The Weary Blues by Nathan Hitchman

The Weary Blues (Langston Hughes, 1902 - 1967)

natehit08 — 2018-07-07 23:58:54 UTC

Droning a drowsy syncopated tune,
Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon,
     I heard a Negro play.
Down on Lenox Avenue the other night
By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light
     He did a lazy sway . . .
     He did a lazy sway . . .
To the tune o’ those Weary Blues.
With his ebony hands on each ivory key
He made that poor piano moan with melody.
     O Blues!
Swaying to and fro on his rickety stool
He played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool.
     Sweet Blues!
Coming from a black man’s soul.
     O Blues!
In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone
I heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan—
     “Ain’t got nobody in all this world,
       Ain’t got nobody but ma self.
       I’s gwine to quit ma frownin’
       And put ma troubles on the shelf.”

Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor.
He played a few chords then he sang some more—
     “I got the Weary Blues
       And I can’t be satisfied.
       Got the Weary Blues
       And can’t be satisfied—
       I ain’t happy no mo’
       And I wish that I had died.”
And far into the night he crooned that tune.
The stars went out and so did the moon.
The singer stopped playing and went to bed
While the Weary Blues echoed through his head.
He slept like a rock or a man that’s dead.

Langston Hughes

natehit08 — 2018-07-08 00:00:17 UTC

As a social activist and deeply profound writer, Hughes remains one of the most recognizable figures during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.

Harlem, New York

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The flourishing capital of cultural diversity and expression during the 1920s for African Americans.

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Louis Armstrong

natehit08 — 2018-07-08 00:09:36 UTC

One of the most famous musicians of the Harlem Renaissance, known for his raspy voice and talented trumpet skills.

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Zora Neale Hurston

natehit08 — 2018-07-08 00:13:26 UTC

An iconic writer and anthropologist, most famous for her work, Their Eyes Were Watching God.

I see trees of green, red roses too, I see them bloom for me and you... And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

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The Cotton Club

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The Cotton Club was a platform for many of the famous African American entertainers. Duke Ellington is perhaps the most prominent figure associated with it.

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An international figure in performing arts.

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Madam C.J. Walker

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One of the first African Americans to become a self-made millionair. Walker was an entrepreneur that created hair products for African American hair.

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Double Consciousness

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A concept, defined by W.E.B Du Bois in his "The Souls of Black Folk" publication (1903), describes the difficulty to develop ones self as an African American. Assimilation gave way to feeling like you have more than one social identity.

natehit08 — 2018-07-08 00:59:34 UTC

Take The A Train

natehit08 — 2018-07-08 01:00:30 UTC

A song by Billy Strayhorn—a pianist who wrote for Duke Ellington. Elligton used it as his signature piece and the opening to his orchestras theme. The piece is traditionaly played as an instrumental but does have lyrics.

You must take the A train
To go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem
If you miss the A train
You'll find you missed the quickest way to Harlem
Hurry, get on, now it's coming
Listen to those rails a-humming
All aboard, get on the A train
Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in Harlem

natehit08 — 2018-07-08 01:16:38 UTC

Billie Holiday

natehit08 — 2018-07-08 01:17:19 UTC

She is said to be one of the most talented vocalists of all time. She spent her years as an influential jazz singer until she died to substance abuse.

Duke Ellington

natehit08 — 2018-07-08 01:20:45 UTC

As the composer of thousands of score over his career, Elligton was a major figure in the history of jazz music.

The Race Riot

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The supposed mark to the end of the Harlem Renaissance in 1935.

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The Jazz Age

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Began during the Harlem Renaussance in the early 20s. It soon gained national popularity

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A magazine, edited by Du Boise, that shed light on African American Issues.

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The Jim Crow Laws

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State and local laws that enforced racial segregation.

Ella Fitzgerald – Mood Indigo Lyrics

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In the evenin' when lights are low
I'm so lonesome I could cry

'Cause there's nobody who cares about me
I'm just a soul who's bluer than blue can be

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Paul Robeson

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Florence Mills

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Mills or "the queen of happiness" was a performer of all sorts: a comedian, singer and dancer.

Harlem Stride

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A piano style that developed from the Harlem Renaissanc and was played in many large cities.

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The Savoy Ball Room

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Ball Rooms and Clubs were the hub of African American culture during the Renaissance. The Savoy Ball Room offered 12 hours of dancing to both black and whites.

Archibald Motley

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An American visual artist that used an array of colors many colors to portray the night-life of African Americans during the Renaissance.

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Palmer Hayden

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Much like Archibald Motley, was also an influencer who painted African American landscapes that represented the atmosphere of the Renaissance.

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Bessie Smith

natehit08 — 2018-07-08 02:21:54 UTC

Bessie Smith or "The Empress of the Blues, as the name suggests, was a blues singer known for her soulful voice and cmmonand over the genre.

natehit08 — 2018-07-08 02:33:12 UTC

Continental Africa was often emphasized as a theme in Renaissance art in order to redefine African American culture. With all the white assimilation for cultures, African Americans felt the need to keep hold of their roots and stay true to themselves.

natehit08 — 2018-07-08 02:34:31 UTC

Marcus Garvey

natehit08 — 2018-07-08 02:35:56 UTC

A proponent of black nationalism and associated with the mass movements of pan Africanism.

The Immigration Series

natehit08 — 2018-07-08 02:39:43 UTC

A series of paintings by Jacob Lawrence, who saught out to capture the experience of African Americans during the 1920s. Jacob Lawrence practiced abstract social realism and was most known for The Immigration Series which took advantage of bright, bold colors.

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The Apollo Theatre

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Another centralized hub of African American culture that gave a platform to those who wanted it most.

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The NAACP

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An organization that sought out to get rid of social malice and fought for the equality of all. It has since remained in place to ensure politcal, economical, and social equality.

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A. Philip Randolph

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He was a leader in the civil rights movement and socialist political parties during the 1920s. He also led and was the organizer of the first African American labor union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.

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Fashion

natehit08 — 2018-07-08 03:01:37 UTC

In the 1920s fashion boomed and everyone, including white people partook in expressing themselves through their apparel.African Americans weren't the only ones trying to gain the freedom of expression. Women, in general, for fighting for their rights in this era known as the roaring twenties. They sought out to destroy the steriotypes of female decency.