“I wish the rent Was heaven sent.”

“To some peopleLove is given,To othersOnly Heaven.”

“Sometimes a crumb fallsFrom the tables of joy, Sometimes a boneIs flung.To some peopleLove is given, To othersOnly heaven.”

“My old man's a white old manAnd my old mother's black.If ever I cursed my white old manI take my curses back.If ever I cursed my black old motherAnd wished she were in hell,I'm sorry for that evil wishAnd now i wish her wellMy old man died in a fine big houseMy Ma died in a shack.I wonder were i'm going to die,Being neither white nor black?”

“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.”

“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.”

“I stay cool, and dig all jive,That's the way I stay alive.My motto, as I live and learn, isDig and be dugIn return.”