Learn the Name

Chipo
(Chee-poh)
Chipo means gift
(Chee-poh)

First day of class, substitute with a clipboard
Squints at the page like my name is a code
Says Chippy-oh, says Chip, says is it Chee-poh
I say that's it, it means gift, you know
Barista write Cheapo on the cup with a grin
I drink it anyway, swallow it thin
Mama on the phone say don't shrink to fit
Your name is a seed, it don't have to be split
Auntie taught me to roll it round my tongue
Four little letters, one long sun
I carry it careful like a plate full of rice
Say it with your whole mouth, don't say it twice
Teacher write it phonetic on the corner of the board
But the board erase and my name stays on the floor
The class laugh quiet and I laugh louder
A girl in the back whispers it right, one try
I nod at her like a flag going by
If I'm the joke then I'm the joke with a powder
Folks say it's easier, can I use a short one
I say easy ain't a reason, and the long one's the one
That my grandmother gave me on a Sunday in the heat
With a pot on the fire and the whole street at her feet

Learn the name, learn the name
Take a breath and say it again
Learn the name, learn the name
It's a gift, not a thing to bend
(learn the name)

C
(C)
H
(H)
I
(I)
P
(P)
O
(Chee-poh)

C
(C)
H
(H)
I
(I)
P
(P)
O
(Chee-poh)

Now there's a stage and a mic and a lightbulb hot
Announcer reads the card, gets it wrong on the spot
Says Chip-ee-oh to a thousand folks
Crowd laugh nervous, I don't take the joke
I walk to the mic, I let the quiet sit
Wait for the room to get tired of it
Then I spell it slow like a prayer at the table
Letter by letter till the whole hall is able
I held it in the dark for twenty-six years
I'll hold it in the light for as long as it takes, I swear
Mama in the back row, hands on her chest
She taught me to wait, she taught me the rest
Somebody coughs, somebody checks the time
I let it be silent, I let it be mine
The host say sorry, say it again, say it right
I say take your time, we got all night

Learn the name, learn the name
Take a breath and say it again
Learn the name, learn the name
It's a gift, not a thing to bend
(learn the name)

C
(C)
H
(H)
I
(I)
P
(P)
O
(Chee-poh)

C
(C)
H
(H)
I
(I)
P
(P)
O
(Chee-poh)

Elevator, ninth floor, a man in a grey coat
Looks at my badge, says Chee-poh, the whole note
Like he'd practised it in the lobby, like it mattered
I couldn't answer, my throat got scattered
Eighth floor, seventh, I stood there with my chin up
Twenty-six years and a stranger filled my cup
He said it like a song, he said it like a bell
I said thank you, I said it back as well
His name was Daniel, I learned it on the spot
Turns out it's a trade and we both got a lot

Learn the name, learn the name
Take a breath and say it again
Learn the name, learn the name
It's a gift and I'm giving it to you
(learn the name)

C
(C)
H
(H)
I
(I)
P
(P)
O
(Chee-poh)

C
(C)
H
(H)
I
(I)
P
(P)
O
(Chee-poh)

Learn the name
(Chee-poh)