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by Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967)

Listen here, Joe
Language: English 
Listen here, Joe
Don't you know
That tomorrow
You got to go
Out yonder where
The steel winds blow?

Listen here, kid,
It's been said
Tomorrow you'll be dead
Out there where
The [snow]1 is lead.

Don't ask me why.
Just go ahead and die.
Hidden from the sky
Out yonder you'll lie:
A medal to your family --
In exchange for
A guy.

Mama, don't cry.

Available sung texts:   ← What is this?

•   E. Siegmeister 

About the headline (FAQ)

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Siegmeister: "rain"

Text Authorship:

  • by Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967), "Without benefit of declaration", appears in The Panther and the Lash, first published 1967 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Elie Siegmeister (1909 - 1991), "Listen here, Joe", 1966, published 1978, orchestrated 1967 [ low voice and piano or orchestra ], from The Face of War, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2008-08-27
Line count: 19
Word count: 67

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