by Raymond Nat Turner
Don' know what it tiz 'bout
Massa William, voice, smile?
His hornin'? He do play de sax,
Or, de carrut and stik he carry?
Big Eyz Fo' Massa William Mule
by Raymond Nat Turner
All dem big, fancy-ass Negroz
Got big eyz fo' – an' wanna ride
Massa William mule, dey say –
Dem say, it bring 'em honor,
Glory an' de dollas dey desuv
Fo' servus rendud – gettin' paid!
Dat ol' Charlatan boy got on
Massa William mule and
Didn't wanna get off & Cap'n
Fletcher had his britches all
Hiked up and was waggin'
His finger in our faces jus'
Lak Massa William do...
Dat fas-mouf, big wurd boy &
Dat Booker boy been eyein' Massa
William mule, evuh sinz Charlit
Don' know if Dem boyz know
How stubburn Massa William
Ol' mule be, won't let 'em mount
Him les daze ridin' bareback, bakwuds –
An' ain't no soap known to man
Kin get de odur off skin and cloz
Doz big fancy-ass Negroz talkin'
Fo' yeahs 'bout how dey tell Massa
William dey want dey freedum,
'Bout how de take dey freedum &
Massa William mule, too, if dey
Hav a mind to, dey say, Dem say
De mule de symbul ob power...
Dem big, fancy-ass Negroz talk'n
& Talk'n talk &, but when Massa
William show up, dey freedum
Seemz no bigga den Massa
William nex comman...
Don' know what it tiz 'bout
Massa William, voice, smile?
His hornin'? He do play de sax,
Or, de carrut and stik he carry?
Hurd one dem big, fancy-ass
Negroz sangin' "You mus undastan
Dat de bak ob his han make my pulze reak."
Miss Hillree mean, too, she jus' soon
Kill one dem big, fancy-ass Negroz
Den put on a pantz soot –
One ob de Haitian hired hep
Up in Harlem heard Ms Hillree
Cacklin' 'bout " a little poison!"
Negroz drinkin' de politks ob fear:
De Tea Party, de Coke Bros— wit
Cristal, Hennessey, fo' dey chasuh...
Raymond Nat Turner can be contacted at upsurgejazz.com.
Raymond Nat Turner (c) 2012 All Rights Reserved
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This lecture was delivered on February 3, 2026, at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver (Canada) for the monthly series “Black History and the Project of Black Studies.”
