Cane

Lyrics

Brathwaite's reading of This poem can be heard on SoundCloud, or by opening this annotation Cane'Cause I remember how the road dark an' the day long an' the night even longer if I was younger I would'a say to you now leh we sell out de farm an' go down to town an' see what de black o' we bodies an' de brown o' we bubbies could do. But all uh kin shout is uh hate the dark road the day long the night even longer an' muh body int any younger; an' de crops goin' to die though they seeds spring agen the sun might go out an' the nеx' day come back stronger agen; wе goin' pull out de weeds rake grass from de path o' we doorstep an' try wid a little Miraculous Bush pun de cow, pun de mule, pun de pain o' we workin' back to hol' back de wrath o' de Lord; an' pray that God in he heaven above watchin' good good good how we burn we blood how we split we love how we spit when we cahn hit back; how we kiss wid a curse, how we fail though we try agen an' agen; how we reap so much less than we plan. O why why why I is ax my heart tell me why we is try so hard: Tom dead an' de dust that they mek when they brek up he house is the broken bread o' de curse that we God bring down pun we head; an' de hearsin' dark that darken de sky is de dark o' de dead o' de desert an' all dem travellin' years: tramp o' foot, stamp o' cotton, an' we root- less, waterless years. But we want to stop as others have stop want to stan' as others have stood; want to rest, want to build want to bless the Lord as the rest, as the others have done. But this isn't no beg wid we hat in hand no speak when we spoken to; for too long now we was 'fraid to speak for too long frighten an' weak. But the time is come when you got to speak when you got to face fac's when you got to ax for an answer; for we tired o' laws that still sayin' 'No, time isn't come yet'; 'cause after all, God put us all here to dead, born an' beget in de dark jes like de rest o' you; to eat, drink an' forget that we 'fraid o' de darkness we loss in, crossin' a field when the moon isn't showin' the path- way. An' uh thinkin' now you know, Pearlie, man, how to ketch a light that will wink in dis wicked darkness; for a night that dark got to get little light an' warmth to lighten the dark- ness; an' perhaps the match that we strike in this night goin' to lighten a lil o' dis darkness; goin' to leap de wick o' de kerosene flambeau an' graze on de trash- heap air. An' the hot tooth flame that eatin' the air goin' to turn on the grass wid it yellowin' reddenin' glare. An' de red rich rich as it toss it head an' it spread to a crop-time blaze. An' de sparks dat crack in dat burnin' bush goin' to rise from de rush o' de pathway to de hush o' de shrivellin' stars. Till de fire we raise in de good God face is'a raze all we hope all we home, all we village like de time when de May Dust come like de time o' de bruggalungdung. Goin' to burn burn now in dis willin' wind till we hurt, till we hate, like it finish; an' I walkin' there in de midst o' that fire clear clear clear wid muh heart on fire till I know that the journey end that the passion done that the story end; that we hate, that we fear, that we sorrow burn through the dark o' de long night through to the sun o' tomorrow's fire: an' it ridin' there like my heart on fire in de cool o' de blazin' air.