Summertime
George and Ira, arias and blues
have to admire those New York Jews
“I loves you, Porgy. Don’t leave me here.”
They would of course be familiar with fear
and caustic squalor and bitter fruit
Wagner trumps Mahler with sharp-edged boots
They sat at the piano on the Upper West Side
mapping a plan grand untried
and Summertime came – a mystery of light
the picture was framed in a history of night
Free us from chains Oh Lord allow us
to escape from the claims that Dachau has on us
Nina Simone gave authentic voice
to Gershwin’s tone, to Sophie’s Choice
Oh why do I deserve amidst anguish and death
to write verse upon verse and take breath after breath?
I can see Jesus, the blood on the cross
daily relieving us of our loss
He blames no one for unspeakable crime
As God’s only Son sings “Summertime”
And the Apostles see somethin’ even Peter can’t deny:
fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high.
Hush little baby don’t you cry.
Until July 23, when my Kickstarter completes, I am posting new and old material every day.
I have a new record coming out soon. You can pre-order it here: