by Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967)
Language: English
Sleek black boys in a cabaret. Jazz-band, jazz-band, -- Play, plAY, PLAY! Tomorrow....who knows? Dance today! White girls' eyes Call gay black boys. Black boys' lips Grin jungle joys. Dark brown girls In blond men's arms. Jazz-band, jazz-band, -- Sing Eve's charm! White ones, brown ones, What do you know About tomorrow Where all paths go? Jazz-boys, jazz-boys, -- Play, plAY, PLAY! Tomorrow .... is darkness. Joy today!
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Composition:
- Set to music by John Alden Carpenter (1876 - 1951), "Jazz-Boys", published 1927 [ medium voice and piano ], from Four Negro Songs, no. 3
Text Authorship:
- by Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967), "Harlem Night Club", appears in The Weary Blues, first published 1926
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-08-27
Line count: 21
Word count: 65