Langston Hughes, much like his mentor Carl Sandberg, was always a “given” of high school English classes, and like any “given” we are liable to take him for granted. Recently, however, I’ve returned and taken a good hard look at Hughes and I like what I see–and hear! I guess my taste for Hughes can be traced back to my finding a recording of his performance of some of his blues poems backed up by a jazz band. Oral performance gives back the grit and the humor to texts that sometimes seemed a little thin. With Hughes’ voice in my ear–now trained by twenty years of listening to Tommy Johnson, Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton and the rest–I see–and hear–just what this man was up to! So Langston, if you’re listening somewhere–it took me a little while, but I get you now. Keep singing. Keep shouting ‘em down! I’d like to dedicate this blues to my son Derek, my brothers Jeff and Chris and their wives, my mother Kathleen, my father’s ghost and my ex-wives Eileen and Ann (and her wonderful family):

Life Is Fine

I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn’t,
So I jumped in and sank.

I come up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn’t a-been so cold
I might’ve sunk and died.

But it was
Cold in that water!
It was cold!

I took the elevator
Sixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby
And thought I would jump down.

I stood there and I hollered!
I stood there and I cried!
If it hadn’t a-been so high
I might’ve jumped and died.

But it was
High up there!
It was high!

So since I’m still here livin’,
I guess I will live on.
I could’ve died for love–
But for livin’ I was born.

Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry–
I’ll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.

Life is fine!
Fine as wine!
Life is fine!