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City Psalms
Benjamin Zephaniah is an oral poet, novelist, playwright, children's writer and reggae artist. Born in 1958 in Birmingham, he grew up in Jamaica and in Handsworth, where he was sent to an approved school for being uncontrollable, rebellious and 'a born failure', ending up in jail for burglary. After prison he turned from crime to music and poetry. In 1989 he was nominated for Oxford Professor of Poetry, and has since received honorary doctorates from several English universities, but famously refused to accept a nomination for an OBE in 2003. He has appeared in a number of television programmes, including Eastenders, The Bill, Live and Kicking, Blue Peter and Wise Up, and played Gower in a BBC Radio 3 production of Shakespeare's Pericles in 2005. Best known for his performance poetry with a political edge for adults -- and his poetry with attitude for children -- he has his own rap/reggae band. He was the first person to record with the Wailers after the death of Bob Marley, in a musical tribute to Nelson Mandela, which Mandela heard while in prison on Robben Island. Their later meetings led to Zephaniah working with children in South African townships and hosting the President's Two Nations Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 1996.
- GenresPoetryBritish Literature
60 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 1992
5 people are currently reading
245 people want to read
About the author
Benjamin Zephaniah
78 books422 followersA British-Jamaican writer, dub poet and Rastafari. He was included in The Times list of Britain's top 50 post-war writers in 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 25, 2016
Just like reading lyrics, these poems need you to hear them in your head with sound and rhythm - that's what makes them what they are, at least as much as the simple words on the page, and after all they were composed first as spoken word pieces. Zephaniah used to be on British TV quite often, especially on youth shows; perhaps he still is. Not heard him for years myself - instead the poems had the voices of MCs on Toddla T's Skanky Skanky album, a favourite from a few years ago I've been listening to recently.
The collection was published in 1992 yet many of the issues in the political poems are still broadly topical with a few details changed: politicians not doing enough for the environment; incidents of police brutality and racism; poverty both local and global; Israeli-Palestinian conflict; terms used to describe race and different parts of the world. The poems' ostensibly simple language is powerful and evocative and manages to be weighty without being sledegehammer-like; it's truly sincere and comes from experience, it's not overly earnest. There's a lot of skill in saying so much without big words. Familiarity with Zephaniah's presence on film probably helps if you are someone who doesn't automatically favour political literature, knowing about his delivery and sense of humour and charisma. He also has a laugh with some less serious subjects, like public obsession with the royal family; and evokes down-at-heel city scenes, like being in a flat where the neighbours are having a violent row, and almost feeling what is happening to them.
And - though it doesn't feel quite right to tack the following on to a review of something with as much heart as this book has, I read it as a result of a realisation I have over again every few months: that online calls for ethnic diversity in reading:
a) often come from American sources or are inspired by them, and push books with American settings or connections I don't usually want to read about; and aside from the biggest names like Zadie Smith and Salman Rushdie, neglect works set in Britain and all the other Western countries. (Though there's still hardly anything translated - I'd be interested in more stories by and about immigrants to other European countries. And in the UK there aren't enough immigrant/2nd/3rd gen novels set outside London.)
b) have an "eat your greens" puritanical, moralising approach, rather than making the books sound enjoyable and interesting (not something you'd want to read if having a difficult time and from a different background, the antithesis of 'comfort reading'); by contrast you rarely see that with popular music;
c) have an undeclared subtext of selling stuff, without considering readers who need to prioritise other expenses, that books are also consumer goods and spacehoggers, and that there may be limited borrowing possibilities.
After a phase of irritation with some of these articles and posts, I realise why all over again. It becomes not about getting annoyed with Americans on the internet trying to foist stuff on me, but about wanting to read about people like those I've lived and worked alongside in cities. And I start looking, which this time led me [back] to these lists and to add more to them:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/5...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1... .
The collection was published in 1992 yet many of the issues in the political poems are still broadly topical with a few details changed: politicians not doing enough for the environment; incidents of police brutality and racism; poverty both local and global; Israeli-Palestinian conflict; terms used to describe race and different parts of the world. The poems' ostensibly simple language is powerful and evocative and manages to be weighty without being sledegehammer-like; it's truly sincere and comes from experience, it's not overly earnest. There's a lot of skill in saying so much without big words. Familiarity with Zephaniah's presence on film probably helps if you are someone who doesn't automatically favour political literature, knowing about his delivery and sense of humour and charisma. He also has a laugh with some less serious subjects, like public obsession with the royal family; and evokes down-at-heel city scenes, like being in a flat where the neighbours are having a violent row, and almost feeling what is happening to them.
And - though it doesn't feel quite right to tack the following on to a review of something with as much heart as this book has, I read it as a result of a realisation I have over again every few months: that online calls for ethnic diversity in reading:
a) often come from American sources or are inspired by them, and push books with American settings or connections I don't usually want to read about; and aside from the biggest names like Zadie Smith and Salman Rushdie, neglect works set in Britain and all the other Western countries. (Though there's still hardly anything translated - I'd be interested in more stories by and about immigrants to other European countries. And in the UK there aren't enough immigrant/2nd/3rd gen novels set outside London.)
b) have an "eat your greens" puritanical, moralising approach, rather than making the books sound enjoyable and interesting (not something you'd want to read if having a difficult time and from a different background, the antithesis of 'comfort reading'); by contrast you rarely see that with popular music;
c) have an undeclared subtext of selling stuff, without considering readers who need to prioritise other expenses, that books are also consumer goods and spacehoggers, and that there may be limited borrowing possibilities.
After a phase of irritation with some of these articles and posts, I realise why all over again. It becomes not about getting annoyed with Americans on the internet trying to foist stuff on me, but about wanting to read about people like those I've lived and worked alongside in cities. And I start looking, which this time led me [back] to these lists and to add more to them:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/5...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1... .
December 10, 2023
“We love our bombs / We made your bombs.”
what a man. what a poet. rest, uncle benjamin 🖤
what a man. what a poet. rest, uncle benjamin 🖤
September 26, 2024
One of Benjamin's earlier books, written as it sounds in his dub poetry, his cultural patois. Reflections on the politics and racial state of the UK.
Dis poetry is like a riddim dat drops
De tongue fires a riddim dat shoots like shots
Dis poetry is designed fe rantin
Dance hall style, big mouth chanting
Dis poetry is like a riddim dat drops
De tongue fires a riddim dat shoots like shots
Dis poetry is designed fe rantin
Dance hall style, big mouth chanting
May 17, 2021
An energetic collection from BJ.
March 25, 2024
Fantastic collection of wonderful thought-provoking poems.
October 7, 2013
City Psalms is a collection of short poems reflecting the authors personal views on black politics and its place in today's society. Ben Zephaniah draws on issues from around the globe and shares his desire to teach others the importance of correct education. He frequently visits topics on racism, war, history and political hypocrisy. Serious about his subject matter, he still manages to lace his poetry with lighthearted wit and sarcasm; "The Cold War" - BZ.
I enjoyed reading this because it was thought provoking yet easy to read.
The appropriate age range could be key stage 2 to 3 advanced reading level. There are several elements to consider here, for example, the subject matter can be heavy, the language structure is not in the standard English format, but is deliberately colloquial.
Pupils should already have a good understanding of the English language and understand the concept of poetic licence before tackling this.
I think this could inspire creative writing. Pupils could be asked to write their own poem on a topic they feel strongly about and possibly structure the layout of the poem to reflect the meaning like; "According to my Mood" - BZ.
I enjoyed reading this because it was thought provoking yet easy to read.
The appropriate age range could be key stage 2 to 3 advanced reading level. There are several elements to consider here, for example, the subject matter can be heavy, the language structure is not in the standard English format, but is deliberately colloquial.
Pupils should already have a good understanding of the English language and understand the concept of poetic licence before tackling this.
I think this could inspire creative writing. Pupils could be asked to write their own poem on a topic they feel strongly about and possibly structure the layout of the poem to reflect the meaning like; "According to my Mood" - BZ.
June 17, 2018
Before now I have never witnessed the full force of Zephaniah's political side.
The poems of this collection are like individual punches upward at the racism, inequality and other nonsense that this world still creates and perpetuates.
Then again children's poems like This Orange Tree did not prepare me for the risque wordplay he slips into this more sex positive verse.
Nevertheless Zephaniah's poetry, innocent or adult, is always a joy to read. If only I didn't have to do a pale and potentially offensive imitation of his voice in order to achieve the full experience.
Notable Poems
• Money - a poetic rant that lasts three pages but has incredible momentum and astute observation.
• According to my mood - Zephaniah breaks all the rules with the cheekiest wordplay and brutal honesty.
• As a African - a concise rhythmic statement of a wise policy: empathy for everyone oppressed.
The poems of this collection are like individual punches upward at the racism, inequality and other nonsense that this world still creates and perpetuates.
Then again children's poems like This Orange Tree did not prepare me for the risque wordplay he slips into this more sex positive verse.
Nevertheless Zephaniah's poetry, innocent or adult, is always a joy to read. If only I didn't have to do a pale and potentially offensive imitation of his voice in order to achieve the full experience.
Notable Poems
• Money - a poetic rant that lasts three pages but has incredible momentum and astute observation.
• According to my mood - Zephaniah breaks all the rules with the cheekiest wordplay and brutal honesty.
• As a African - a concise rhythmic statement of a wise policy: empathy for everyone oppressed.
May 30, 2021
As topical today as when it was published in 1992, BZ is a master of performance poetry, linking his urban thoughts and ideas in an urbane yet 'street' way. He takes a lot of creative licence with his poetry, but still leans on acrostic abcedarius styles when he wants to. Cultural, political and anti-stereotypical, BZ's work on many of societies' issues is best appreciated live on stage where it has a whimsical style with a deadly cutting edge. Where that opportunity is not available, read this anthology to yourself and imagine his British/Caribbean patois and linguistic acrobatics jumping off the page and into your consciousness.
July 27, 2018
This slim volume belies the depth of feeling contained within. Zephaniah moves easily between style, ranging from the humour and fun of pieces like ‘According to my mood’, ‘How’s dat?’ and ‘The Cold War’, the quiet seething of ‘Bomb Dusters’ and ‘Money’, to the blunt, brutal realism and sadness of ‘Call it what you like’ and ‘She’s crying for many’. It was written in the 90s, but many of the poems continue to feel particularly timely and relevant in towards increasingly divided world - 'Black Whole' particularly: “I and I live/if you non me/No wonder/You Non-Compassionate.”
Read
November 29, 2019About 30 page long poems often focussing on life for a black person in England, including Birmingham where he was brought up, and London where he lived later. Naturally expressed in Jamaican patois with strong and strident statements, example 'Me hear dem talk about Unity
Dem have a plan fe de Effnick Minority'
Dem have a plan fe de Effnick Minority'
March 6, 2018
simply brilliant.
xonoone
xonoone
September 6, 2020
Consistently brilliant, funny, emotional and deeply honest. So lucky to have grown up with this man’s poetry around the house and wonderful to return to it as an adult.
June 14, 2022
so powerful.
April 28, 2024
A great collection. Still relevant. Still inspiring.
September 30, 2024
Over 20 years since this was published yet you would think it was written yesterday. Rhythmic, melodic, infuriatingly relevant....absolutely gorgeous.
January 12, 2025
Remarkable that this was published in the 90s when it’s still so fresh and topical it puts other collections to shame. What a staggering loss to the poetry world.
November 17, 2025
Anti imperialist master mind . Songful x
December 20, 2025
7/5 I can’t put into words how much respect I have for the Birmingham Bard. Gone too soon and with so much more to say. This collection is powerful and whilst it’s devastating in parts there is always hope.
April 14, 2021
This is one of the best poets I have ever read. The he writes his poetry is truly original, and conveys his feelings so clearly.
July 8, 2007
Wonderfully written and very perceptive
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews