Now and Then (7 page)

From the Indians who welcomed the pilgrims

to the buffalo who once ruled the plains;

like the vultures circling beneath the dark clouds

looking for the rain, looking for the rain.

From the cities that stagger on the coast lines

in a nation that just can't take much more

like the forest buried beneath the highways

never had a chance to grow, never had a chance

    to grow.

It's winter; winter in america

and all of the healers have been killed or forced

    away.

It's winter; winter in america

and ain't nobody fighting 'cause nobody knows

    what to save.

The con-stitution was a noble piece of paper;

with Free Society they struggled but they died in

   vain

and now Democracy is ragtime on the corner

hoping that it rains, hoping that it rains.

And I've seen the robins perched in barren

   treetops

watching last ditch racists marching across the

    floor

and like the peace signs that melted in our

    dreams

never had a chance to grow, never had a

     chance to grow.

It's winter; winter in america

and all of the healers done been killed or put in

    jail

it's winter, winter in america

and ain't nobody fighting 'cause nobody knows

     what to save.

See that Black boy over there, runnin' scared

his ol' man's in a bottle.

He done quit his 9 to 5 to drink full time

so now he's livin' in the bottle.

See that Black boy over there, runnin' scared

his 'ol man got a problem.

Pawned off damn near everything, his ol'

   woman's weddin' ring for a bottle.

And don't you think it's a crime

when time after time, people in the bottle. 

See that sista, sho' wuz fine before she

started drinkin' wine

from the bottle.

Said her ol' man committed a crime

and he's doin' time,

so now she's in the bottle.

She's out there on the avenue, all by herself

sho' needs help from the bottle.

Preacherman tried to help her out,

she cussed him out and hit him in the head with a bottle.

And don't you think it's a crime

when time after time, people in the bottle. 

See that gent in the wrinkled suit

he done damn near blown his cool to the bottle.

He wuz a doctor helpin' young girls along

if they wuzn't too far gone to have problems.

But defenders of the dollar eagle

Said ‘What you doin', Doc, it ain't legal,'

and now he's in the bottle.

Now we watch him everyday tryin' to

chase the pigeons away

from the bottle.

And don't you think it's a crime

when time after time, people in the bottle. 

Let me give you something straight up my friend

Your whole life can turn super funky

And put a too large foot in your rear end

If you're digging a dame who's a junky. 

I'm sure I don't need to take you back down the road

And retell all the details about smack

But believe me it's still out there breaking the codes

And its ten times worse than cheeba or crack. 

And ‘Fuck! How in the world did we come to be friendly?'

And all them other bullshit clichés

And you don't know what you'da done if you'da been me

Just be glad that there wasn't no fuckin way. 

Okay then, just for a minute let's both speculate

And since you would be me, I would be you

So now as you (I) can get puffed up and be real fuckin great

About what I (meaning you) should or shouldn't do. 

I can hear it all now knowing just what you'd say

About not hangin' out in the streets

And immediately we know there ain't no f'n way

'Cause if it wasn't no hangin' out it wasn't me.

This is gonna sound weak and it ain't no excuse

But it's been years since I'd been around scag

And acting self-righteous is the quickest way to lose

And to tell you the truth it's a drag. 

Remembering the shivers and quivers and shakes

Starts to bring the butterflies back to your gut

But junkies don't care what you think are mistakes

She says ‘Are you givin' up the money or what?'

You can climb in the pulpit for a sermon or two

Keep your money and watch while she packs

But you know more than precisely what she's gonna do

Go for twenty somewhere lying on her back 

Or end up in an alley trying to turn a quick trick

Pushers don't care how the money is made

And when the addict starts getting uptight for a fix

They say ‘Fuck gonorrhea and fuck A.I.D.S!' 

In the end it ain't theories or jive-ass philosophy

Or what the papers or politicians think

And nobody needs no more heroin (methadone) sociology

While the speaker pours himself another drink. 

So you're right. Congratulations on what was weak about me

I admit I look like somebody's flunky

But right ain't always the best thing to be

When the girl that you love is a junky. 

Jagged jigsaw pieces

Tossed about the room

I saw my Grandma sweeping

With her old straw broom

But she didn't know what she was doing

She could hardly understand

coz she was really sweeping up

Pieces of a Man.

I saw my Daddy meet the Mailman

And I heard the Mailman say

‘Now don't you take this letter too hard now, Jimmy,

coz they've laid off nine others today.'

But he didn't know what he was saying

He could hardly understand

That he was only talking to

Pieces of a Man.

I saw the thunder and heard the lightning

And felt the burden of his shame

And for some unknown reason

He never turned my way

Pieces of that letter

Were tossed about the room

And now I hear the sound of sirens

Come knifing through the gloom

But they don't know what they are doing

They could hardly understand

That they're only arresting …

Pieces of a Man.

I saw him go to pieces

He was always such a good man

He was always such a strong, strong man!

Yeah, I saw him go to pieces

Tell me:

Did'ja ever eat corn bread an' black-eyed peas?

Or watermelon and mustard greens?

Get high as you can on Saturday night

and then go to church on Sunday to set things right? 

 Listen: 

‘I seen Miz Blake after Willie yesterday.

She'd a killed anybody who'd a got in her way!

Hey look! I got a tv for a pound on the head.

Jimmy Gene got the bes' Panamanian Red.

No, I ain't got on no underclothes,

But the Hawk got to get through this Gypsy Rose!

I think Clay got his very good points.

You say a trey bag wit' thirteen joints?

Who cares if LBJ is in town?

Up with Stokely an' H. Rap Brown!

I dunno if the riots is wrong,

But Whitey been kickin' my ass fo' too long.

I wuz s'pose to baby but they hel' my pay.

Did you hear what the number wuz yesterday?

Junkies is all right when they ain't broke.

They leaves you alone when they high on dope.

Damn, but I wish I could get up an' move!

Shut up, hell, you know that ain't true.' 

Picture a man of nearly thirty

who seems twice as old with clothes torn and

   dirty.

Give him a job shining shoes

or cleaning out toilets with bus station crews.

Give him six children with nothing to eat.

Expose them to life on a ghetto street.

Tie an old rag around his wife's head and

have her pregnant and lying in bed.

Stuff them all in a Harlem house.

Then tell them how bad things are down South.

I thought I saw last night

across a ridge,

an ebony bridge that spanned all chasms from

      Harlem to Home.

African!

     Zimbabwe with apartheid still.

     Kenya, prove the Black man's will.

     Biafra, the division is not yet killed.

African!

    Queen's English, manners so defined

     Wardrobe styled and dignified

     Darker skin and no Tarzan smile.

Afro-American!

     Handshake and dashikis too

     James Brown doin' the soul boogaloo

     People starving with nothing to do.

Afro-American!

     Idolizing TV-man

     Capitalism's also-ran

     Colloquialism's cool man.

African! From the continent

Afro-Americans! From the discontent

Brothers! Can we not implement

     a bit of faith?

     a bit of love?

For we are all truly brothers

From the womb of mother same

From the genesis we were one

Let us be one, once again.

Midnight near the border

Tryin' to cross the Rio Grande

Runnin' with coyotes to

Where the streets are paved with gold. 

You're diving underwater

When you hear the helicopters

Knowing it's all been less than worthless

(If you meet) the border patrol

Hiding in the shadows

So scared that you want to scream

But you dare not make a sound

If you want to hold on to your dreams. 

Hold on! It may not be a lot

Hold on!' Cause you know it's all you've got

No matter the consequences

Or the fear that grips your senses

You have got to hold on to your dreams. 

City of the Angels

With its bright light fascination

Only adds to the confusion

That your mind must now endure.

The ‘Gringos' take advantage

When they know that you're illegal

But you avoid La Policia

Like a plague that can't be cured.

Paying the ‘mordida'

Lets you know what ‘pollos' means

But you dare not file complaints

If you want to hold on to your dreams. 

Hold on! It may not be a lot

Hold on!' Cause you know it's all you've got

No matter the consequences

Or the fear that grips your senses

You have got to hold on to your dreams.

Down at Western Union

Sending cash back to your family

Or drinking down ‘cervezas'

Where the lights are very low

Your mind may start to wander

When you think about your village

Or the woman that you love so much

Who's still in Mexico. 

At just two bucks an hour

There is little to redeem (this life)

Except that in your mind

You've got to hold on to your dreams 

Hold on! It may not be a lot

Hold on!' Cause you know it's all you've got

No matter the consequences

Or the fear that grips your senses

You have got to hold on to your dreams.