The Deliverance
Master only left old Mistus
One bright and handsome boy;
But she fairly doted on him,
He was her pride and joy.
We all liked Mister Thomas,
He was so kind at heart;
And when the young folkes got in scrapes,
He always took their part.
He kept right on that very way
Till he got big and tall,
And old Mistus used to chide him
And say he'd spile us all.
But somehow the farm did prosper
When he took things in hand;
And though all the servants liked him,
He made them understand.
One evening Mister Thomas said,
'Just bring my easy shoes;
I am going to sit by mother,
And read her up the news.'
Soon I heard him tell old Mistus
We're bound to have a fight;
But we'll whip the Yankees, mother,
We'll whip them sure as night!'
Then I saw old Mistus tremble;
She gasped and held her breath;
And she looked on Mister Thomas
With a face as pale as death.
'They are firing on Fort Sumpter;
Oh! I wish that I was there! -
Why, dear mother! what's the matter?
You're the picture of despair.'
'I was thinking, dearest Thomas,
'Twould break my very heart
If a fierce and dreadful battle
Should tear our lives apart.'
'None but cowards, dearest mother,
Would skulk unto the rear,
When the tyrant's hand is shaking
All the heart is holding dear.'
I felt sorry for old Mistus;
She got too full to speak;
But I saw the great big tear-drops
A running down her cheek.
Mister Thomas too was troubled
With choosing on that night,
Betwixt staying with his mother
And joining in the fight.
Soon down into the village came
A call for volunteers;
Mistus gave up Mister Thomas,
With many sighs and tears.
His uniform was real handsome;
He looked so brave and strong;
But somehow I could'nt help thinking
His fighting must be wrong.
Though the house was very lonesome,
I thought 'twould all come right,
For I felt somehow or other
We was mixed up in that fight.
And I said to Uncle Jacob,
'How old Mistus feels the sting,
For this parting with your children
Is a mighty dreadful thing.'
'Never mind,' said Uncle Jacob,
'Just wait and watch and pray,
For I feel right sure and certain,
Slavery's bound to pass away;
'Because I asked the Spirit,
If God is good and just,
How it happened that the masters
Did grind us to the dust.
'And something reasoned right inside,
Such should not always be;
And you could not beat it out my head,
The Spirit spoke to me.'
And his dear old eyes would brighten,
And his lips put on a smile,
Saying, 'Pick up faith and courage,
And just wait a little while.'
Mistus prayed up in the parlor,
That the Secesh all might win;
We were praying in the cabins,
Wanting freedom to begin.
Mister Thomas wrote to Mistus,
Telling 'bout the Bull's Run fight,
That his troops had whipped the Yankees
And put them all to flight.
Mistus' eyes did fairly glisten;
She laughed and praised the South,
But I thought some day she'd laugh
On tother side her mouth.
I used to watch old Mistus' face,
And when it looked quite long
I would say to Cousin Milly,
The battle's going wrong;
Not for us, but for the Rebels. -
My heart would fairly skip,
When Uncle Jacob used to say,
'The North is bound to whip.'
And let the fight go as it would -
Let North or South prevail -
He always kept his courage up,
And never let it fail.
And he often used to tell us,
'Children, don't forget to pray;
For the darkest time of morning
Is just 'fore the break of day.'
Well, one morning bright and early
We heard the fife and drum,
And the booming of the cannon -
The Yankee troops had come.
When the word ran through the village,
The colored folks are free -
In the kitchens and the cabins
We held a jubilee.
When they told us Mister Lincoln
Said that slavery was dead,
We just poured our prayers and blessings
Upon his precious head.
We just laughed, and danced, and shouted
And prayed, and sang, and cried,
And we thought dear Uncle Jacob
Would fairly crack his side.
But when old Mistus heard it,
She groaned and hardly spoke;
When she had to lose her servants,
Her heart was almost broke.
'Twas a sight to see our people
Going out, the troops to meet,
Almost dancing to the music,
And marching down the street.
After years of pain and parting,
Our chains was broke in two,
And we was so mighty happy,
We didn't know what to do.
But we soon got used to freedom,
Though the way at first was rough;
But we weathered through the tempest,
For slavery made us tough.
But we had one awful sorrow,
It almost turned my head,
When a mean and wicked cretur
Shot Mister Lincoln dead.
'Twas a dreadful solemn morning,
I just staggered on my feet;
And the women they were crying
And screaming in the street.
But if many prayers and blessings
Could bear him to the throne,
I should think when Mister Lincoln died,
That heaven just got its own.
Then we had another President, -
What do you call his name?
Well, if the colored folks forget him
They would'nt be much to blame.
We thought he'd be the Moses
Of all the colored race;
But when the Rebels pressed us hard
He never showed his face.
But something must have happened him,
Right curi's I'll be bound,
'Cause I heard 'em talking 'bout a circle
That he was swinging round.
But everything will pass away -
He went like time and tide -
And when the next election came
They let poor Andy slide.
But now we have a President,
And if I was a man
I'd vote for him for breaking up
The wicked Ku-Klux Klan.
And if any man should ask me
If I would sell my vote,
I'd tell him I was not the one
To change and turn my coat;
If freedom seem'd a little rough
I'd weather through the gale;
And as to buying up my vote,
I hadn't it for sale.
I do not think I'd ever be
As slack as Jonas Handy;
Because I heard he sold his vote
For just three sticks of candy.
But when John Thomas Reeder brought
His wife some flour and meat,
And told he had sold his vote
For something good to eat,
You ought to seen Aunt Kitty raise,
And heard her blaze away;
She gave the meat and flour a toss,
And said they should not stay.
And I should think he felt quite cheap
For voting the wrong side;
And when Aunt Kitty scolded him,
He just stood up and cried.
But the worst fooled man I ever saw,
Was when poor David Rand
Sold out for flour and sugar;
The sugar was mixed with sand.
I'll tell you how the thing got out;
His wife had company,
And she thought the sand was sugar,
And served it up for tea.
When David sipped and sipped the tea,
Somehow it didn't taste right;
I guess when he found he was sipping sand
He was mad enough to fight.
The sugar looked so nice and white -
It was spread some inches deep -
But underneath was a lot of sand;
Such sugar is mighty cheap.
You'd laughed to seen Lucinda Grange
Upon her husband's track;
When he sold his vote for rations
She made him take 'em back.
Day after day did Milly Green
Just follow after Joe,
And told him if he voted wrong
To take his rags and go.
I think that Samuel Johnson said
His side had won the day,
Had not we women radicals
Just got right in the way.
And yet I would not have you think
That all our men are shabby;
But 'tis said in every flock of sheep
There will be one that's scabby.
I've heard, before election came
They tried to buy John Slade;
But he gave them all to understand
That he wasn't in that trade.
And we've got lots of other men
Who rally round the cause,
And go for holding up the hands
That gave us equal laws,
Who know their freedom cost too much
Of blood and pain and treasure,
For them to fool away their votes
For profit or for pleasure.
poem by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Aunt Chloe
.
I remember, well remember,
.
That dark and dreadful day,
.
When they whispered to me, "Chloe,
.
Your children's sold away!" 1.
It seemed as if a bullet
.
Had shot me through and through,
.
And I felt as if my heart-strings
.
Was breaking right in two. 1.
And I says to cousin Milly,
.
"There must be some mistake;
.
Where's Mistus?" "In the great house crying --
.
Crying like her heart would break. 1.
"And the lawyer's there with Mistus;
.
Says he's come to 'ministrate,
.
'Cause when master died he just left
.
Heap of debt on the estate. 1.
"And I thought 'twould do you good
.
To bid your boys good-bye --
.
To kiss them both and shake their hands,
.
And have a hearty cry. 1.
"Oh! Chloe, I knows how you feel,
.
'Cause I'se been through it all;
.
I thought my poor old heart would break,
.
When master sold my Saul." 1.
Just then I heard the footsteps
.
Of my children at the door,
.
And then I rose right up to meet them,
.
But I fell upon the floor. 1.
And I heard poor Jakey saying,
.
"Oh, mammy, don't you cry!"
.
And I felt my children kiss me
.
And bid me, both, good-bye. 1.
Then I had a mighty sorrow,
.
Though I nursed it all alone;
.
But I wasted to a shadow,
.
And turned to skin and bone. 1.
But one day dear uncle Jacob
.
(In heaven he's now a saint)
.
Said, "Your poor heart is in the fire,
.
But child you must not faint." 1.
Then I said to uncle Jacob,
.
If I was good like you,
.
When the heavy trouble dashed me
.
I'd know just what to do. 1.
Then he said to me, "Poor Chloe,
.
The way is open wide:"
.
And he told me of the Saviour,
.
And the fountain in His side. 1.
Then he said "Just take your burden
.
To the blessed Master's feet;
.
I takes all my troubles, Chloe,
.
Right unto the mercy-seat." 1.
His words waked up my courage,
.
And I began to pray,
.
And I felt my heavy burden
.
Rolling like a stone away. 1.
And a something seemed to tell me,
.
You will see your boys again --
.
And that hope was like a poultice
.
Spread upon a dreadful pain. 1.
And it often seemed to whisper,
.
Chloe, trust and never fear;
.
You'll get justice in the kingdom,
.
If you do not get it here. [2] The Deliverance 2.
Master only left old Mistus
.
One bright and handsome boy;
.
But she fairly doted on him,
.
He was her pride and joy. 2.
We all liked Mister Thomas,
.
He was so kind at heart;
.
And when the young folkes got in scrapes,
.
He always took their part. 2.
He kept right on that very way
.
Till he got big and tall,
.
And old Mistus used to chide him
.
And say he'd spile us all. 2.
But somehow the farm did prosper
.
When he took things in hand;
.
And though all the servants liked him,
.
He made them understand. 2.
One evening Mister Thomas said,
.
"Just bring my easy shoes;
.
I am going to sit by mother,
.
And read her up the news." 2.
Soon I heard him tell old Mistus
.
We're bound to have a fight;
.
But we'll whip the Yankees, mother,
.
We'll whip them sure as night!" 2.
Then I saw old Mistus tremble;
.
She gasped and held her breath;
.
And she looked on Mister Thomas
.
With a face as pale as death. 2.
"They are firing on Fort Sumpter;
.
Oh! I wish that I was there! --
.
Why, dear mother! what's the matter?
.
You're the picture of despair." 2.
"I was thinking, dearest Thomas,
.
'Twould break my very heart
.
If a fierce and dreadful battle
.
Should tear our lives apart." 2.
"None but cowards, dearest mother,
.
Would skulk unto the rear,
.
When the tyrant's hand is shaking
.
All the heart is holding dear." 2.
I felt sorry for old Mistus;
.
She got too full to speak;
.
But I saw the great big tear-drops
.
A running down her cheek. 2.
Mister Thomas too was troubled
.
With choosing on that night,
.
Betwixt staying with his mother
.
And joining in the fight. 2.
Soon down into the village came
.
A call for volunteers;
.
Mistus gave up Mister Thomas,
.
With many sighs and tears. 2.
His uniform was real handsome;
.
He looked so brave and strong;
.
But somehow I could'nt help thinking
.
His fighting must be wrong. 2.
Though the house was very lonesome,
.
I thought 'twould all come right,
.
For I felt somehow or other
.
We was mixed up in that fight. 2.
And I said to Uncle Jacob,
.
"How old Mistus feels the sting,
.
For this parting with your children
.
Is a mighty dreadful thing." 2.
"Never mind," said Uncle Jacob,
.
"Just wait and watch and pray,
.
For I feel right sure and certain,
.
Slavery's bound to pass away; 2.
"Because I asked the Spirit,
.
If God is good and just,
.
How it happened that the masters
.
Did grind us to the dust. 2.
"And something reasoned right inside,
.
Such should not always be;
.
And you could not beat it out my head,
.
The Spirit spoke to me." 2.
And his dear old eyes would brighten,
.
And his lips put on a smile,
.
Saying, "Pick up faith and courage,
.
And just wait a little while." 2.
Mistus prayed up in the parlor,
.
That the Secesh all might win;
.
We were praying in the cabins,
.
Wanting freedom to begin. 2.
Mister Thomas wrote to Mistus,
.
Telling 'bout the Bull's Run fight,
.
That his troops had whipped the Yankees
.
And put them all to flight. 2.
Mistus' eyes did fairly glisten;
.
She laughed and praised the South,
.
But I thought some day she'd laugh
.
On tother side her mouth. 2.
I used to watch old Mistus' face,
.
And when it looked quite long
.
I would say to Cousin Milly,
.
The battle's going wrong; 2.
Not for us, but for the Rebels. --
.
My heart would fairly skip,
.
When Uncle Jacob used to say,
.
"The North is bound to whip." 2.
And let the fight go as it would --
.
Let North or South prevail --
.
He always kept his courage up,
.
And never let it fail. 2.
And he often used to tell us,
.
"Children, don't forget to pray;
.
For the darkest time of morning
.
Is just 'fore the break of day." 2.
Well, one morning bright and early
.
We heard the fife and drum,
.
And the booming of the cannon --
.
The Yankee troops had come. 2.
When the word ran through the village,
.
The colored folks are free --
.
In the kitchens and the cabins
.
We held a jubilee. 2.
When they told us Mister Lincoln
.
Said that slavery was dead,
.
We just poured our prayers and blessings
.
Upon his precious head. 2.
We just laughed, and danced, and shouted
.
And prayed, and sang, and cried,
.
And we thought dear Uncle Jacob
.
Would fairly crack his side. 2.
But when old Mistus heard it,
.
She groaned and hardly spoke;
.
When she had to lose her servants,
.
Her heart was almost broke. 2.
'Twas a sight to see our people
.
Going out, the troops to meet,
.
Almost dancing to the music,
.
And marching down the street. 2.
After years of pain and parting,
.
Our chains was broke in two,
.
And we was so mighty happy,
.
We didn't know what to do. 2.
But we soon got used to freedom,
.
Though the way at first was rough;
.
But we weathered through the tempest,
.
For slavery made us tough. 2.
But we had one awful sorrow,
.
It almost turned my head,
.
When a mean and wicked cretur
.
Shot Mister Lincoln dead. 2.
'Twas a dreadful solemn morning,
.
I just staggered on my feet;
.
And the women they were crying
.
And screaming in the street. 2.
But if many prayers and blessings
.
Could bear him to the throne,
.
I should think when Mister Lincoln died,
.
That heaven just got its own. 2.
Then we had another President, --
.
What do you call his name?
.
Well, if the colored folks forget him
.
They would'nt be much to blame. 2.
We thought he'd be the Moses
.
Of all the colored race;
.
But when the Rebels pressed us hard
.
He never showed his face. 2.
But something must have happened him,
.
Right curi's I'll be bound,
.
'Cause I heard 'em talking 'bout a circle
.
That he was swinging round. 2.
But everything will pass away --
.
He went like time and tide --
.
And when the next election came
.
They let poor Andy slide. 2.
But now we have a President,
.
And if I was a man
.
I'd vote for him for breaking up
.
The wicked Ku-Klux Klan. 2.
And if any man should ask me
.
If I would sell my vote,
.
I'd tell him I was not the one
.
To change and turn my coat; 2.
If freedom seem'd a little rough
.
I'd weather through the gale;
.
And as to buying up my vote,
.
I hadn't it for sale. 2.
I do not think I'd ever be
.
As slack as Jonas Handy;
.
Because I heard he sold his vote
.
For just three sticks of candy. 2.
But when John Thomas Reeder brought
.
His wife some flour and meat,
.
And told he had sold his vote
.
For something good to eat, 2.
You ought to seen Aunt Kitty raise,
.
And heard her blaze away;
.
She gave the meat and flour a toss,
.
And said they should not stay. 2.
And I should think he felt quite cheap
.
For voting the wrong side;
.
And when Aunt Kitty scolded him,
.
He just stood up and cried. 2.
But the worst fooled man I ever saw,
.
Was when poor David Rand
.
Sold out for flour and sugar;
.
The sugar was mixed with sand. 2.
I'll tell you how the thing got out;
.
His wife had company,
.
And she thought the sand was sugar,
.
And served it up for tea. 2.
When David sipped and sipped the tea,
.
Somehow it didn't taste right;
.
I guess when he found he was sipping sand
.
He was mad enough to fight. 2.
The sugar looked so nice and white --
.
It was spread some inches deep --
.
But underneath was a lot of sand;
.
Such sugar is mighty cheap. 2.
You'd laughed to seen Lucinda Grange
.
Upon her husband's track;
.
When he sold his vote for rations
.
She made him take 'em back. 2.
Day after day did Milly Green
.
Just follow after Joe,
.
And told him if he voted wrong
.
To take his rags and go. 2.
I think that Samuel Johnson said
.
His side had won the day,
.
Had not we women radicals
.
Just got right in the way. 2.
And yet I would not have you think
.
That all our men are shabby;
.
But 'tis said in every flock of sheep
.
There will be one that's scabby. 2.
I've heard, before election came
.
They tried to buy John Slade;
.
But he gave them all to understand
.
That he wasn't in that trade. 2.
And we've got lots of other men
.
Who rally round the cause,
.
And go for holding up the hands
.
That gave us equal laws, 2.
Who know their freedom cost too much
.
Of blood and pain and treasure,
.
For them to fool away their votes
.
For profit or for pleasure. [3] Aunt Chloe's Politics 3.
Of course, I don't know very much
.
About these politics,
.
But I think that some who run 'em,
.
Do mighty ugly tricks. 3.
I've seen 'em honey-fugle round,
.
And talk so awful sweet,
.
That you'd think them full of kindness
.
As an egg is full of meat. 3.
Now I don't believe in looking
.
Honest people in the face,
.
And saying when you're doing wrong,
.
That 'I haven't sold my race.' 3.
When we want to school our children,
.
If the money isn't there,
.
Whether black or white have took it,
.
The loss we all must share. 3.
And this buying up each other
.
Is something worse than mean,
.
Though I thinks a heap of voting,
.
I go for voting clean. [4] Learning to Read 4.
Very soon the Yankee teachers
.
Came down and set up school;
.
But, oh! how the Rebs did hate it, --
.
It was agin' their rule. 4.
Our masters always tried to hide
.
Book learning from our eyes;
.
Knowledge did'nt agree with slavery --
.
'Twould make us all too wise. 4.
But some of us would try to steal
.
A little from the book,
.
And put the words together,
.
And learn by hook or crook. 4.
I remember Uncle Caldwell,
.
Who took pot liquor fat
.
And greased the pages of his book,
.
And hid it in his hat. 4.
And had his master ever seen
.
The leaves upon his head,
.
He'd have thought them greasy papers,
.
But nothing to be read. 4.
And there was Mr. Turner's Ben,
.
Who heard the children spell,
.
And picked the words right up by heart,
.
And learned to read 'em well. 4.
Well, the Northern folks kept sending
.
The Yankee teachers down;
.
And they stood right up and helped us,
.
Though Rebs did sneer and frown. 4.
And I longed to read my Bible,
.
For precious words it said;
.
But when I begun to learn it,
.
Folks just shook their heads, 4.
And said there is no use trying,
.
Oh! Chloe, you're too late;
.
But as I was rising sixty,
.
I had no time to wait. 4.
So I got a pair of glasses,
.
And straight to work I went,
.
And never stopped till I could read
.
The hymns and Testament. 4.
Then I got a little cabin
.
A place to call my own --
.
And I felt as independent
.
As the queen upon her throne. [5] Church Building 5.
Uncle Jacob often told us,
.
Since freedom blessed our race
.
We ought all to come together
.
And build a meeting place. 5.
So we pinched, and scraped, and spared,
.
A little here and there:
.
Though our wages was but scanty,
.
The church did get a share. 5.
And, when the house was finished,
.
Uncle Jacob came to pray;
.
He was looking mighty feeble,
.
And his head was awful gray. 5.
But his voice rang like a trumpet;
.
His eyes looked bright and young;
.
And it seemed a mighty power
.
Was resting on his tongue. 5.
And he gave us all his blessing --
.
'Twas parting words he said,
.
For soon we got the message
.
The dear old man was dead. 5.
But I believe he's in the kingdom,
.
For when we shook his hand
.
He said, "Children, you must meet me
.
Right in the promised land; 5.
"For when I done a moiling
.
And toiling here below,
.
Through the gate into the city
.
Straightway I hope to go." [6] The Reunion 6.
Well, one morning real early
.
I was going down the street,
.
And I heard a stranger asking
.
For Missis Chloe Fleet. 6.
There was something in his voice
.
That made me feel quite shaky.
.
And when I looked right in his face,
.
Who should it be but Jakey! 6.
I grasped him tight, and took him home --
.
What gladness filled my cup!
.
And I laughed, and just rolled over,
.
And laughed, and just give up. 6.
"Where have you been? O Jakey, dear!
.
Why didn't you come before?
.
Oh! when you children went away
.
My heart was awful sore." 6.
"Why, mammy, I've been on your hunt
.
Since ever I've been free,
.
And I have heard from brother Ben, --
.
He's down in Tennessee. 6.
"He wrote me that he had a wife,"
.
"And children?" "Yes, he's three."
.
"You married, too?" "Oh, no, indeed,
.
I thought I'd first get free." 6.
"Then, Jakey, you will stay with me,
.
And comfort my poor heart;
.
Old Mistus got no power now
.
To tear us both apart. 6.
"I'm richer now than Mistus,
.
Because I have got my son;
.
And Mister Thomas he is dead,
.
And she's nary one. 6.
"You must write to brother Benny
.
That he must come this fall,
.
And we'll make the cabin bigger,
.
And that will hold us all. 6.
"Tell him I want to see 'em all
.
Before my life do cease:
.
And then, like good old Simeon,
.
I hope to die in peace."
poem by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Reunion
Well, one morning real early
I was going down the street,
And I heard a stranger asking
For Missis Chloe Fleet.
There was something in his voice
That made me feel quite shaky.
And when I looked right in his face,
Who should it be but Jakey!
I grasped him tight, and took him home -
What gladness filled my cup!
And I laughed, and just rolled over,
And laughed, and just give up.
'Where have you been? O Jakey, dear!
Why didn't you come before?
Oh! when you children went away
My heart was awful sore.'
'Why, mammy, I've been on your hunt
Since ever I've been free,
And I have heard from brother Ben, -
He's down in Tennessee.
'He wrote me that he had a wife,'
'And children?' 'Yes, he's three.'
'You married, too?' 'Oh, no, indeed,
I thought I'd first get free.'
'Then, Jakey, you will stay with me,
And comfort my poor heart;
Old Mistus got no power now
To tear us both apart.
'I'm richer now than Mistus,
Because I have got my son;
And Mister Thomas he is dead,
And she's nary one.
'You must write to brother Benny
That he must come this fall,
And we'll make the cabin bigger,
And that will hold us all.
'Tell him I want to see 'em all
Before my life do cease:
And then, like good old Simeon,
I hope to die in peace.'
poem by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Church Building
Uncle Jacob often told us,
Since freedom blessed our race
We ought all to come together
And build a meeting place.
So we pinched, and scraped, and spared,
A little here and there:
Though our wages was but scanty,
The church did get a share.
And, when the house was finished,
Uncle Jacob came to pray;
He was looking mighty feeble,
And his head was awful gray.
But his voice rang like a trumpet;
His eyes looked bright and young;
And it seemed a mighty power
Was resting on his tongue.
And he gave us all his blessing -
'Twas parting words he said,
For soon we got the message
The dear old man was dead.
But I believe he's in the kingdom,
For when we shook his hand
He said, 'Children, you must meet me
Right in the promised land;
'For when I done a moiling
And toiling here below,
Through the gate into the city
Straightway I hope to go.'
poem by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Old Mister Time
He looked funny
The children called him the scarecrow
An old raincoat
And baggy trousers and sneakers
He found at the dump
Oh, but if you bothered to look
There was something behind the rags
Oh there was a look in his eyes
It was something youd never forget
He lived badly
A broken shack on the railway
An old moggy
The only one who replied
When he talked to the walls
Oh we didnt understand
We were fooled by the dirt on his face
Oh we were human then
We were searching behind his disgrace
Why dont you leave me alone
Why dont you go to your homes
Why dont you keep to yourselves
Im tellin you
Why dont you leave me alone
Youre never gonna realise
When all you do is criticise
Youre never gonna make it work
You never seem to get enough
You crumble when its getting rough
Youre never gonna make it work
Im tellin you therell come a day
Youre gonna blow yourselves away
Its wrong that I should interfere
I just get in the way
Why dont you leave me alone
Why dont you go to your homes
Why dont you keep to yourselves
Im tellin you
Why dont you leave me alone
Deep into the night
He was working by the light
Of the candle by his bed
On the theory in his head
He was building from the junk
That he rescued from the dump
And when he turned the power on
There was a sound and he was gone
Oh in the gray of the dawn
We discovered the thing he was working on
Oh we didnt understand
The future was old mister time
Future was old mister time
Future was old mister time
Future was old mister time
Old mister time (mister time, mister time....)
Old mister time (mister time, mister time....)
Old mister time (mister time, mister time....)
song performed by by 10 Cc
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Messenger
She rose up in the early dawn,
And white and silently she moved
About the house. Four men had gone
To battle for the land they loved,
And she, the mother and the wife,
Waited for tidings from the strife.
How still the house seemed! and her tread
Was like the footsteps of the dead.
The long day passed; the dark night came.
She had not seen a human face.
Some voice spoke suddenly her name.
How loud it echoed in that place,
Where, day on day, no sound was heard
But her own footsteps. 'Bring you word,'
She cried to whom she could not see,
'Word from the battle-plain to me?'
A soldier entered at the door,
And stood within the dim firelight;
'I bring you tidings of the four,'
He said, 'who left you for the fight.'
'God bless you, friend,' she cried, 'speak on!
For I can bear it. One is gone?'
'Ay, one is gone!' he said. 'Which one?'
'Dear lady, he, your eldest son.'
A deathly pallor shot across
Her withered face; she did not weep.
She said: 'It is a grievous loss,
But God gives His belovèd sleep.
What of the living-of the three?
And when can they come back to me?'
The soldier turned away his head:
'Lady, your husband, too, is dead.'
She put her hand upon her brow;
A wild, sharp pain was in her eyes.
'My husband! Oh, God, help me now!'
The soldier heard her shuddering sighs.
The task was harder than he thought.
'Your youngest son, dear madam, fought
Close at his father's side; both fell
Dead, by the bursting of a shell.'
She moved her lips and seemed to moan.
Her face had paled to ashen gray:
'Then one is left me-one alone,'
She said, 'of four who marched away.
Oh, overruling, All-wise God,
How can I pass beneath Thy rod!'
The soldier walked across the floor,
Paused at the window, at the door,
Wiped the cold dew-drops from his cheek
And sought the mourner's side again.
'Once more, dear lady, I must speak:
Your last remaining son was slain
Just at the closing of the fight,
'Twas he who sent me here to-night.'
'God knows,' the man said afterward,
'The fight itself was not so hard.'
poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Nickel Romeo
Hey sugar I had that dream again
I saw you in your red crushed velvet suit
Rolling on my feather bed
A cheshire cat in yellow beatle boots
(but) whos that stranger lying in your arms
Her fingers running down your tattooed chest
Valentinos cranking up the charm
And its coming like a freight train
These pictures in my head
Hey mister nickel romeo
Everybody knows your name
Hey, hey mister
Tell me mister, whats your game?
Falling, yes she will fall
Your latest victim bites her lip and sighs
Shes do these nasty things for you
Insinuating kisses on the sly
Oh I remember how you get your kicks
Preying on the innocent at night
Strange desperation-you gotta cop that fix
Making every little girl is keeping you alive
Hey mister nickel romeo
Everybody knows your name
Hey hey mister
Tell me mister, whats your game
Oh nickel romeo you got no shame
Hey mister nickel romeo
Everybody knows your name
Hey hey mister
Tell me mister, whats your game?
Hey mister nickel romeo
Everybody knows your name
Hey hey mister
Youre the master of this game
Because you got no shame
I think Im going insane
And youre to blame...
song performed by by Bangles
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Mister Moon And Mister Sun
Time goes so fast today. Don't blink she'll go away. Don't
close your eyes. Not for one moment. You feel so good right
now. You have to stay somehow. Don't let it slip. Let time
stay frozen.
She needs you. You need her. Just like the sun. Don't think
that it's over. It's just begun.
Oh Mister Moon and Mister Sun. Our song has only just
begun. Oh Mister Sun and Mister Moon. Don't let these
minutes go too soon.
If wishes were for free. My only hope would be. To stop the
clock. Let's keep this moment. I guess that's just a dream.
As hollow as your own moon beam. So let us revel in our
time.
She needs you. You need her. Just like the sun. It never is
over. Once it's begun.
Oh Mister Moon and Mister Sun. Our life has only just
begun. Oh Mister Sun and Mister Moon. Don't let this
moment go too soon.
Oh Mister Moon and Mister Sun. Our life has only just
begun. Oh Mister Sun and Mister Moon. Don't let this
moment go too soon. Oh Mister Moon and Mister Sun. Our
song has only just begun. Oh Mister Sun and Mister Moon.
Don't let these minutes go too soon
song performed by by Human League
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Mr. Bojangles
(1968) jerry jeff walker
I knew a man bojangles
Always danced with worn out shoes
The silver hair, a ragged shirt
And bare ragged paints
The old soft shoe
He jumps so high
He jumps so high and
Then he lightly touches down
I met him in a new orleans caf
He was down and out
____________
I knew a man, bojangles, and he danced for you
In worn out shoes.
With silver hair, a ragged shirt and baggy pants,
The old soft shoe.
He jumped so high, jumped so high, then he lightly touched down.
I met him in a cell in new orleans, i was
So down and out.
He looked at me to be the eyes of age,
As he spoke right out.
He talked of life, he talked of life. he laughed, clicked heels instead.
Mister bojangles
Mister bojangles
Mister bojangles,
Dance!
He danced for those at minstrel shows and county fairs
Throughout the south.
He spoke with tears of fifteen years how his dog and he
Traveled about.
His dog up and died, dog up and died, after twentyyears he still grieved.
He said, i dance now at every chance in honky tonks
For drinks and tips.
But most of the time i spend behind these county bars.
He said, i drink a bit.
He shook his head and as he shook his head i heard someone ask, please
Mister bojangles
Mister bojangles
Mister bojangles,
Dance!
song performed by by Nina Simone
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Mary Called Him 'Mister
They'd parted but a year before—she never thought he’d come,
She stammer’d, blushed, held out her hand, and called him ‘Mister Gum.’
How could he know that all the while she longed to murmur ‘John.’
He called her ‘Miss le Brook,’ and asked how she was getting on.
They’d parted but a year before; they’d loved each other well,
But he’d been to the city, and he came back such a swell.
They longed to meet in fond embrace, they hungered for a kiss—
But Mary called him ‘Mister,’ and the idiot called her ‘Miss.’
He stood and lean’d against the door—a stupid chap was he—
And, when she asked if he’d come in and have a cup of tea,
He looked to left, he looked to right, and then he glanced behind,
And slowly doffed his cabbage-tree, and said he ‘didn’t mind.’
She made a shy apology because the meat was tough,
And then she asked if he was sure his tea was sweet enough;
He stirred the tea and sipped it twice, and answer’d ‘plenty, quite;’
And cut the smallest piece of beef and said that it was ‘right.’
She glanced at him at times and cough’d an awkward little cough;
He stared at anything but her and said, ‘I must be off.’
That evening he went riding north—a sad and lonely ride—
She locked herself inside her room, and there sat down and cried.
They’d parted but a year before, they loved each other well—
But she was such a country girl and he was such a swell ;
They longed to meet in fond embrace, they hungered for a kiss—
But Mary called him ‘Mister’ and the idiot called her ‘Miss.
poem by Henry Lawson
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Mr Speaker Gets The Word
Wriggles from his captors arms
Mr speaker gets the word and
Running now from the alarms
Speaks his mind free as a bird
Free now to roam around
Stand up straight when he quotes
Spread the word that he has found
Books of verse and scribbled notes
Mister speaker gets the word
(to tell the secrets he has heard)
Speaks so fast his words are slurred
(mister speaker gets the word)
Stands up straight outside my door
I bring you now the words Ive learned
To whom it may concern senor
Tell my friends I have returned
Mister speaker gets the word
(to tell the secrets he has heard)
Speaks so fast his words are slurred
(mister speaker gets the word)
Excitement rages through his brain
Stirred and stirred throughout the years
Not enough time to explain
Eyes of many sighs of fear
Making space from colney hatch lane
Just some poetry my friend
Scuttles past my window frame
Vanishes right round the bend
Mister speaker gets the word
(to tell the secrets he has heard)
Speaks so fast his words are slurred
(mister speaker gets the word)
song performed by by Madness
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Mr Speaker
Wriggles from his captors arms
Mr speaker gets the word and
Running now from the alarms
Speaks his mind free as a bird
Free now to roam around
Stand up straight when he quotes
Spread the word that he has found
Books of verse and scribbled notes
Mister speaker gets the word
(to tell the secrets he has heard)
Speaks so fast his words are slurred
(mister speaker gets the word)
Stands up straight outside my door
I bring you now the words Ive learned
To whom it may concern senor
Tell my friends I have returned
Mister speaker gets the word
(to tell the secrets he has heard)
Speaks so fast his words are slurred
(mister speaker gets the word)
Excitement rages through his brain
Stirred and stirred throughout the years
Not enough time to explain
Eyes of many sighs of fear
Making space from colney hatch lane
Just some poetry my friend
Scuttles past my window frame
Vanishes right round the bend
Mister speaker gets the word
(to tell the secrets he has heard)
Speaks so fast his words are slurred
(mister speaker gets the word)
song performed by by Madness
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Mr. Big Man
I remember when you started out,
You were the best friend i ever knew.
I tried to meet you when you had your success,
But you had better things to do.
Now i bet that you're losin' count
Of the people that you used.
But now we're gonna see the vicious side of you,
Mister big.
You've got the say and the power.
Your minions grovel and cower.
But i see you, and i see me.
But you're the big man now.
You got it, mister big.
Your followers kiss your hand,
And your slaves all at your feet.
Your minions serve your beck and call,
But they don't compensate at all,
'cause inside, mister big's very small.
When you were poor and knockin' at the door,
You were really lots of fun.
But now you're hot and you're sittin' on the top;
You've got no time for anyone.
You schemed and connived.
You pushed and you lied,
Till you at last became a star.
But now we're gonna see the way you really are,
Mister big.
Now your vict'ry is complete
And your battles are all won.
Your enemies and foes are all stacked up in rows,
Eliminated one by one.
You got it, mister big.
song performed by by Kinks
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Mister Moon & Mister Sun
Time goes so fast today. dont blink shell go away. dont
Close your eyes. not for one moment. you feel so good right
Now. you have to stay somehow. dont let it slip. let time
Stay frozen.
She needs you. you need her. just like the sun. dont think
That its over. its just begun.
Oh mister moon and mister sun. our song has only just
Begun. oh mister sun and mister moon. dont let these
Minutes go too soon.
If wishes were for free. my only hope would be. to stop the
Clock. lets keep this moment. I guess thats just a dream.
As hollow as your own moon beam. so let us revel in our
Time.
She needs you. you need her. just like the sun. it never is
Over. once its begun.
Oh mister moon and mister sun. our life has only just
Begun. oh mister sun and mister moon. dont let this
Moment go too soon.
Oh mister moon and mister sun. our life has only just
Begun. oh mister sun and mister moon. dont let this
Moment go too soon. oh mister moon and mister sun. our
Song has only just begun. oh mister sun and mister moon.
Dont let these minutes go too soon.
song performed by by Human League
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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What Is A Slave, Mother
What is a slave, mother?—I heard you say
That word with a sorrowful voice, one day;
And it came again to my thoughts last night,
As I laid awake in the broad moonlight;
Methinks I have heard a story told,
Of some poor men, who are bought and sold,
And driven abroad with stripes to toil,
The live-long day on a stranger's soil;
Is this true mother?
May children as young as I be sold,
And torn away from their mother's hold—
From home—from all they have loved and known,
To dwell in the great wide world alone,
Far, far away in some distant place,
Where they never may see their parents’ face?
Ah! how I should weep to be torn from you!
Tell me, dear mother, can this be true?
Alas, yes, my child.
Does the master love the slave child well,
That he takes away in his house to dwell?
Does he teach him all that he ought to know,
And wipe his tears when they sometimes flow—
And watch beside him in sickness and pain,
Till health comes back to his cheek again—
And kneel each night by his side to pray,
That God will keep him through life's rough way?
Alas, no, my child.
Ah, then must the tales I have heard be true,
Of the cruel things that the masters do;
That the poor slaves often must creep to bed,
On their scatter'd straw, but scantily fed;
Be sometimes loaded with heavy chains;
And flogg'd till their blood the keen lash stains;
While none will care for their bitter cry,
Or soothe their hearts when their grief is high.
It is so, my child.
And is it not, mother, a sinful thing,
The bosoms of others with pain to wring—
To bid them go labour and delve the soil,
And seize the reward of their weary toil—
For men to tear men from their homes away,
And sell them for gold, like a lawful prey!
Oh surely the land where such deeds are done,
Must be a most savage and wicked one!
It is this, my child.
poem by Elizabeth Margaret Chandler from Poetical Works (1836)
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Mr. Banker
(ronnie vanzant -- gary rossington)
Mister banker
Mister please, how much does money mean
Won't you reconsider mister
Won't you do this thing for me
Ain't got no house
Ain't got no car
All i got, lord, is my guitar
But you can have that mister banker
Won't you bury my papa for me
Oh mister banker please
Listen to how that sound
I would not be here on my knees
But hey mister banker
It means so much to me
Oh won't you reconsider mister
Won't you do this thing for me
I told you mister
I ain't got no house
Ain't got no car
I got me a 1950 les paul guitar
Won't you take it mister banker
Won't you bury my papa for me
Oh mister banker please
song performed by by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Bundaleer Throne
We live out at Bundaleer in
A cabin, in the bush,
Where the air is so much cleaner,
And there's little need to rush,
We have pigs and sheep and chickens,
And we pick our vegies fresh,
So it caused a stir of interest
When we heard of Uncle's death!
Now the 'Uncle' was my mother's
So he wasn't close to us,
And in fact we'd never met him,
Just heard tales of 'Uncle Gus',
He'd been in the 4th Light Horse
At Beersheba, so they said,
In that last great charge of cavalry
That stained the desert red.
'He became a touch eccentric
After that, ' my mother sighed,
'And for years we never heard of him,
We thought he might have died.
But it seems that he'd been wandering
In Egypt and elsewhere,
And collecting all those knick-knacks
In his cottage at Gulnare.'
The morning that they read his will
It came as a surprise,
For we'd never even known him,
Nor my mother, bless her eyes,
But he'd left to us a token to
Collect down at Gulnare,
From his cottage, it was massive,
Was this old Egyptian chair!
It was made of cane and cedar,
And some stuff that was antique,
There were carvings, funny pictures
Carved on plates of ivory,
It was most dilapidated like
He'd kept it in the barn,
So we used the truck of Barry's,
And we brought it to the farm.
Then we washed it and we scrubbed it
And it came up rather nice,
But when friends came round to gawk
I simply said - 'Oh, that's the wife's! '
They'd grin and wink as if to say
'We think your wife's a loon! '
I'd shrug, and say, 'Oh, I don't know....
That chair sets off the room! '
That night the wind was restless
As it eddied through the trees,
There were lots of weird creakings
In the cattle sheds, the eaves,
And the wife, she woke up crying,
Said she felt this deep despair,
'I was dancing to strange music,
There was blossom in my hair! '
The morning saw the wind swing round
Come in from north and west,
It brought in swarms of locusts
On the land, just like a vest,
They stripped the country round about
They covered up the green,
The locals said the swarm was big,
The biggest ever seen!
We noticed that the weather changed,
Was hot, as dry as dust,
And the bush became all yellow
And the leaves resembled rust,
While mice infested every barn,
Ate locusts by the score,
Then poured in by the hundreds
Through the open cottage door.
That night I lay awake, and heard
Some voices, whispered low,
Outside there, in the darkness,
By the open patio,
I went out to investigate
But only saw the trees,
The shadows in the moonlight,
And I heard the drone of bees.
The morning saw a hundred swarms
All hanging from the boughs,
'You'll have to call in Corrigan,
The Apiarist, for now! '
But Corrigan was limited
With insufficient hives,
I'd sprayed them all, and killed them,
Before Corrigan arrived.
That night I saw dim shadows cast
On windows, that were men,
But wearing ancient uniforms,
With spears and shields, and then...
A guard appeared to walk along
The meadow, by the bog,
The shadow that his head had cast,
It looked just like a dog!
I sat that night and fell asleep
Upon our special 'throne',
And there, within the darkness,
In my sleep, I heard a groan,
A voice, raised up to heaven seemed
To come from near and far,
I didn't understand a word...
But one I did was - Ra!
The morning brought a plague of dust,
The wind howled round in space,
By evening, you couldn't see
Your hand before your face,
My wife sobbed uncontrollably,
She said: 'We're caught in sin!
That 'throne' has brought these plagues on us,
That throne's an evil thing! '
We lay that night in terror while
The phantoms clashed outside,
And troops of horses whinnied,
Shields clashed, and soldiers died,
The throne lies by the apple tree
Illumined by each star,
While Pharoah sleeps eternally,
At one out there, with Ra!
4 July 2010
poem by David Lewis Paget
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Tombstone Told When She Died
The tombstone told when she died.
Her two surnames stopped me still.
A virgin married at rest.
She married in this pouring place,
That I struck one day by luck,
Before I heard in my mother's side
Or saw in the looking-glass shell
The rain through her cold heart speak
And the sun killed in her face.
More the thick stone cannot tell.
Before she lay on a stranger's bed
With a hand plunged through her hair,
Or that rainy tongue beat back
Through the devilish years and innocent deaths
To the room of a secret child,
Among men later I heard it said
She cried her white-dressed limbs were bare
And her red lips were kissed black,
She wept in her pain and made mouths,
Talked and tore though her eyes smiled.
I who saw in a hurried film
Death and this mad heroine
Meet once on a mortal wall
Heard her speak through the chipped beak
Of the stone bird guarding her:
I died before bedtime came
But my womb was bellowing
And I felt with my bare fall
A blazing red harsh head tear up
And the dear floods of his hair.
poem by Dylan Thomas
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Future Mister Me
(randy travis/john lindley)
I didnt come in here to fight
I didnt come to ruin your night
I came to see the future mister me
I didnt come to mess things up
I only want to wish you luck
And shake the hand of the future mister me
I only want a chance
To see the man wholl be the man to please my baby
The one wholl lay beside you
And hold you just the way I used to do
I wanna know youre happy
And I wanna know he treats you like a lady
And if I can see youre in good hands
Maybe I can make it without you
You look so happy by his side
And Im sure youll make a lovely bride
And he loves you, any fool can plainly see
The pain is just too much for me
So Ill just leave and let you be
All alone with the future mister me
Youll be alone here with the future mister me
song performed by by Randy Travis
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Mister Powers
Excuse me, mister powers
What do we plan to do today?
Yes excuse me, mister powers
What do we plan to do today?
Were going to 43rd street sonny
To hear them blues boys play
Well, its midnight mister powers
Where are we gonna boogaloo?
Yes, its after midnight mister powers
Where are we gonna boogaloo?
Were going to kingston mines boy
To boogaloo with sugarblue
Why, gentle mister powers
What will the morning bring?
Oh, gracious mister powers
What will the morning bring?
Well were going down to church child
To hear them gospel women sing
Well, tell me mister powers
What is the meaning of all this?
Please tell me mister powers
What is the meaning of all this?
It means aint God a good god
And all the glory is his
Thank you mister powers
You sure put the power in me!
Oh, thank you mister powers
You sure put the power in me!
Well, think nothin of it buddy,
The best things in life are still free...
song performed by by Waterboys
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Was He A Child?
Was he a child? (NARRATED 7/9/10)
I was feeling down and out depressed and in despair
My chest was feeling tight My mind up in the air
Like so many others I was living from week to week
I was all the way down to my lowest peak.
Nothing seemed to console me, so I decided to take a walk.
Sat on a park bench when with me, a child started to talk.
What’s wrong mister? You look like you lost your best friend.
But don’t you worry, for soon it will end.
Its just like when I play baseball, and I want to hit a home run
And when I don’t do it, I feel like getting a gun.
My coach always tells me that I can’t always hit a home run.
As long as I get on base, that’s all that has to be done.
I looked at this child, he had a big smile on his face
He took me back- to another time, another place.
Well I’ve got to run mister to meet my family
For they are always there to hug and comfort me.
I thought: now here is a child with wisdom
Who seems to know more than me.
How is this possible? How can it be?
I turned to thank him and to tell him to have a nice day
But he was gone, he just slipped away.
I got up off the bench and looked all around
But he was not in sight, and nowhere to be found.
I felt a sense of freedom, like a burden taken off of me
For all those cares and worries, no longer bothered me.
WAS HE A CHILD?
poem by Louis Rams
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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