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by Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967)

Silhouette
Language: English 
Southern gentle lady,
Do not swoon. 
They've just hung a black man
In the dark of the moon. 
They've hung a black man
To a roadside tree
In the dark of the moon
For the world to see
How Dixie protects
Its white womanhood. 
Southern gentle lady,
Be good! Be good!

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.

Text Authorship:

  • by Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967), "Silhouette", appears in One-Way Ticket, first published 1949 [author's text not yet checked 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 Serge Hovey (1920 - 1989), "Silhouette" [ voice and piano ], from I, Too, Sing America [sung text not yet checked]
  • by John Musto (b. 1954), "Silhouette", from Shadow of the blues, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
  • by Robert G. Patterson (b. 1957), "Silhouette", 2012 [ baritone and piano ], from American Pierrot: A Langston Hughes Songbook, no. 9, Great River Music, GRM-01037 [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this page: John Musto

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 51

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