Kamau Brathwaite - Wings of a Dove lyrics

Wings of a Dove 1 Brother Man the Rasta man, beard full of lichens brain full of lice watched the mice come up through the floor- boards of his down- town, shanty-town kitchen, and smiled. Blessed are the poor in health, he mumbled, that they should inherit this wealth. Blessed are the meek hearted, he grumbled, for theirs is this stealth. Brother Man the Rasta man, hair full of lichens head hot as ice watched the mice walk into his poor hole, reached for his peace and the pipe of his gangja and smiled how the mice eyes, hot pumice pieces, glowed into his room like ruby, like rhinestone and suddenly startled like diamond. And I Rastafar-I in Babylon's boom town, crazed by the moon and the peace of this chalice, I prophet and singer, scourge of the gutter, guardian Trench Town, the Dungle and Young's Town, rise and walk through the now silent streets of affliction, hawk's eyes hard with fear, with affection, and hear my people cry, my people shout: Down down white man, con man, brown man, down down full man, frown- ing fat man, that white black man that lives in the town. Rise rise locks- man, Solo- man wise man, rise rise rise leh we laugh dem, mock dem, stop dem, k** dem an' go back back to the black man lan' back back to Af- rica. 2 Them doan mean it, yuh know, them cahn help it but them clean-face browns in Babylon town is who I most fear an' who fears most I. Watch de vulture dem a-fly- in', hear de crow a-dem crow see what them money a-buy? Caw caw caw caw. Ol'crow, ol' crow, cruel ol' ol' crow, that's all them got to show. Crow fly flip flop hip hop pun de ground; na feet feel firm pun de firm stones; na good pickney born from de flesh o' dem bones; naw naw naw naw. 3 So beat dem drums dem, spread dem wings dem, watch dem fly dem, soar dem high dem, clear in the glory of the Lord. Watch dem ship dem come to town dem full o' silk dem full o' food dem an' dem 'plane dem come to groun' dem full o' flash dem full o' cash dem silk dem food dem shoe dem wine dem that dem drink dem an' consume dem praisin' the glory of the Lord. So beat dem burn dem, learn dem that dem got dem nothin' but dem bright bright baubles that will burst dem when the flame dem from on high dem raze an' roar dem an' de poor dem rise an' rage dem in de glory of the Lord.