The Calm, Cool Face Of The River,

Words Like Freedom There Are Words Like Freedom Sweet And Wonderful To Say. On My Heartstrings Freedom Sings All Day Everyday. There Are Words Like Liberty That Almost Make Me Cry. If You Had Known What I Know You Would Know Why.

We Younger Negro Artists Who Create Now Intend To Express Our Individual Dark-skinned Selves Without Fear Or Shame. If White People Are Pleased, We Are Glad. If They Are Not, It Doesn't Matter. We Know We Are Beautiful. And Ugly Too. The Tom-tom Cries And The Tom-tom Laughs. If Colored People Are Pleased, We Are Glad. If They Are Not, It Doesn't Matter Either. We Build Our Temples For Tomorrow, Strong As We Know How, And We Stand On Top Of The Mountain, Free Within Ourselves.

Life Is For The Living. Death Is For The Dead. Let Life Be Like Music. And Death A Note Unsaid.

I Swear To The Lord, I Still Can't See, Why Democracy Means, Everybody But Me.

The Past Has Been A Mint Of Blood And Sorrow. That Must Not Be True Of Tomorrow.