“GIOVANNI” by Jamila Woods

August 6, 2019July 17, 2020 CPE 0 Comments Giovanni, Jamila Woods, Legacy! Legacy!, Nikki Giovanni

“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