Last Lecture Dr. Caryl Sheffield March 31, 2015

Transcription

1 Last Lecture Dr. Caryl Sheffield March 31, 2015 Give me my flowers James Cleveland Give me my flowers while I yet live So that I can see the beauty that they bring. Friends and loved ones, they only bring you flowers, if you get real sick, or you re laying on your death bed. But I d rather have one tulip right now, than a blanket full of roses when I m dead. Give me my flowers while I yet live So that I can see the beauty that they bring. Speak kinds words to me while I can hear them So that I can feel the comfort that they bring. Strange Fruit poem by Abel Meeropol adapted by Billie Holiday Southern trees bear strange fruit, Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. Pastoral scene of the gallant south, The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth, Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh, Then the sudden smell of burning flesh. Here is fruit for the crows to pluck, For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck, For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop, Here is a strange and bitter crop. Eyes on the Prize Mavis Staples Paul and Silas, bound in jail Had no money for to go their bail Paul and Silas began to shout Doors popped open, and they walked out Well, the only chains that we can stand Are the chains of hand in hand Got my hand on the freedom plow Wouldn't take nothing for my journey now Keep your Eyes on the Prize, hold on! 1

2 Shortnin Bread Paul Chaplain Three little children layin' in the bed Two were sick and the other 'most dead Sent for the doctor, the doctor said "Feed those children on shortnin' bread" When those children layin' in the bed Heard that talk about shortnin' bread They popped up well and started to sing Skipping 'round the room doing the pigeon wing Put on the skillet Put on the lid Mamma's going to make some shortnin' bread That's not all she's going to do Mamma's going to cook us some cocoa too I snuck to the kitchen, picked up the lid I filled my pockets full of shortnin' bread I winked at the pretty little girl and said "Baby, how'd you like some shortnin' bread" Got caught with the skillet Got caught with the lid Got caught with my mouth full of shortnin' bread Six months for the skillet, six months for the lid Six months in the jail eatin' shortnin' bread Say it Loud, I m Black and I m Proud James Brown Uh, with your bad self Say it louder (I got a mouth) Say it louder (I got a mouth) Look a'here, some people say we got a lot of malice Some say it's a lotta nerve I say we won't quit moving 'Til we get what we deserve We've been buked and we've been scorned We've been treated bad, talked about As just as sure as you're born But just as sure as it take Two eyes to make a pair, huh Brother, we can't quit until we get our share One more time, huh I've worked on jobs with my feet and my hands But all the work I did was for the other man And now we demand a chance To do things for ourselves We tired of beating our heads against the wall And working for someone else, oowee Ooowee, you're killing me Alright uh, you're out of sight Alright, so tough, you're tough enough Ooowee uh, you're killing me, oow Now we demand a chance to do things for ourselves We tired of beating our heads against the wall 2

3 And working for someone else A look a'here, One thing more I got to say right here Now, we're people like the birds and the bees We rather die on our feet, Than keep living on our knees, hu, hu, Lord'a Lord'a Lord'a, ooooh Uh, alright now, good Lord You know we can do the boog-a-loo Now we can say we do the Funky Broadway! Now we can do, hu Sometimes we dance, we sing and we talk You know I do like to do the camel walk Alright now, hu alright, Alright now, ha, let me hear ya Now we demand a chance to do things for ourselves We're tired of beating our heads against the wall And working for someone else, hu Now we're our people, too We're like the birds and the bees, But we'd rather die on our feet, Than keep a'living on our knees, let me hear ha', huh, hu Oooow, oowee, you're killing me, alright Uh, outa sight, alright you're outa sight Ooowee, oh Lord, Ooowee, you're killing me Ooowee, ooowee, ooowee, ooowee, ow, hu, Lord I feel it To be Young, Gifted, and Black Nina Simone Young, gifted and black Oh what a lovely precious dreamto be young, gifted and black Open your heart to what I mean In the whole world you know There was a billion boys and girls Who are young, gifted and black And that's a fact! You are young, gifted and black We must begin to tell our young There's a world waiting for you Yours is the quest that's just begun When you feel really low Yeah, there's a great truth that you should know When you're young, gifted and black Your soul's intact To be young, gifted and black Oh how I long to know the truth There are times when I look back And I am haunted by my youth Oh but my joy of today Is that we can all be proud to say To be young, gifted and black Is where it's at Ball of Confusion The Temptations People moving out, people moving in Why? Because of the color of their skin Run, run, run but you sure can't hide An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth Vote for me and I'll set you free Rap on, brother, rap on Well, the only person talking about love thy brother is the preacher And it seems nobody's interested in learning but the teacher Segregation, determination, demonstration, integration 3

4 Aggravation, humiliation, obligation to my nation Ball of confusion Oh yeah, that's what the world is today Woo, hey, hey The sale of pills are at an all time high Young folks walking round with their heads in the sky The cities a flame in the summer time And oh, the beat goes on Evolution, revolution, gun control, sound of soul Shooting rockets to the moon, kids growing up too soon Politicians say more taxes will solve everything And the band played on So, round and around and around we go Where the world's headed, said nobody knows Oh, great Googamooga Can't you hear me talking to you? Just a ball of confusion Oh yeah, that's what the world is today Woo, hey, hey Fear in the air, tension everywhere Unemployment rising fast, the Beatles new record's a gas And the only safe place to live is on an Indian reservation And the band played on Eve of destruction, tax deduction, city inspectors, bill collectors Mod clothes in demand, population out of hand, suicide, too many bills Hippies moving to the hills, people all over the world are shouting 'End the war' and the band played on Great Googamooga Can't you hear me talking to you? It's a ball of confusion That's what the world is today, hey, hey Let me hear ya, let me hear ya, let me hear ya Sayin' ball of confusion That's what the world is today, hey, hey Let me hear ya, let me hear ya Let me hear ya, let me hear ya, let me hear ya Sayin' ball of confusion Ohio Crosby Stills Nash & Young Tin soldiers and Nixon's comin' We're finally on our own This summer I hear the drummin' Four dead in Ohio Gotta get down to it Soldiers are gunning us down Should have been done long ago What if you knew her and Found her dead on the ground? How can you run when you know? Na na-na-na, na-na na-na Na na-na-na, na-na na Na na-na-na, na-na na-na Na na-na-na, na-na na Gotta get down to it Soldiers are cutting us down Should have been done long ago What if you knew her and Found her dead on the ground? How can you run when you know? Tin soldiers and Nixon's comin' We're finally on our own This summer I hear the drummin' Four dead in Ohio Four dead in Ohio (Four dead) Four dead in Ohio (Four) Four dead in Ohio (How many?) Four dead in Ohio (How many more?) Four dead in Ohio (Oh!) Four dead in Ohio (Four) 4

5 I am Woman Helen Reddy, hear me roar In numbers too big to ignore And I know too much to go back an' pretend 'Cause I've heard it all before And I've been down there on the floor No one's ever gonna keep me down again If I have to, I can do anything You can bend but never break me 'Cause it only serves to make me More determined to achieve my final goal And I come back even stronger Not a novice any longer 'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul If I have to, I can do anything watch me grow See me standing toe to toe As I spread my lovin' arms across the land But I'm still an embryo With a long, long way to go Until I make my brother understand If I have to, I can face anything I am invincible I am strong I am invincible I am strong 5