Just the Songs: Josh Gibson and Bill Russell

Revisit our two sports-themed songs from this season with some close-listening tips from Lee Overtree of the Story Pirates! Follow along with the lyric sheets for these songs at storypirates.com/historicalrecords

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey listeners, Nimini here, host of Historical Records get ready
to hear about a historical hero through hip hop. Also,
parents and teachers. You can download a free activity related
to today's episode by visiting story pirates dot com, slash
Historical Records and now onto the show. After a few

(00:22):
words for the grownups.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Hey listeners, Lee from the story Pirates and executive producer
of Historical Records here. One of my favorite things about
hip hop is to re listen to songs so that
I can analyze and hear all of the lyrics. The
words can sometimes come pretty fast and furious, so re
listening and close listening is essential to truly appreciating these

(00:50):
incredible artists and the songs that we're so proud of. Today,
we have for you two songs from this season about
trailblazing sports stars Josh Gibson and Bill Russell.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
Historical Records.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
You are now listening to Historical.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
To make history, you got to have struggle to make history.
You got to show poise. Cannot be quiet loud as
a riot to make history, you gotta make some noise.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
First, let's check out the greatest power hitter baseball ever saw,
Josh Gibson. There's a couple of things that I love
about this song. First of all, have you ever seen
in baseball games how individual hitters have walk up songs.

Speaker 4 (01:42):
It's like a.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
Moment of glory for each player and shows his or
her style too. So I'm pretty sure that Josh Gibson
never had a walk up song of his own, or
at least not in the way players do today. But
I like to imagine that this song is Josh Gibson's
walk up song. I imagine him emerging from the dugout

(02:07):
bat on his shoulder and slowly majestically making his way
to the batter's box to face the opposing team's pitcher
and then crack another one gone. So while you're listening
to this today, I want you to try and visualize
Josh Gibson playing baseball. We may not be able to

(02:27):
exactly see Josh Gibson play baseball anymore, but we can
keep his legacy alive by bringing him to life in
our imaginations. And if you want to follow along with
the lyrics, which I definitely recommend, you can find them
at story pirates dot com slash Historical Records. After this
first track, I'll be back to point out a couple

(02:49):
things I love about our song, Bill Russell. Here's Josh Gibson.
Enjoy Okay, here's a mention of Josh Gibson.

Speaker 4 (03:03):
And that one's rooking it off the maps a long?

Speaker 5 (03:05):
Why all the daint one field? No one's going going.

Speaker 4 (03:09):
Gun smash slam, Another one gone bash bam, Another one
gone the crack of the bat, and another one gone
a tip but the cap because another one gone. Wait,
two twenties stand and six foot one got a date
at the plate for a big home run. Bob pops
off the state elect The shot of a gun is
the man is the lecture.

Speaker 2 (03:26):
It is Josh Gibson.

Speaker 4 (03:28):
He's so dynamic, his hits titanic, his swings like magic.
See him coming from the dugout of the team might panic.
The crowd is ecstatic. The end is so tragic. First
we go back to where it all began. Born to
Georgia in the twenties, the great my Gray Shan took
his family north into Pittsburgh, penn where Josh trained to
be an electrician. And that's where he might have stayed
fixing electronics all his days. But he got a job

(03:50):
at a place where the squad and Josh the field.
The people were odd, want to sharecroppers, But now he
snare pop ups. He operated elevators. Now he studied hitting
hats that could be no imitators, because I mean it's
an innovation and nobody great that he's the baseball terminator.
Slash slam, another one gone, bashpam, another one gone. The
crack gun a bat and another one gone.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
A tip bud.

Speaker 4 (04:09):
The captain is another one gone, another one gone, another
one gone, another one gone.

Speaker 5 (04:17):
Here another one gone.

Speaker 4 (04:19):
In seventeen years he had eight hundred home runs, three
sixty average lifetime. That ain't o hum cannon on thick
you off the base path fall fun in the Negro League,
but the same league with no one black Babe Ruth
was off the description, but many claimed the babe with
the white Josh Gibson. So if you have some wisdom,
you see he's in position to make the majors.

Speaker 2 (04:36):
But it's big man skin his race.

Speaker 4 (04:38):
Biggots believe it dictates their sale of tickets. They want
him to stay in his place. Gibson handles the mistakes
with grace, always maintaining a smile upon his face. Keep
setting records, keeps getting hits, falls into love, has a
few kids place around the world, from seed to sea.
Still they never let the man in the MLB. Smash slam,
another one gone, bash bam, another one gone, the crack

(04:59):
gut of bat, another one gone, a tip buddy cat
because another one gone, another one gone, another one gone,
Who another one gone, Yeah, another one gone. When Josh
Gibson was thirty two, he started getting head X, got
some X raised, then some bad news. The next daycapt

(05:20):
playing for his hometown team, the Homestead Grace. But four
years later Josh gibbs and sadly passed away.

Speaker 2 (05:31):
There wasn't just because of.

Speaker 4 (05:32):
This he'd be forgotten. But his game still ilics. It's
hard and the moni Gras will say his name top
twenty player from back then to this year. Even though
another one's gone, He's still here, Yeah, still here, He's
still here, Still here, even though another one's gone. Here
smash slam, another one gone, bashpam, another one gone, the

(05:53):
crack gout him and another one gone, a tip buddy
cat because another one's gone. Here another one gone, Hey,
another one gone, another one gone.

Speaker 1 (06:04):
Even though one's gone, it's still be we'll be right
back after a few words for the grownups.

Speaker 2 (06:18):
Hey, Lee, here again, let's listen to our song about
Bill Russell, another sports hero but also someone who played
a really important role in the Civil rights movement. I
love this song because it's so laid back, like super Chill,
even though the lyrics are kind of serious. It's a

(06:38):
fun juxtaposition. So as you're listening, try to figure out
what part of the music makes it feel so relaxed.
Is it the drums, Is it that guitar line, or
maybe the women who sing that chorus hook. See what
you think, and then listen one more time with a
focus on the lyrics and feel how the relaxed music

(07:02):
plays against the incredible tales of Bill Russell's accomplishments. And
remember you can find the lyrics sheet by visiting story
pirates dot com slash historical Records. Enough for me, enjoy
the track, Here's Bill Russell.

Speaker 3 (07:23):
What do you see as the meaning of the term revolutionary?

Speaker 6 (07:29):
The revolutionary is a man or a woman who is
a lot of things, but basically, the revolutionary wants to
change the nature of society in a way to promote
a world where the knees and interest of the people.
Are respond to.

Speaker 3 (07:47):
Two before Lebron was a king, before Jordan, one rings
before Shaq and Iqin and magic in Kareem. One man
on one scene rank completely supreme. I'm up blowing too
much steam to say that man was me. Bill Russell
is the name. And how do you do? Thirteen years
in the game and still I only lost two times
in the finals. That's eleven titles. No man in this

(08:07):
sport has come close to being my rival. I was
the subject of lively and prejudice, taunts, black and in Boston,
not two things that you want to be OUI Komi.

Speaker 6 (08:17):
Yes, sir?

Speaker 3 (08:18):
How did I thrive under oh so much pressure? How
did I triumph on every measure while also uniting all
my people together? And just how did my leadership lead
to our glory? Sit down and listen, y'all, because this
here is my story.

Speaker 2 (08:31):
He defense.

Speaker 5 (08:34):
And he defensea bite. He's a champion on the court,
then a champion after five da and do you bounce
fur the first city? He goes down the court, and
he goes down in history.

Speaker 3 (08:53):
My youth, you could say it was a little bit rough.
Mama died at twelve, and Dad he went gruff grew
up dirt boord and there was never enough Molly Hope
was the hoop and get tough, so hoop that I
did so University of San Francisco old centers went slow,
but me, I was nimble. They changed the rules to
put me through some pitfalls. I juked the gears and
still balled through the insults. Our press continued, was drafted

(09:16):
and went to the fifty six Olympics, got gold in
that window post Uni COOKI oh that one NBA rookie
and guess what we still won? Then I won eight
more Celtics made me the coach while also still playing.
That's right, I did both the five mbps odds. An
absolute baller lost a few times to will put these
three inches taller.

Speaker 5 (09:36):
He defends the hoop, and he defense on right. He's
a champion on the court, then a champion after five.
He bounced the rock and you bounced for the first city.
He goes down the court, and he goes down in history.

Speaker 3 (09:57):
I am Bill Russell, most athletic on the court, but
I still hustle, and I will tussle with any man
who stands in the way of progress. And that's in
the lane in the streets. Are in the Congress sixty
one an exhibition game the Celtics versus the Hawks of Lexington, Kentucky.
We expected curses and we went to a cafe to
try to get some service. Instead they acted nervous and

(10:17):
refuse the surface A curve, yes, for sure, but still
we had a purpose shown with these boys got so
we let a boy god put their.

Speaker 5 (10:24):
Feet to the furnace.

Speaker 3 (10:25):
We made noises, truth to the surface. We hit them
with our voices. A marsh with a million men in
MLK met with Muhammad Ali just to mold a better day.
If they threatened your rights, well then you must get
uncivil and never ever ever, just shut up and triple.

Speaker 5 (10:42):
And he defends on bite. He's a champion on the
court and a champion after five and he bounce for
the first since he goes down the crt and he
goes down. In his story, he defense and he defends right.

(11:06):
He's a champion on the court and a champion of
the five. He rebounds up and rebounced up at first
since he goes down the court and he goes down
in his story.

Speaker 2 (11:44):
Hey again, thanks for listening. We'll be back again soon
with more episodes. In the meantime, grown ups tell a
friend about the show. If you and your kids are
enjoying it, it really helps us a lot. Thanks. Bye.