The Meaning of "Glory" by Masten Peters

The lights were dim in the classroom as the teacher set up the video. This wasn’t unusual; in Ms Bellinger’s 7th grade ELA room, the window shades were drawn most of the time, making the classroom as dark as a cave. As for today’s lesson, Ms Bellinger was going to show us the music video for a song by a musician known as John Legend. The music itself was apparently produced as soundtrack for the recently released movie Selma. Although there were a few whispers here and there, my class was mostly silent, waiting for the video to start.  After a few seconds, Ms Bellinger hit “play” and the song began.

It wasn’t what I was expecting at all. The song opened up with piano music, accompanied by images of MLK and other Civil Rights Movement leaders that appeared in Selma. Then it cut to a scene of an African-American man playing the piano while singing. There was no doubt in my mind; this man was John Legend.  As I continued to listen, I noticed references to the Civil Rights Era, Christian lore and teachings, and, surprisingly, Black Lives Matter.  Although I don’t remember the specific emotions I felt at the time, I remember the rest of the experience clearly. Later on, as I took a look at the song’s lyrics, I began to see some of the connections and similarities between the CRM and the BLM. I also began to understand John Legend’s point of view.  And the song’s name? Just one simple word: “Glory”.

The man we call John Legend was born John Roger Stephens on December 28, 1978, in Springfield, Ohio. He grew up in a music-oriented family, and began learning piano and singing gospel at the age of five. He also performed in church. He made his first prominent music appearance in the song “Everything is Everything” by Lauryn Hill, where he acted as a pianist. After college, he moved to New York and started appearing in albums by various artists, including Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Janet Jackson, and Kanye West. It was during that time that Stephens’ friend, a poet by the name of J. Ivy, nicknamed him ”The Legend” during an interview. After this, he not only began using “John Legend” as his stage name, he actually changed his real name to John Legend, too. When his first album, “Get Lifted”, was released in late 2004, it became an instant hit.

Legend’s music is often described as gospel, pop or “neo-soul”. The song I described earlier, “Glory”, was used as Selma’s theme song, and hasn’t been released in a formal album. It was written by both John Legend and Common, and the recieved an Academy Award for Best Song, which the two artists shared. In “Glory”, Legend conveys his theme that the purpose of the BLM movement is to finish the fight for equality that began with the Civil Rights Movement by using allusion, rhyme and symbolism.

By using allusion, Legend helps his listeners understand that the purpose of the BLM is to finish the fight for equality that began with the CRM. In the song’s second stanza, Legend connects an event from the Civil Rights Era with a modern-day event. He explains, “That’s why Rosa sat on the bus/ That’s why we walk through Ferguson with our hands up” (“Glory” 17-18) In these lines, Legend alludes to both Rosa Parks’ protesting unfair and racist bus policies and the Ferguson protests against a racist police shooting. This reveals the theme that the BLM’s purpose is to finish the fight for equality that began with the CRM by connecting the actions of a Civil Rights Era icon with the actions of BLM supporters and citizens in Ferguson. Both were major protests in the country, and Legend believes that they both happened for the same reason: to oppose racism and discrimination within our government that has existed throughout history.

Also, through the use of rhyme, Legend communicates to his audience that the purpose of the BLM is to finish the fight for equality that began with the CRM. In his music, Legend reveals his belief that the BLM’s founding is related to an “awakening” in the African-American community. He sings, “Somewhere in the dream we had an epiphany/ Now we can right the wrongs in history” (“Glory” 45-46) By rhyming “epiphany” with “history”, Legend connects the African-American people’s realization that the CRM’s work still wasn’t done with the BLM trying to prevent history from repeating itself. This reveals the theme that the BLM’s purpose is to finish the fight for equality that began with the CRM by showing that the African-American community’s “epiphany” is what caused the BLM to be formed. Once they realized that the CRM’s dream still wasn’t realized, Legend thinks they created the BLM movement to rid our country of the racism that plagues its government and finish their forefathers’ mission.

Finally, by using symbolism, Legend demonstrates to his fans that the purpose of the BLM is to finish the fight for equality that began with the CRM. In his music, he talks about a metaphorical “torch”, as well as how far the black community has come in the fight for civil rights. The way Legend puts it, “They marched with the torch, we gon’ run with it now/ Never look back, we done gone hundreds of miles” (“Glory” 37-38) Here, Legend uses the symbol of the torch to represent equality, like the torch the Statue of Liberty holds. This reveals the theme that the BLM’s purpose is to finish the fight for equality that began with the CRM by communicating that the BLM is carrying on their forefathers’ work. Legend feels that modern African-Americans must carry the “torch of equality” as the Civil Rights Movement did before them, and they’ve come too far in their fight for civil rights to stop now.

A particular strength of the song is its references to famous and beloved Civil Rights Era figures. A major example of this is when Legend dedicates an entire passage to one such person; the part where this happens is,

From dark roads he rose to become a hero

Facin’ the league of justice, his power was the people

Enemy is lethal, a king became regal

Saw the face of Jim Crow under a bald eagle (“Glory” 39-42)

The specific words Legend uses-saying that the man was a hero, that he fought the corrupt justice system, that his strength was his being backed by the common people, and referring to him as a “king”-leave no doubt in his listeners’ minds that the man Legend is discussing is none other than Martin Luther King, Jr. This strengthens the song by connecting the BLM movement, which is seen by some as violent and radical, to a benevolent and honorable civil rights leader. Legend is stating that, despite the highly contrasting depictions of both parties, their goals are similar, and as such they are not quite so different after all.

A problematic aspect of the song is that some parts of it are confusing. Although some people may easily understand those lyrics, others may not, and this could impact their understanding of the song. One such verse is, “Justice is juxtapositionin’ us” (“Glory” 13) Many people may not know the definition of the word “juxtaposition”, and so they won’t understand the piece. I had to look up the word myself, which turned out to mean “the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect”. Even after learning the definition, I still don’t understand what Legend means, and other people may be in the same state of confusion. This weakens the song by confusing the listeners so they don’t understand the lyrics. That single line may have a vital meaning, and by wording it as he did, Legend could cause some audience members to miss it.

On the whole, “Glory” is a unique song that communicates to our country that the BLM’s true mission is to finish the work of their forefathers in the CRM. This song resonated with my life because I’ve been hearing a lot of news concerning the BLM, but not once did I connect or compare their goals to that of the Civil Rights Movement. Now, thanks to Legend’s music, I have begun to see the similarities between the two movements. This topic is relevant to our country because the BLM has sparked a sort of social and political revolution that seeks to oppose the most corrupt portions of our police force and government, and because of that, many media sources are depicting them as aggressive and radical-the opposite of the CRM. If people don’t start to see the connections between the two, then the BLM’s negative portrayal will continue, and they will not gain as much support as they need in order to succeed. If you see Black Lives Matter as exclusively violent and immoral, then listen to “Glory”. It could change your world.