Love Torn
by Loyalty - Identity 2 Film Project 2006
Text Yam Boy and Mohun BISWAS
Photo Tiziana Callary
CEN
Magazine is retelling Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
(also the story of the star crossed lovers in West Side
Story) for its Valentine issue, but transfers the action
to today's gritty East London.
Is the love between Lamar
of Mile End Mafia and the charming Reena, sister of
leader Murphy from Dalston Down Beats, doomed from the
start? Set in the ghettos of East London, East Side
Story pits the Mile End Mafia against the Dalston Down
Beats in a gang fight. Lamar's best mate Tyrone, who
is also the leader of Mile End Mafia, does not endorse
Lamar's passion for Reena and is convinced that it must
be a trap set by Dalston Down Beats, the rival gang.
Murphy, on other hand, is not happy about his sister
checking out Lamar. A clash is inevitable and passion
cannot be harnessed.
CEN Magazine has worked
with students from the Identity Drama School based at
Arcola Theatre, Hackney to reflect upon the universally
recognised story of fatalistic love, of love that is
doomed from the start. This is also a celebration of
youth culture and the verve, colour, infinite shades
of dark and light they represent and use to overcome
the very real but fleeting boundaries that confine them.
If Only All Policemen Were Cuddly…
Tyrone and Mile End Mafia
If only all policemen were cuddly...
If only all policemen were cuddly...
If only the meaning of protect and
serve didn't mean
select and purge
Dirge arrests, monkey chant terrorists
Sadists
Simple caveman ethics
I regard you with the same suspicion
you use to bog me out
Because water like community safety is in danger of
drought
It's murky waters like the space between your ears
Which seems to be a hat stand
for badge kudos from your peers
Leers at girls this one
Beats up darkies that one
Him over here sniffs what he confiscates
Whilst numbnuts there's been paid to look the other
way
If only all policemen were cuddly...
They'd have no authority
But I could walk the streets safely
There'd be no one to arrest me for terrorist activity
If only all policemen were cuddly...
Stop and Search
SS
Zeig heil, I must confess
That police state politicking is scarier than
religious fundamentalism
A fanatic is still a fanatic with or without a uniform
It's sacrilege when we're all expected to conform
If only the idea of authority wasn't such a parody
We'd be comforted and concerned that they were just
cuddly
I'd rather have you beat me up and mug me
Than give you a badge and ask you to protect me
If only all policemen were cuddly...
They'd have no authority
But I could walk the streets safely
There'd be none to arrest me for terrorist activity
If only all policemen were cuddly...
The
world has turned against you, and everybody
gives you shit
Don't raise 'em up your open hands
when god has gave you fists
All people I know been given hard times,
everybody takes a hit
You can survive, hold on to your pride;
put some iron in your fists
Motherfuckers got belief
By what they say to us these jokers think they tough
They shout it all around the street
They ain't afraid of us, 'til someone says enough is
enough
We had to hold what we deserve
We had to hold on tight, these streets have been hard
won
And every little thing that we earned
We had to earn through might, through fists and blades
and guns
The world has turned against you, and everybody
gives you shit
Don't raise 'em up your open hands
when god has gave you fists
All people I know been given hard times, everybody takes
a hit
You can survive, hold on to your pride;
put some iron in your fists
Straight people walk in fear
They take a look at us they shitting in their pants
Police, they come round here
They throw the book at us just because they can
They scared because we're strong
They wanna shut us down, we're hard for them to take
They can try shit all day long
They can't fuck with us now 'cause we refuse to break
The world has turned against you, and everybody
gives you shit
Don't raise 'em up your open hands
when god has gave you fists
All people I know been given hard times, everybody takes
a hit
You can survive, hold on to your pride;
put some iron in your fists
The world out there is empty
Nothing here for us unless we give it shape
We'll find that our place of plenty
Will appear for us, but first we got to take
There's fuck-all that we have
That we ain't won ourselves, we take because we need
We might end up on a slab
We all been given hell; we've gots because we bleed
The world has turned against you, and everybody
gives you shit
Don't raise 'em up your open hands
when god has gave you fists
All people I know been given hard times, everybody takes
a hit
You can survive, hold on to your pride;
put some iron in your fists
This place we live is danger, motherfuckers
on all sides
Streets are sure clear 'cause we made a stand here,
and we know how to fight
When they threaten to make the move on you,
somebody trying to put you out
When they threaten your health, stand up for yourself;
of this there ain't no doubt
Everything is automatic
From the smooth to the static
No control, your role gets erratic
Relentless attack knocks you flat on your back
Jus' react to the fact that the shit is emphatic
But with you I feel in charge, livin' large and it's
true
It's automatic that I dedicate my life to you
Automatic like a weapon, like a court in
session
Take the sentence, show repentance like you've learnt
your lesson
Automatic like the pressure of heads around you sets
ya
Off when you're soft, til the bad blood gets ya
Down on a frown, looking round and around
For a way, brighter day, and in you that I've found
Automatic like time cuts you down in your prime
Automatic like the way that you stay on my mind
Everything is automatic
From the smooth to the static
No control, your role gets erratic
Relentless attack knocks you flat on your back
Jus' react to the fact that the shit is emphatic
But with you I feel in charge, livin' large and it's
true
It's automatic that I dedicate my life to you
Automatic buying ash with the cash from
the dole an'
The cane dulls the pain that your life's been stolen
Automatic like the feeling that keeps your head reeling
Damned ya understand the hand that fate's dealing
Hard to play these cards but now I been dealt a queen
Feel I broke a new seal and my life's been redeemed
When you walked in the room, automatic like I sensed
ya
Automatically on track for a bright new adventure
Everything is automatic
From the smooth to the static
No control, your role gets erratic
Relentless attack knocks you flat on your back
Jus' react to the fact that the shit is emphatic
But with you I feel in charge, livin' large and it's
true
It's automatic that I dedicate my life to you
Automatic like the jackhammer thudding of
my heartbeat
Drawing my breath away every time our eyes meet
Needing to impress whenever I'm around ya
And I can't seem to guess who I was 'fore I found ya
Everything within me that was base has been tamed
Automatic like I need to see your face, hear your name
Feel your skin, and begin to make every day new
Automatic that I want you to feel the same way, too
Everything is automatic
From the smooth to the static
No control, your role gets erratic
Relentless attack knocks you flat on your back
Jus' react to the fact that the shit is emphatic
But with you I feel in charge, livin' large and it's
true
It's automatic that I dedicate my life to you
The
Planets Murphy of Mile End Mafia and
Tyrone of Dalston Downs Beats
I'm conscious
and aware of all that's around me
Doing what i can to give input to infinity
If we all do our little
then masses will change
Choices increase no focus on the wage
Just on mind expansion alternate dimension
Circles link death to the point of creation
We can time travel within our lifetimes
Making all things equal and righting past crimes
Look to the knowledge to receive its blessing
Life is nothing when not a constant lesson
Love is love and the world is everything
With respectful wisdom as the food we bring
We are the struggle
between dynamic opposites
Need to spark the dark cos
the tunnels been lit
Everything happens through
a force of nature
The everlasting power will never escape ya
Don't represent london, represent the planet
With all the colours and the races that span it
The only thing that matters is in your heart
Focus on music and the power of art
All you do is talk, all you do is whine
All you do is spew what is on your mind
All you do is gripe, all you do is blame
Your whole view is 'screw this', always the same
And when I wanna talk to you
about the things that we should do
I can't stop my eyes getting redder, redder
'cause I know this won't get better, better
I can't stop my eyes getting redder, redder
'cause I know this won't get better at all
You feel the need to be the man
But your responsibilities have such fragility
Always want to make a stand
Where are you to be counted
when the problems are mounting?
When I need you to be here
You're hanging out with the guys;
you bring no money, just lies
Your promises are insincere
There's no way I can rely on you when you're high?
And it makes me feel so blue
When it comes to anything I need you to do
All you do is talk, all you do is whine
All you do is spew what is on your mind
All you do is gripe, all you do is blame
Your whole view is 'screw this', always the same
And when I want to talk to you
about the things that we should do
I just know I'm gonna get fed up, fed up
'cause nothing is getting better, better
I just know I'm gonna get fed up, fed up
'cause nothing is getting better at all
We have a life that we should share
But your concept of sharing, the omissions are glaring
More than one of us should care
We should both be together, one single endeavour
Stop playing with my heart
I need more love and kindness; don't use sex to define
us
You should make a brand new start
I want you to be stronger, not out in the blue yonder
And it makes me feel so used
When it comes to anything I need you to do
All you do is talk, all you do is whine
All you do is spew what is on your mind
All you do is gripe, all you do is blame
Your whole view is 'screw this', always the same
And when I want talk to you
about the things that we should do
It is never going to matter, matter 'cause
this never gets any better, better
It is never going to matter, matter 'cause
this never gets any better at all
What am I going to do?
When there's something else on, in a second you're gone
Your friends matter more to you
Don't I always find that I'm last in line?
We've got a life that you can choose
Just get out of this game, all it causes is pain
Don't make it a way to lose
If you say that you love me, stop getting rid of me
And it hurts me through and through
When it comes to anything I need you to do
All you do is talk, all you do is whine
All you do is spew what is on your mind
All you do is gripe, all you do is blame
Your whole view is 'screw this', always the same
And when I want talk to you
about what would make us tried and true
Your eyes keep looking deader, deader
'cause you won't try to be better, better
Your eyes keep looking deader, deader
'cause you won't try to be better at all
This world expanse is full of infinite
possibilities
But I can't see the tower blocks for the trees
When the breeze touches me, it's tainted, full of promise
That has dissipated, between Hackney and Waltham Forest
I need to find a new way of thinking
A new way to live, my ancestors were born kings
Now I'm surrounded by tokenistic respect banners
Failing to get to the crux of the matter in my manners
I can fly - rise above the bricks and mortar
Trying to uplift my people hell-bent on slaughter
I thought we were better than this
But we were seduced by a kiss implying money buys bliss
I suddenly feel the fire rising in my belly
Urging me to stop zoning out in front of the telly
Go outside, breathe in the freshness of that wind
Synchronise my thoughts and get ready to begin
To levitate - my mind elevates, body celebrates
I will convince my brothers and sisters that we are
not inmates
We're poets, fighters, artists, sadhus, griots, doctors
We're musicians, humans, bredren, sistren
We're empowered, immersed - we are teachers
Opportunity, infinite possibility is our freedom to
defend
Listen to that breeze, breathe in its cleansing smells
Use each ebb and flow as your bottomless inkwell.
