Karol Kamba
English 101 #0152
October 9, 2014
Tracy Chapman's musical career is well known for standing up for the people that do not have their voices heard by society. The poverty stricken, the abused, and the forgotten all are represented by her work. She, as a minority in this country has, according to her music, dealt with poverty in her life when she was younger to her young adult years until she figured out her path. In the song, 'Behind the Wall', Tracy Chapman is describing the experience that she had witnessing an abusive relationship, how it affected her emotionally, and how it was handled by law enforcement. In this song, she indirectly relates how witnesses of these events are still in our social culture today, and it is clear she disagrees with the way this situation was handled. "Behind The Wall" speaks of domestic violence and is sung acapella.
English: Tracy Chapman 6th September 1988. Human R...
Tracy Chapman (album)
Give Me One ReasonShe does this because she wants to stress the pain of her voice and sets the mood for the entire song, the way she sings with the pitch and vocal strains impresses the viewer to understand how she emotionally feels about this social topic.
Tracy Chapman begins the song with an unclear description of what the song is about, for all the audience may know, she could be talking about war or something else. She lets the reader know that she does not enjoy a night like the one she is describing, and that she has no power to prevent or stop the uncomfortable feelings that she is experiencing. She hears screaming, and loud voices that she is unable to get help from the police for, she explains "It won't do no good to call, the police" because they rarely ever come or come too late.