I went down to the river, I set down on the bank. I tried to think but couldn’t, So I jumped in and sank. I came up once and hollered!

Have you dug the spill Of Sugar Hill? Cast your gims On this sepia thrill: Brown sugar lassie,

The calm, Cool face of the river Asked me for a kiss.

Oh, silver tree! Oh, shining rivers of the soul! In a Harlem cabaret Six long—headed jazzers play. A dancing girl whose eyes are bold

Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal… It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up,

The night is beautiful, So the faces of my people. The stars are beautiful, So the eyes of my people. Beautiful, also, is the sun.

I would liken you To a night without stars Were it not for your eyes. I would liken you To a sleep without dreams

Down in the bass That steady beat Walking walking walking Like marching feet. Down in the bass

Because my mouth Is wide with laughter And my throat Is deep with song, You do not think

I am God— Without one friend, Alone in my purity World without end. Below me young lovers

Big Boy came Carrying a mermaid On his shoulders And the mermaid Had her tail

When I get to be a composer I’m gonna write me some music abou… Daybreak in Alabama And I’m gonna put the purtiest so… Rising out of the ground like a sw…