WEBVTT

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Now let's hopscotch a little
more and go to the year

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1919, the Victory
Parade in New York City.

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Again, in New York City.

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The Black regiments
were invited to march

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with the white regiments this
time in the Victory Parade.

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And this parade went
all up and down--

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well, all up Fifth
Avenue straight

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into Harlem or toward Harlem.

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Everyone lining
the streets really

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expected to hear some good
jazz from this regiment,

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from Reese Europe's regiment.

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Until he decided to
do, until East Harlem,

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was just march very, very
strict French marches.

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"The return of Lieutenant
James Reese Europe,"

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Victory Parade, New York
City, February 1919.

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We trained in the streets, the
streets where we came from.

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We drilled with sticks,
boys darting between bushes,

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shouting--

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that's all you thought
we were good for.

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We trained anyway.

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In camp we had no
plates or forks.

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First to sail, first to join
the French, first to see combat

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with the shortest training time.

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My, the sun is
looking fine today.

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We toured devastation, American
goodwill in a forty-four piece

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band.

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Dignitaries smiled, the
wounded settled back to dream.

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That old woman in Saint Nazaire
who tucked up her skirts so she

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could 'walk the dog.'

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German prisoners tapping
their feet as we went by.

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Miss Flatiron with your
tall, cool self, how do?

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You didn't want us when
we left but we went.

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You didn't want us coming
back, but here we are,

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stepping right up white-faced
Fifth Avenue in a phalanx--

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no prancing, no showing
of teeth, no swank--

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past the Library lions, eyes
forward, tin hats aligned--

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a massive, upheld human shield.

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No jazz for you.

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We'll play a brisk French
march and show our ribbons,

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flash our croix de guerre--
yes, we learned French, too--

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all the way until we reach
110th Street and yes,

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take our turn onto Lenox Avenue
and all those brown faces

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and then--

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baby, here comes
your daddy now."

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[LAUGHTER]

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