A picture can be worth a thousand words. The music video for Lupe Fiasco’s song entitled “Words I Never Said,” brings this very idea 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 people can get into trouble for voicing their opinion. However, holding back and staying silent may result in regret. The video shows a visual motif, the barcode, that Fiasco sticks to the side of a bus and on the wall inside his prison cell. Even though the barcode is not seen until towards the end of the video, it still gives a good visual representation of the lyrics. Throughout the music video, the lyrics continuously provide hints as to what the role of the motif is. Various visual effects help enhance the motif’s impact, ultimately giving the audience a better understanding of its importance. 

Events prior to the initial appearance of the motif cause subsequent events, leading 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 considers President Obama and the government to be corrupt. When in jail, he pulls the barcode out of his prison cell wall right before he leaves the cell and knocks out the guards, and saving the captured girl from the first scene.  By sticking the barcode on the wall, the audience can make the assumption that he does so to show that his message will be delivered regardless of the fact that they arrested him. He could have done it to prove that the point he had been trying to make will be made whether it be verbally or not. 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 the present-day society and that if one’s opinion seems alien to others, they will put them down and make them think that that person is 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 and the colorful clothing she wears 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.” The purpose of having this scene directly follow those lyrics as emphasis to the scene and hints at a reappearance of the barcode and that the purpose of having it serve as a motif will be revealed. 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. Then, after all of the major events are over and Fiasco escapes and rescues the girl, the mood and setting changes completely. All of a sudden, there is no more sense of darkness or sadness, but a sense of hope is introduced. 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. This use of an over-the-shoulder shot gives the audience a different perspective in which they can see what Fiasco sees and can make a prediction that the barcode will be important. Just 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.  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 verbally say. It was somewhat ironic that he put the barcode on his jail cell wall because he was initially imprisoned for his attempt 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 physically 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 visual 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, therefor the barcode is a visual representation of the title of the song because they really were the words he never said. By using this barcode in the video, the message of both the song and the actions in the video were able to be portrayed visually alone.
