A picture can be worth a thousand words. The music video for Lupe Fiasco’s song entitled “Words I Never Said,” this very idea is brought to life. That phrase is the basis for the visual motif, in the form of a barcode, that is used in the video. In the music video as well as the lyrics, the main idea is that some people can get into trouble for voicing your opinion but when you hold back and stay silent, you regret not doing so. The video shows a visual motif in the form of a barcode that Fiasco sticks to the side of a bus and the wall inside his prison cell. Even though the barcode is not seen until towards the end of the video, it still does give a good visual representation of the lyrics. Throughout the music video for Lupe Fiasco’s “Words I Never Said,” the lyrics give us an idea of the motif’s purpose and the different visual effects help enhance its level of impact and give us a better understanding of its purpose and importance. 

The first time the barcode is shown is due to the events prior to its appearance. Fiasco gets arrested for taking the microphone on a bus and speaking about his irritation concerning all the terrorism going on and how he thinks the President Obama and the government is corrupt. Fiasco pulls it out of the wall in his prison cell right before he leaves the cell and knocks out the guards before saving the captured girl from the first scene. He sticks the barcode on the wall as he leaves his cell, possibly to show why he was there and leave his mark. During the scene in which he is arrested, the other bus passengers appear to be wearing gas masks on their mouths to keep them from talking. This represents the message in the video that speaking out about something you believe in is often discouraged in our society and that if your opinion seems alien to others, they will put you down and make you think that you are wrong.

The second and final time that the barcode is shown in the music video is at the very end when a girl walks up to the bus and sees it on the side. The girl appears different from the rest of the masked people in the sense that she is not pale and does not dress in a plain fashion. The bright colors and sun in the background in this scene show that she does not conform and shows a change in mood from negative and plain to positive and calm. In the scene, she takes her mask off and scans the barcode, which pulls up a long passage on her phone screen about how every person should have a right to think for themselves, speak out, and express themselves without any fear of oppression. When she sees this message, she smiles and shows expression, unlike the other people who were wearing masks. The scene takes place after the last chorus is sung, and the final words seem to linger and be held out. The last lyrics sung are, “the words I never said,” and having this scene immediately after this is sung helps add some effect and gives us a hint that the barcode will reappear and we will be able to see the reason why it is used as a motif. The audience can tell that the girl is accepting of the message Fiasco sends through the barcode and shares that individuality that he has.

The different techniques and strategies used by the producers of this music video in order to present the motif do a good job of adding to the story and effects. For example, the use of contrasting color schemes in the beginning and end of the video show a transition from conformity to expression and individualism. The bland and dull color scheme in the beginning and middle represent the part of our society that avoids the idea of being a leader rather than a follower and refuses to accept anything that strays from what everyone else does or believes in. The scenes were all black and white and everyone around Fiasco was wearing masks to show how they do not speak or act differently than anyone else. The use of the bright and colorful scheme at the very end shows a shift from being told what is and is not acceptable to being able to define who you are and have the freedom to express yourself without fear of discrimination or judgement. When the barcode is introduced in the video, the viewer sees it from directly over Fiasco’s shoulder and is able to see a possible turn of events because of the barcode. Right as Fiasco leaves his jail cell, the camera shows an extreme close-up of the barcode on the wall to show the audience that it sparked something inside of him and is the reason why he chose to leave his cell and break free. The last time it is shown is in the final scene when the girl finds it on the bus and scans it, revealing Fiasco’s thoughts and message on her phone. The camera gives us a point-of-view shot to see from her perspective when she scans it and sees the message appear on her phone. This shot shows the audience why the barcode was used in the video and how it visually depicts the lyrics and how Fiasco was able to theoretically say the words he never actually said.

In this video, the barcode’s role as a visual motif is important because it was Fiasco’s way of saying what he could not say. It was somewhat ironic that he put the barcode on his jail cell because he was imprisoned in the first place because he attempted to convey a similar message when he was on the bus. Even though he was put behind bars for speaking out, he was eventually able to get his thoughts out without having to say it. The vastly different color schemes used at the beginning and the end contributed to the main idea by depicting the difference between having a conformist, simplistic society that does not allow for self-expression and one that encourages freedom of thought and individuality. The use of contrasting color schemes and different kinds of shots throughout the video help add some effect and show the audience the message behind the lyrics and the actions in the video. The final verse of the song says how silence often speaks louder than actual voices and that he used the barcode to break his silence and express the thoughts that he would otherwise have been put down for if he had said them. Technically, he did not actually say that message, so the barcode is a visual representation of the title of the song because they really were the words he never said. 
