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Call and Response
We hear it from the street corner
as someone’s fingers begin to
pray the tune on the alto sax.
…..Let our rejoicing rise
…..High as the listening skies…
Soft notes become jagged, urgent
as a voice begins to shout.
…..Can you hear me, do you feel me?
…..We gon’ be all right.
Not a eulogy but a prayer.
Not a hymn but an anthem.
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Ms. Trigg’s poem includes a lyric from “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a hymn written in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson, and set to music in 1905 by his brother J. Rosamond Johnson. The photograph (undated) is of James (center), Rosamond (right) and friend Bob Cole (left)
Click here to read the complete lyrics of the hymn
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Laura Trigg is a retired physician, jazz and blues fan of many years, and amateur poet. Her poems are influenced by the music and culture of the American South.
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Listen to the 2017 recording of Jazzmeia Horn singing a medley featuring James Weldon Johnson’s 1900 hymn, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and Bobby Timmons’ 1958 composition “Moanin'” [Concord/Universal]
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Click here for information about how to submit your poetry
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