Audre Lorde - The Day They Eulogized Mahalia lyrics

The day they eulogized Mahalia the echoes of her big voice were stilled and the mourners found her singing out from their sisters mouths from their mothers toughness from the funky dust in the corners of sunday church pews sweet and dry and simple and that hated sunday morning fussed over feeling the songs singing out from their mothers toughness would never threaten the lord's retribution any more. Now she was safe acceptable that big Mahalia Chicago turned all out to show her that they cared but her eyes were closed And although Mahalia loved our music nobody sang her favorite song and while we talked about what a hard life she had known and wasn't it too bad Sister Mahalia didn't have it easier earlier Six Black children burned to d**h in a day care center on the South Side kept in a condemned house for lack of funds firemen found their bodies like huddled lumps of charcoal with silent mouths and eyes wide open. Small and without song six black children found a voice in flame the day the city eulogized Mahalia.