#56 of 355: Black Leaves, Kirby

I’m so annoyed! I wrote a post for this song and it somehow didn’t save! Curse you, Technology!

I am pretty sure my original assessment was that this song was simultaneously a time-machine and an amazing ode to the power of the female spirit. It packs so much punch into such a small package of 1 minute and 44 seconds. This allows me to post the lyrics in their entirety.

“Black leaves on the Mississippi River, black leaves in the Mississippi fire, black leaves in the Mississippi choir, black leaves on the Mississippi land, and we’ve got God and cotton, we’ve got sons and daughters, we’ve got grit and glory, we’ve got mama’s stories, we’ve got strength like towers, we’ve got hope and power, God made woman with an iron hand, raised her up on heaven’s land, God made woman with an iron hand, raised her up on heaven’s land, with strength like towers, we’ve got hope and power, got me woman with an iron head, raised her up on heaven’s bed”

There’s something about the performance of this song that brings us down into that not-so-good South during the time where it was REALLY hard to be a Black person. (Still is). We can imagine what “Black leaves in the Mississippi fire” means. To me, the lyrics scream perseverance.

Now, by no means am I comparing the plight of Blacks in this country to the daily stuff or trouble that we have to persevere. We haven’t had to persevere for 400 years.

But, as we’ve talked about in these entries, we all have our shit to deal with right? Part of this song makes me just a little bit more able to deal with it all. We all have hope and power in us. Honestly, it’s some of the thread used to make us human.

Be good, do good.