In the Quarter of the Negroes Where the doors are doors of paper Dust of dingy atoms Blows a scratchy sound. Amorphous jack—o’—Lanterns caper

Tell all my mourners To mourn in red — Cause there ain’t no sense In my bein’ dead.

The census man, The day he came round, Wanted my name To put it down. I said, Johnson,

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

I could take the Harlem night and wrap around you, Take the neon lights and make a cr… Take the Lenox Avenue busses, Taxis, subways,

Being walkers with the dawn and mo… Walkers with the sun and morning, We are not afraid of night, Nor days of gloom, Nor darkness—

I worked for a woman, She wasn’t mean— But she had a twelve—room House to clean. Had to get breakfast,

When I was home de Sunshine seemed like gold. When I was home de Sunshine seemed like gold. Since I come up North de

2 and 2 are 4. 4 and 4 are 8. But what would happen If the last 4 was late? And how would it be