careers simply to live more comfortably is not an option for me. No amount of money can replace the joy I get from knowing my work is changing people, is helping people see things from a new perspective, is pushing people closer to truth and love of God.
I Got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I Got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money
Joy dat da money can’t buy
I’m the brokest one of all of my squad
But I’m happy as can be and they be hatin’ they jobs
I often get in discussions with my peers about work. After dozens of these conversations, I’ve realized two things. First, I make significantly less money than most of my friends. Second, I absolutely love what I do while the vast majority of my friends despise their jobs. Nearly all of them wish they were doing something else, even though, by most people’s standards, they have what would be considered, good jobs. And by good, I mean a job that pays well, offers benefits such as health and dental insurance, and some sort of retirement package. Being an independent artist offers none of these things, “but I’m happy as can be and they be hatin’ they jobs.” This lyric alluded to the song “Happy As Can Be” from my 2016 album “No Ugly Babies.”
Got a salary and benefits a car and a dog
Feelin hollow but they followed all the wisdom they got
Gotta go into debt if you ever wanna be rich
Don’t think about it just listen I’m tellin you what it is
Went to college had to borrows from the capitalists
Now instead of dreaming big they worried bout pay checks
To pay off they school debt then pick up a mortgage
Making them six figs but feel like some poor kids
Cause they livin’ on the edge of they means
But life is more than comfort and havin’ some nice things
In many ways, my peers have achieved the American dream. So why are they so unhappy? Because a life driven by the desire for comfort and wealth is empty. In the American version of capitalism, at the end of the day, the aim of most companies, regardless of the industry, is to make money. The purpose of most employment positions is to help the company make money. To spend eight plus hours a day simply working to make money is unfulfilling to most people, yet this lifestyle is encouraged by the culture. Hating your job is seen as normative and expected. It’s part of being an adult. Children play and have fun, university students are creative and naively passionate about making art and saving the world, while adults have responsibilities like mortgages, car payments and student loans. Most adults search for the highest paying job possible, and show up to work every day, never expecting to have fun, be creative, or passionate about what they do. The sad part is, many people arrive at this place not by making poor decisions, but by making what the culture considers good and wise decisions. In high school, the gospel of college is preached as our only hope in life. Kids are taught that if you don’t immediately go to a four year university, you are destined to be homeless or work a minimum wage job forever. There is even a stigma about the more affordable route of community college. Where I grew up, community college was was belittled as 13th grade. As American teenagers, we were brainwashed into believing we are destined for failure unless we conform to the university system at the expense of our own financial freedom. We were encouraged to take out loans. College debt is seen as normal, but only because we accept it. There is nothing normal, right or just about 21 year old students being thrown into the professional world with $37,000 of debt (the average debt for American students). That number can get even higher for those who seek postgraduate education. When you begin with such a deficit, of course your primary concern will be to make as much money as possible in order to dig yourself out of the whole. From the beginning of your adult life, you can’t afford to think about what you love, what you’re good at, or what is important to you. Rather, out of necessity, your career choice is heavily influenced by how much money you can make. And that is how we get sucked into the machine. I believe true fulfillment can only be found when we’re able to recognize and unlearn the lies we’ve believed concerning money and career.
One of the most destructive lies we believe, is that you should have all the things you can have. In other words, we believe it is good to live on the edge of our means. If people can afford a nicer car, they will get the nicer car. If they can make higher mortgage payments, they will move into the nicest possible home their paycheck will allow. When we live like this, there is no peace. Whether you make forty thousand dollars a year, or millions of dollars a year, you will be stressed out about money if you always upgrade your lifestyle as your income increases. When you’re spending as much as you possibly can, you might have a six figure salary and feel just as stressed about finances as when you made far less. Many Americans are “making them six figs but feel like some poor kids, ‘cause they livin’ on the edge of their means.” Learning to be content with having enough will bring peace to your soul and dollars to your savings account.
For those still young enough, debt is not your only option. Don’t believe people who say “You gotta go into debt if you ever wanna be rich. Don’t think about it, just listen, I’m tellin’ you what it is.” That is a lie. There are trade schools far more affordable than universities, and career options that do not require a four year degree. These positions are indispensable in society and should be held with pride. Also, community college is a respectable choice and can save you a lot of money if you desire a four year degree. You can also work as you learn. There is nothing wrong with being a part-time student. It might take you six or seven years to complete your bachelors, but graduating with little or no debt will offer you a peace well worth it. Go at your own pace and do not let society shame you into debt that it will not help you pay off.
For the artist, pursuing a career in the arts is just as valid a career path as anything else. Art is no less essential to society as government or business. There is no culture, no society without artists. But also, do not believe the lie that your art is not valid unless it becomes your primary or sole source of income. If you are an artist, you must create, whether your art pays your bills or not. Do not feel shame if you have to work another job to be able to make your art. The real shame would be abandoning your art completely to work a job you have no passion for. Do not neglect the creativity you’ve been blessed with. The artist life can be a struggle for sure, but do not be lured by the American dream. For most of my friends, the American dream has proven to be a nightmare. As they realized, “life is more than comfort and having some nice things.”
Lord I’m a good man
But my soul lean
Life so bland
What does all this mean?
Follow God give your wealth to the poor
Bet you walk away sad, you don’t want this joy
These lyrics are a reference to a story in the Bible about a wealthy young man. In his own eyes, he was a good person that lived a good life, yet for some reason, he had a sense that something was missing. In Matthew 19:20-22, the rich man said to Jesus, “All [the commandments] I have kept. What do I still lack”? This is a question many people in our culture ask themselves. If I’m a good person with good morals, and make good money, why do I feel empty, what do I still lack? Maybe Jesus says to you the same thing he said to this young man. “Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me.’ When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions”. Like this young man, so many people are dissatisfied with their lives, yet they are too attached to their comforts to take a risk. They are unwilling to follow Jesus into the generous, mysterious life of walking by faith and trusting God. Instead they cling to the safety of their large paycheck. By choosing money over the life of faith, you are choosing against joy. “You don’t want this joy”.
I Got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money
Joy dat da money can’t buy
Been broke
But we neva lose hope
Singin bout joy since whips and lynch ropes
Eyes on the prize since days of Jim Crow
Remixed our pain to Blues and Gospel
Black Americans are known for our joy. Our joy is powerful as we remained joyful while enduring some of history's greatest injustices. We were joyful through slavery, joyful through terrorism and lynchings, joyful through legalized discrimination, Jim Crow laws and segregation, and we are joyful today in the midsts of institutional racism, growing up in under resourced ghettos, enduring police brutality and wrongful imprisonment. One of the ways we have always retained our joy is through song. Black folks have invented new genres of music with each wave of oppression. During slavery, black people sang as they slaved away. Though there were plenty laments, there were also songs of hope and faith that became known as Negro Spirituals, and later, Gospel music. After slavery, dealing with extreme poverty and overt, legalized racism, the black community sang about their pain in what was eventually named blues music. Black instrumentalists would also play unpredictable, improvised expressions of their experiences. We called it jazz music. Most recently, black Americans have suffered through the difficult conditions of government-neglected inner city neighborhoods and project housing. This gave birth to hip hop music. Though each of these genres was birthed out of struggle, they bring about incredible joy! When you hear great blues artists sing about being flat-broke and heartbroken, you can’t help but grin as their raw, emotional vocals beat your eardrum with such beauty. When MCs rap about the dangerous neighborhood they were raised in, and the poverty they’re still trying to overcome, you bob your head and throw your hands in the air. Black folks have “remixed our pain to Blues and Gospel…” and jazz and hip hop as well. Who knows what genre we’ll invent next! The lyric, “eyes on the prize since days of Jim Crow” refers both to black people’s determination to overcome, as well as the song “Eyes On The Prize,” originally a folk song titled “Hand On The Plow”. The lyrics were altered and the song adapted into a gospel tune that was wildly popular during the American Civil Rights Movement. Mavis Staples’ version of “Eyes On The Prize” captures the spirit of the song and the moment in history best. Look it up and take a listen.
Faith in the Christ who favors poor folks
Ears to the cries that rise from ghettos
Not many wise or wealthy get chose
God gives the light to despised and low
Poor find pride and the proud humbled
Weak made strong and the shy made bold
Joy so full everybody wanna know
Where it come from so we gotta let ‘em know
As a member of an oppressed people group, I take much comfort in knowing that God operates in ways that contradict the kingdoms of this world. In this world, if you are poor, if you are not a member of the dominant culture, if you do not hold a position of power or possess wealth, you are unimportant. Thankfully, God don’t work like that. The final lyrics of the third verse were inspired by 1st Corinthians 1:26-29. “For consider your calling, brothers; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are.” Though God loves all people, there is no doubt that divine preference is given to oppressed people. To follow God means, like God, to be in favor of, and fight on behalf of those who are “low and despised in the world.” When you begin to live like this, the joy you experience is unexplainable. It is the joy of being in the presence of God. You begin to see God in the faces of the poor.
We got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
We got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
We got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
We got joy
Got joy
Got joy from Da Lord
Joy from Da Lord on high
In the final chorus I switch from “I got joy” to “we got joy”. In context, the we is referring to the community of black American believers who have remained faithful and joyful through centuries of hardship. However the we is an invitation to anyone who will stand with us, understanding our fulfillment does not come from achieving the empty american dream, but by following God with all our heart, no matter the cost.
Grace and Peace,
Micah
