#Americans #Blacks
Tell all my mourners To mourn in red — Cause there ain’t no sense In my bein’ dead.
My name is Johnson— Madam Alberta K. The Madam stands for business. I’m smart that way. I had a
You and your whole race. Look down upon the town in which y… And be ashamed. Look down upon white folks And upon yourselves
I am God— Without one friend, Alone in my purity World without end. Below me young lovers
Only dumb guys fight. If I wasn’t dumb I wouldn’t be fightin’. I could make six dollars a day On the docks
My old mule, He’s gota grin on his face. He’s been a mule so long He’s forgotten about his race. I’m like that old mule —
Because my mouth Is wide with laughter And my throat Is deep with song, You do not think
That Justice is a blind goddess Is a thing to which we black are w… Her bandage hides two festering so… That once perhaps were eyes.
Down in the bass That steady beat Walking walking walking Like marching feet. Down in the bass
I live on a park bench. You, Park Avenue. Hell of a distance Between us two. I beg a dime for dinner—
When you turn the corner And you run into yourself Then you know that you have turned All the corners that are left
I would liken you To a night without stars Were it not for your eyes. I would liken you To a sleep without dreams
How still, How strangely still The water is today, It is not good For water
I’ve known rivers: I’ve known rivers ancient as the w… My soul has grown deep like the ri… I bathed in the Euphrates when da… I built my hut near the Congo and…
When a man starts out with nothing… When a man starts out with his han… Empty, but clean, When a man starts to build a world… He starts first with himself
