I don't generally do this, but I'm going to do this tonight.
I brought a poem along by a great poet who's
not quite a known in America.
His name is Sterling Brown.
Sterling Brown is going to be 72 years old on the 1st of May.
He wrote a book of poetry in 1932, published in 1932,
called Southern Road, and he went back to the folk.
And this poem, which I'm going to read to,
is called "Slim in Hell."
"Slim Greer went to heaven.
St. Peter said, Slim, you've been a right good boy,
and he winked at him.
You've been a traveling rascal in your day,
you can roam once more, then you comes to stay.
Put these wings on your shoulders and save your feet.
Slim grin and he speak up, Thank you, Pete.
Then Peter say, Go to hell and see all that is doing
and report to me.
Be sure to remember how everything go.
Slim say, I'll be watching you on the late watch, bo.
Slim got to cavort and swell as you
choose, like Lindy in the spirit of the St. Louis Blues.
He flew and he flew till the last
he hit a hanger with a sign reading, this is it.
Then he parked his wings and strolled
around getting used to his feet onto solid ground.
Big bloodhound came a roaring like Niagara Falls sickened
on by white devils in overalls.
Now, Slim weren't scared, cross my heart, it's a fact.
And the dog went on to ban some poor devil's track.
Then Slim saw a mansion and walked right in,
the devil looked up with a sickly grin.
I certainly didn't look for you, Mr Greer.
How it happened you comes to visit here?
Slim say, Oh, just thought I'd drop by a spell.
Feel at home sir and here's the keys to hell.
Then he took Slim around and showed him people
raising hell as high as the first church steeple.
Lots of folks fighting at the roulette wheel,
like old rampart street, or at leastwise Beale.
He showed him bawdy houses and cabarets,
Slim thought of New Orleans and Memphis days.
Each devil was busy with a devilish broad, and Slim
cried, Lordy, Lord, Lord, Lord.
He took him in a room where Slim see to preacher
with a brown skin on each knee.
He showed them giant stills going everywhere
with a parcel of devil stretched dead drunk there.
Then he took him to the furnace that some devils was firing hot
as hell and Slim start a mean perspiring.
White devils with pitchforks threw black devils on,
Slim thought he'd better be getting along.
And he'd say, this makes me think
of home, Vicksburg, Little Rock, Jackson, Waco and Rome.
Then the devil gave Slim two big Ha Ha!
and turned into a cracker with a Sheriff star.
Slim ran for his wings, lift off the ground,
hauled it back to St Peter's safety bound.
St Peter said, Well, you got back quick.
How's the devil and what's his latest trick?
And Slim said, Peter, I really can't tell,
the place was Dixie that I took for hell.
Then Peter say, You must be crazy, I vow.
Where the hell do you think hell was anyhow?
You're going back to the Earth 'cause I got the fear,
he was a little too dumb for to stay up here."