Some clichty folks
don't know the facts,
posin' and preenin'
and puttin' on acts,
stretchin' their backs.
They move into condos
up over the ranks,
pawn their souls
to the local banks.
Buying big cars
they can't afford,
ridin' around town
actin' bored.
If they want to learn how to live life right
they ought to study me on Saturday night.
My job at the plant
ain't the biggest bet,
but I pay my bills
and stay out of debt.
I get my hair done
for my own self's sake,
so I don't have to pick
and I don't have to rake.
Take the church money out
and head cross town
to my friend girl's house
where we plan our round.
We meet our men and go to a joint
where the music is blue
and to the point.
Folks write about me.
They just can't see
how I work all week
at the factory.
Then get spruced up
and laugh and dance
And turn away from worry
with sassy glance.
They accuse me of livin'
from day to day,
but who are they kiddin'?
So are they.
My life ain't heaven
but it sure ain't hell.
I'm not on top
but I call it swell
if I'm able to work
and get paid right
and have the luck to be Black
on a Saturday night.
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Comments
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i think this is a great poem as it intrests me as i have just been reading when i think about myself and it is so different but i thought her poems are bassed on her life
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Not really – I was lucky enough to have dinner with Mohamed Ali in Hong Kong when he was on his way to China about 30 years ago and the topic came up - and I put it to him that as in his opinion being black put his at the back of the queue in many instances - as it did also many black scholars and athletes – consequently could that in effect be an extra spur to do well and succeed – and he felt it was – he was determined not only to do well but even do better than a white man –
But of course you do have struggling white men too – but hardship, poverty or being downtrodden is given as less of a reason in their case. With regard to boxing – most good fighters came from a poor or underprivileged background – which is a similar criteria –
Maya Angelou draws from her life experiences as you say - but had she been born white and rich her worldly background and experiences would have been very different and consequently her thinking would have been different too - so we must assume that both her race and cultural background must have had some influence - Albert.
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Mm that is a worry concept agazeley. Are you suggesting that being black is some kind of adversity - or are you saying that black people, racial minorities, are faced with adversity because they are discriminated against? Whichever it is I don't think you should attribute their successes to being black, any more than a woman's success should be attributed to her being a woman. Maya Angelou is a great writer and a great human being not because she is black and female but because she has been able to draw on her core self, her courage, power and strength, her humanity, and in doing so reaches out to every one of us.
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Great. .
I think we have all had some of this . . . involuntary pride sometimes makes us cover some of our true self - and that also has consequences . . we hide some of the hidden effort and experiences which are often the reason we are able to be what we are. . . Love the poem - Albert.
ps Being black has at times carried people to heights that they would never have reached if they were white. . .Adversity is sometimes a spur to achievement . .
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