Jimbo J and the Spa Band - I did

A few years ago I came across Jimbo J's poetry slam bit "I did" and it really got me thinking about how instead of using verbs like "I served, I traveled, I studied, I cooked... we all just say "I did". I did this, I did that, reducing the action to something you just check off a list without really going into detail, not to mention how it implies that the speaker is at the very center of the experience. It's also just a really lazy way of speaking. Jimbo J and the Spa Band succeed in turning this linguistic observation into a lively song that sums up the Israeli experience of growing up. It's well worth checking out their other songs from their debut album. I did!

IdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdid

What's I served? I did the army

Basic training in Shavta, from there to Jenin
Then the Etzion Brigade, Na'alin
Guarding with Nachal, training in the Golan
Then I did a commanders course
I did a patrol with the Border Police
I did guard duty eight-eight on the line
I did really great coffee
Black, strong, to wake up in an ambush
I did an arrest in Hebron
I did one war in Lebanon
When I did an officer in Be'er Sheva at Beit Hachayal they said
"It's a shame, do a bit of Keva"
How did my commander say to me? "You did good here"
But walla, I didn't want to
I said no to Keva and no to shoes because I did my part

IdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdid

What's I traveled? I did India

In the north I did almost everything
Dharamsala, Manali, and nothing beats Kasul
But then I was a little tired
So I did a U-turn
Nubra Valley, I did the trek in the desert
Three days, two nights, motorcycles
Then I did Kashmir and it was over
All that was left was to do the south
I did a stop in Rajasthan on the way
The cheapest shopping in Pushkar, I did
From there to Goa and Mumbai another month, to Palolem, Om Beach, a bit of Hampi
I had enough
I did my part

IdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdidIdid

What's I used? I did drugs
Green, brown, not hard drugs
Hits, joints, blunts, spliffs
I also flew some pipes, I dropped heads
I did the Coca and a bit of Hagigat
Nose only, lines, I didn't swallow, I snorted
And if it was enough to do once, but it didn't open
So walla I didn't fly
Persian Cocain I didn't do, why because they say you're stoked
But spitz, trips, acid, right on the spot, that I did do
But I'll leave you now

Now I just want to do to my home, to do names, to do business
To do the hit, to do kayaks, I want to do the time of my life

But I also want to do thoughts, to do teshuva, to do soul searching
To do love, to do kids, to do what a man needs to do