#AmericanWriters
Droning a drowsy syncopated tune, Rocking back and forth to a mellow… I heard a Negro play. Down on Lenox Avenue the other ni… By the pale dull pallor of an old…
I will take you heart. I will take your soul out of your… As though I were God. I will not be satisfied With the touch of your hand
been scared and battered. My hopes the wind done scattered. Snow has friz me, Sun has baked me, Looks like between 'em they done
I play it cool I dig all jive. That's the reason I stay alive. My motto
Good morning, daddy! Ain’t you heard The boogie—woogie rumble Of a dream deferred? Listen closely:
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 —
She, In the dark, Found light Brighter than many ever see. She,
I work all day, Said Simple John, Myself a house to buy. I work all day, Said Simple John,
I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh,
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…
My name is Johnson— Madam Alberta K. The Madam stands for business. I’m smart that way. I had a
I look at the world From awakening eyes in a black fac… And this is what I see: This fenced—off narrow space Assigned to me.
Night funeral In Harlem: Where did they get Them two fine cars? Insurance man, he did not pay—
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!
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,