Frank Ocean
Tom Sachs
Frank Ocean & Rosie Watson
Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean & Mikey Alfred & Ryan Breaux & Sage Elsesser & Na’kel Smith & Ibrahim Hariri & Evan Clark
Frank Ocean & Lil B
Kanye West
Tyler, The Creator
Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean & Chassol & Om’Mas Keith
Ben Brooks
Kae Tempest
Federico Aliprandi
Frank Ocean
Andrew Durbin
Mikey Alfred
Frank Ocean
“Brown Eye Man” is a poem by English writer & musician Kae Tempest (formerly Kate Tempest) on pages 288–289 of Boys Don’t Cry magazine, published by Frank Ocean alongside his studio album Blonde on August 20, 2016. Tempest later released a vocal performance of the piece (with minor changes) for...
They took my friend.
They cuffed his wrists.
They beat him in the van.
He hadn't done a thing
But when they came, he ran.
And they pursued
And they were rude
And he said nothing,
He bit his lip.
If you speak, you'll feel their feet.
But if you don't
you'll still get hit.
What's the matter with you,
my lovely brown eyed man?
I can feel you shaking
when I take you by the hand.
Tell me. What's the matter,
my lovely brown eyed man?
How come I can feel you shaking
when I take you by the hand?
They want me bad, now bad I'll be.
They keep me poor
they make me sick
They feed me with desires for
things that I don't need that stick
their needles in my arms.
Expensive things I can't afford.
They show me rooms furnished with gold
and then they close the doors.
What's the matter with you,
my lovely brown eyed man?
I can feel you shaking
when I take you by the hand.
Please tell me,
what's the matter
my lovely brown eyed man?
I'm a child of the gimme-more nation.
When they want something,
they launch an occupation.
They plunder and pillage
and they say that they're saving.
They're bombing and maiming.
They're taking and taking.
But they lock me up,
and they paint me a demon
for trying to feed
my screaming children.
While they're killing for money
and they're crippling countries
and they're doing it all
beneath a flag saying
Freedom.
Now, what's the matter with you?
You're lying if you think
that my pain isn't your pain,
'cause when I'm hit you flinch.
What's the matter with you,
my lovely brown eyed man?
how come I can feel you shaking
when I take you by the hand?
Brown Eyed Man (Poem) was written by Kae Tempest.
Brown Eyed Man (Poem) was produced by Kae Tempest & Frank Ocean.
Kae Tempest released Brown Eyed Man (Poem) on Sat Aug 20 2016.
“Brown Eyed Man” appears on pages 288–289 of Boys Don’t Cry magazine.
“Brown Eyed Man,” pp. 288–289 of Boys Don’t Cry.
Note: Tempest is credited as “Kate Tempest” in the 2016 magazine. In 2020, Tempest announced they had changed their forename to “Kae” after coming out as non-binary.
Kae Tempest originally published “Brown Eyed Man” in Boys Don’t Cry magazine, released by Frank Ocean on August 20, 2016. Tempest later recorded a vocal performance of the poem for their album The Book of Traps and Lessons, released on June 14, 2019.