“The clouds wept when my heart sang a song of sorrow”

“The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart”

“She put a wedge beside my heartAnd then she brought the mallet downShe sang no song to guide her workI lost my heart without a sound”

“When Blue sang, a lyric became a libation; a song became a sacrament.”

“In my room I'd barely closed my eyes when the blonde from the movie house came along and sang her whole song of sorrow just for me. I helped her put me to sleep, so to speak, and succeeded pretty well... I wasn't entirely alone... It's not possible to sleep alone...”

“XII sang his name instead of song;Over and over I sang his name:Backward and forward I sang it along,With my sweetest notes, it was still the same!I sang it low, that the slave-girls nearMight never guess, from what they could hear,That all the song was a name.”