Rap Hands - Zach Sherwin

I grew up on Raffi and the Beatles

«Baby Beluga» and «Taxman»

Then I learned that rap existed

And it threw a match into my gas can

Once I had it in me

It reshaped me like a belly with a lap-band

I was loving rap jams

By rap clans

I was a rap fan

Yes I loved the music

But the look of it was part of the attraction

Album covers, videos and photos

I examined them like CAT scans

I was fascinated by the grittiness

The outfits and the pinky rings and hat bands

But even more than that, man

I loved the rap hands

That’s right, the rap hands

Rap hands, rap hands, rap hands

This is Hurricane

He used to DJ for the Beastie Boys

He scratched wax

In 1995, he dropped an album of his own

I made a mad dash

I bought it, ripped the wrapper off

Did not expect the inner flap to flabbergast

But look at that grasp

Whose hand is that vast?

Little Zach gasped

Apparently this image made a big impression on me

Left a fat stamp

Looking at it helps to shed some light upon my past

Like it’s a gas lamp

What I’m going to do

Is show you photos of me from that summer at camp

They give me a laugh cramp

'Cause I’m such a wack scamp

The self-awareness-lack champ

Okay, here is Hurricane again and here I am

You recognize the rap hand?

Here’s another photo

Where I’m posing with an identical rap hand

Here’s another one and yet another one

I’m really into rap hands

I’m really into rap hands, rap hands, rap hands

Rap hands, a step back and rap hands

(Here we go)

Now I’m an adult and both my sense of self

And my career have advanced

But I appreciate this opportunity

To take a looking-back glance

Cause if you told the younger me

That rap would be my living

I’d say «Fat chance»

But I made and carried out attack plans

And I didn’t crash land

I’m still throwing rap hands

I’m still throwing rap hands, rap hands, rap hands

Tap dance, plaid pants, cat stance

Kaplan, Batman, Zach fans

Rap hands