American R&B singer James Brown said "payback" in his 1973 hit song. This word has kept me wonder about its meaning.
Yes, he was Black, whose professional career coincided with America's civil rights movement. It is easy to think he meant what he said. Then again, I have my wonder if he would use such a word because many of his songs indicate he was a pacifist.
So, I have carefully studied the lyrics of the song "The Payback" and now know that he did mean it. In it, he also uses words like "revenge" and "backstabbing."
Well, his words resonate with me. Then, you may wonder why the life of an English teacher resonates with James Brown's anger.
I have taught the language to more than 2,000 Japanese adults. The number may even have reached 3,000. If you ask them about the type of class they preferred, they would say "a serious class." Be careful, because if you took the word literally and teach English seriously, they would complain about it. James Brown was aware of backstabbing.
Having taught English for more than 30 years, I have experienced many occasions that reminded me of "backstabbing." Now, words like “revenge” and "payback" are floating in the air.
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