“GIOVANNI” by Jamila Woods
“There must be a reason why. There must be a reason.”

You might wanna hold my comb
When you find out what I’m made of
You might wanna follow me
And copy all of my mistakes
I’m so nice, so nice
You can’t not smile when I smile
And I cry, I cry
It’s just the rain so I can grow

Any minute now you’ll get the message
Eenie meenie miney pick a apt description
I’m impressive, you can check my chart for reference
Moon and sunkissed reverend blessed it
Come and listen to a quick confession
Water is to oil me to your aggression
I’m protected
Joycetta prayed on me, momma burned sage for me
None can take that energy away from me

I been up in here since grandmama was a baby, praise me
I be on my Giovanni, tea and honey
Tell it like I see it
Speak it so I be it
My ancestors watch me
Fairy tale walking

Black Goldilocks, yeah
My naps just right
You got questions, I know that’s right
There must be a reason why
There must be a reason
There must be a reason why
There must be a reason

Little bitty, you wanna call me
A hundred muthafuckas can’t tell me
How I’m ‘posed to look when I’m angry
How I’m ‘posed to shrink when you’re around me
Permission denied to rearrange me
I am the Kingdom, I am not your Queen
Hotep better step from up around me
I am not your rib, I am not your Eve

Any minute now you’ll get the message
Eenie meenie miney pick a apt description
I’m impressive, you can check my chart for reference
Moon and sunkissed reverend blessed it

Come and listen to a quick confession
Water is to oil me to your aggression
I’m protected
Joycetta prayed on me, momma burned sage for me
None can take that energy away from me

I been up in here since grandmama was a baby, praise me
I be on my Giovanni, tea and honey
Tell it like I see it
Speak it so I be it

My ancestors watch me
Fairy tale walking
Black Goldilocks, yeah
My naps just right
You got questions, I know that’s right
There must be a reason why
There must be a reason
There must be a reason why
There must be a reason

There must be a reason why
There must be a reason
There must be a reason why
There must be a reason


Poem For A Lady Whose Voice I Like
BY NIKKI GIOVANNI
so he said: you ain’t got no talent
if you didn’t have a face
you wouldn’t be nobody
and she said: god created heaven and earth
and all that’s Black within them
so he said: you ain’t really no hot shit
they tell me plenty sisters
take care better business than you
and she said: on the third day he made chitterlings
and all good things to eat
and said: “that’s good”
so he said: if the white folks hadn’t been under
yo skirt and been giving you the big play
you’d a had to come on uptown like everybody else
and she replied: then he took a big Black greasy rib
from adam and said we will call this woeman and her
name will be sapphire and she will divide into four parts
that simone may sing a song
and he said: you pretty full of yourself ain’t chu
so she replied: show me someone not full of herself
and i’ll show you a hungry person


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