Track 8
Dead River Blues for Langston
Written and Performed By Aberjhani

River to river to river--
love and beauty and death
stretching for miles the skin of my heart
from high tide to low
thinking about America
and the best way to go.

That morning sun,
he always come up bleeding,
and sweet sugar moon,
she mostly goes down screamin’.
Between a woman and the door
and the man beneath the floor
I keep sweatin’ bout America
and which way I should go.

Whereas my skin is black
my world is sho’ nuff white.
Hand jivin’ just to beat the blues
and waiting fast for the night.
On the road to my taste of heaven
I don’t mind travelin’ slow.
It’s true I ponder as I wander
But most times I think I know.

Love and beauty and death—
river to river to river
lynching these dreams swinging naked in my heart
screaming for mercy from high tide to low
I think hard about America
and the best way for me to go.

© Copyright Aberjhani