Reflection of Texts as a Set

When attempting to choose children’s literature which exemplifies positive multicultural and diverse content it is important to consider many things. Firstly, it is important to take into consideration the background of the author, paying special attention to whether or not they are qualified to write a piece of literature about a specific topic. Typically this can be done by examining whether or not that author is an “insider”, or a part of the culture that they chose to write about. In regards to the three examples of African American literature I have chosen, each of the authors are in fact African Americans who have experienced what it is like growing up in America during times when racism and segregation were very prominent. I felt that because each author had first-handedly experienced growing up during these segregated times, with memories of their experiences directly shining through the content of their texts, they were more than qualified to write about such topics. In addition to the authors, each of these chosen books was illustrated by an insider as well. I felt that this was an equally important aspect of the overall work in that the pictures say just as much, if not more, than the text. Illustrations have the ability to add additional information about characters and settings as well as evoke certain feelings and responses from the readers (Duren). I found each of these texts to be effective pieces of African American literature because of the issues each presented. In regards to Goin’ Someplace Special, it exposed a very real part of American history with its examples of racism and segregation in the 1950s, in addition to the sense of hope it provided for the integration of the human race. In regards to Tar Beach, prominent issues of the hard working African American family during the Great Depression were prevalent, as well as symbolism rooted in African culture. And in regards to The Sunday Outing, it focused on aspects of African American culture that did not necessarily have to do with racism, but rather on the issue of economic difficulties for an African American family at the turn of the century. I believe that it is important to include pieces of African American literature in the classroom in order to expose children at a young age to real-life issues that are commonly underrepresented and overlooked. By introducing students to multiculturally diverse literature not only will they be able to formulate a better understanding of the world that surrounds them, but it will also ideally deconstruct predisposed stereotypes and prejudices that they may unconsciously understand to be real. Additionally, presenting such literature in the classroom will allow children from backgrounds whose experiences are not typically heard to make sense of their own experiences. Multiculturalism in children’s literature is slowly being incorporated into the common classroom curriculum but there is a large gap which needs filling and much explanation that needs to be done in regards to educating today’s youth; this education should begin in the classroom at a young age. As students are being introduced to a variety of literature it is necessary to include a variety of African American literature and multicultural literature as well.


Works Cited

Duren, Emma B. "Critical Multiculturalism & Racism in Children's Literature." Multicultural Education 7 (2000): 16-19.

McKissack, Patricia C., and Jerry Pinkney. Goin' Someplace Special. New York: Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books, 2001.

Pinkney, Gloria Jean, and Jerry Pickney. The Sunday Outing. New York: Dial, 1994.

Ringgold, Faith. Tar Beach. New York: Crown Books For Young Readers, 1991.

"Critical Multiculturalism & Racism in Children's Literature"

In Emma B. Duren’s journal article, “Critical Multiculturalism & Racism in Children’s Literature”, she presents the argument that many children unconsciously overlook the political implications of their whiteness and fail to recognize it as an unearned privilege. This facet is one that the majority of students, and adults alike, do not understand. I believe that this statement is very true; many whites are uneducated about other races, ethnicities, and cultures, as they are often overlooked or pushed aside as a controversial topic. Due to this issue, Duren stresses the importance of exposing elementary students to experiences of other people and their cultures through literature, as they typically have limited experiences with people of different backgrounds and ethnicities, and literature is a good way to prompt dialogue in the classroom about such topics. Duren makes the point that due to this lack of exposure stereotypes are often a child’s only knowledge of other races. Multicultural literature allows students to hear different perspectives or experiences that they may not have otherwise heard and provides them with the opportunity to learn about racial and ethnic groups as well as “examine their own stereotypes and prejudices”. Duren states that the use of multiculturalism in children’s literature is not only beneficial to white students, but that it also provides students of color with representations of their own experiences. Because traditional children’s literature typically does not focus on issues of diversity, multiculturalism, or racism children who experience such issues in their own lives are often left with no reflection of their own experiences. In her critique of five “multicultural” books, Duren notes that they merely “reviewed reinforced existing concepts of how racism functions in this country” rather than challenging or critically explaining such racism. Duren also makes the claim that the majority of children’s literature presents racism as a southern issue and a thing of the past which no longer exists. In response to this, Duren believes that literature regarding issues of racism need to be explored in a more contemporary setting as “children need to see themselves in a more racially mixed society in order to understand the social, economic, and political construction of race”. Duren states the need for “honest dialogue about race” which she believes should be introduced to children at a young age. I could not agree with Duren more. While I believe that there are many pieces of literature which place racism in a historical context that are beneficial to teaching such issues, there are very few pieces of children’s literature which place a focus on racism and issues of multiculturalism set in a modern or contemporary setting. As Duren mentions, there needs to be a greater attempt to create literature which exposes issues of racism and stereotypes which are present today. Educating students about such issues can be very difficult to do, in fact by no means is it expected to be easy; but there needs to be a greater effort on the behalf of authors and educators alike to expose children to these issues at a young age in an attempt to evoke discussion about, and change within, our current status as a completely unified and integrated country.



Works Cited

Duren, Emma B. "Critical Multiculturalism & Racism in Children's Literature." Multicultural Education 7 (2000): 16-19.

Tar Beach

Adapted from, and incorporating many elements of her series of painted quilts titled “Woman on a Bridge”, Faith Ringgold creates a wonderful piece of African American children’s literature titled Tar Beach. Tar Beach is narrated through the perspective of eight-year old, Cassie Louise Lightfoot, and is set in Harlem during the year of 1939. According to the Author’s Note, Ringgold’s artistic depiction of life during these times is roughly based on memories of her own childhood growing up in Harlem during the era of the Great Depression. Ringgold does an exceptional job of presenting issues of poverty from the angle of her young narrator Cassie. In this story, Cassie realizes that her family is not wealthy and that they are not as well off as most; however, the Lightfoots make the best of what they have in an attempt to overcome these hardships as they spend their evenings on the paved roof of their apartment building; the glorified “tar beach”. Through Cassie’s imagination she is able to travel to places that are otherwise denied to her as a result of the present segregation. Ringgold focuses on very real feelings that she experienced as a child, such as the desire to help out her family, specifically through the mention of Cassie’s father. Ringgold alludes to the denial of union jobs to colored people as a result of the “grandfather” rule and the present segregation, something that Cassie is very much aware of. As Cassie imagines flying over the Union building she explains how she will give the building to her father, resulting in her family being rich and they will then be able to eat “ice cream every night for dessert”. This element of flying over her city is one that specifically stood out to me as an element of African American literature. The concept of “flying” is one deeply rooted in African history as it was once symbolic of an escape from slavery and/or oppression; ultimately flight equals freedom. In this case it is an escape from the inequalities experienced by a young African American girl growing up in Great Depression Harlem. Cassie describes flying as the freedom “to go wherever [she] wants for the rest of her life”, a method of countering the issues of segregation and racism. Ringgold’s story highlights a very important part of both American and African American history by focusing on the hardships that African Americans faced throughout the past. It is important to inform children of such events as they actually happened and are responsible for where we are at today; socially, culturally, and economically.



Works Cited

Ringgold, Faith. Tar Beach. New York: Crown Books For Young Readers, 1991.

The Sunday Outing

While Gloria Jean Pinkney’s, The Sunday Outing, is not a Coretta Scott King award winner and it does not focus on issues of racism and segregation, I found this to be an excellent example of African American literature as it does focus on issues of economic status experienced by many African Americans. Pinkney’s book, constructed from childhood memories, tells the story of young Ernestine who loved going down to the North Philadelphia train station to watch the trains roll by and listen to her great-aunt Odessa tell her stories about her “great- uncle Ariah who had worked for the railroad”; the one thing that Ernestine wanted more desperately than anything was to be lucky enough to ride on one of the trains that she loved watching so much. When Ernestine presents this idea to her group of friends they tell her that she will never be able to ride on a train, but Ernestine believes otherwise. The issue that Pinkney presents is a matter of economic difficulty experienced by many African Americans. Ernestine’s parents were saving money in order to move into a house and therefore could not afford to buy her a ticket; in the text it is evident that her family can not afford things that other families obviously could afford. Ernestine realizes that she must give up certain things in order to obtain others. In the story, Ernestine suggests that rather than buy new school clothes, which she really did not need, she could put the money towards buying a ticket to ride the train to visit her relatives in Lumberton, North Carolina. Her parents decide that this is a good idea and end up allowing her to take the trip. I thought this book was a good piece of African American literature because it teaches children that even in times when racism is not as prevalent, not all have it easy; there are still obvious differences in economic status. Pinkney shows how something as little as riding on a train, that may be taken for granted by some, for others may become a privilege. Pinkney does a fine job of providing yet another African American experience, different than those commonly portrayed in what is considered African American literature.



Works Cited

Pinkney, Gloria Jean, and Jerry Pickney. The Sunday Outing. New York: Dial, 1994.

Goin' Someplace Special

Patricia C. McKissack’s Coretta Scott King Award winning children’s book, Goin’ Someplace Special, is the semi-autobiographical story of the author-based fictional character, ‘Tricia Ann, and her experience as she journeys to her favorite place ever: “Someplace Special”. Set in a southern town during the 1950s, through ‘Tricia Ann’s downtown trip, McKissack explores issues of blatant segregation and unwarranted racism that were very prominent during these times. Tricia Ann sets off on her trip and immediately encounters this segregation as she is required to sit at the back of the bus in the designated “Colored Section”. Throughout the story ‘Tricia Ann faces this segregation and racism. As a young girl she finds the reasoning behind Jim Crow laws difficult to understand, however, she is aware of the danger that could result from disobeying such laws. One aspect of this story that I really liked was ‘Tricia Ann’s encounter with the young white boy named Hickey. This part of the story presents the innocence of children and the overall ridiculousness that issues of racism and segregation are rooted in. McKissack not only highlights a very important part of American history through her specific focus on the hardships that African Americans faced during the 1950s, but she does so while bringing forth the strong message of hope for African Americans. ‘Tricia Ann’s grandmother, Mama Frances, encourages ‘Tricia to hold her head high regardless of the conditions she must face. Mama Frances tells ‘Tricia that although whites can tell African Americans where to sit they can not tell them how to think and makes the very powerful statement, “you are a human being” no different than any one else. In addition to this hope provided by Mama Frances, ‘Tricia Ann is able to find her own sense of security as she finally arrives at her special place: the library. During the 1950s the library was the one place where blacks and whites were equally welcome. Ending the story on this positive note I felt was a very effective way of presenting hope for unity. McKissack does an excellent job of presenting one specific experience of life as an African American during the 1950s as she raises issues of segregation and racism; issues that are a very real part of our past and should by no means be neglected.


Works Cited

McKissack, Patricia C., and Jerry Pinkney. Goin' Someplace Special. New York: Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books, 2001.

Wrap-Up

Well, its been a minute since I've posted on this bad boy, but I figured as class is coming to a close what better time to reflect on the semester than now? I think that this class has been a very valuable one, especially in regards to how to approach teaching issues of diversity and multiculturalism in the classroom; overall I really did enjoy this course. I think that it was very enjoyable and unique because we focused on issues that are way too often overlooked or underrepresented. I feel like the content taught and the knowledge I obtained over the course of the semester has been very valuable, and it will continue to be valuable both in my personal life and my life as a teacher, as it is knowledge that many people unfortunately are not aware of. I think that when people consider children's literature they typically think of literature that is not very deep, that is easily written, and that is irrelevant for anyone who is not a child. This course has done an excellent job of teaching that this is by no means true. It stresses the importance of diversity and mulitculturalism in children's literature. It has provided me with an abundance of new information that I belive is very important to consider both in the real world and in a classroom setting. This class has helped me to realize everything that contributes to the overall realm of children's literature by focusing on aspects that are visible on the surface and also by exposing what lies below the surface of the text, even down to the illustrations. I think that everybody should have to take this course; it is so eye-opening and presents so many issues that are important not only to teachers, but to the common person.

LGBTQ

After having read this weeks articles in addition to David Levithan's "Boy Meets Boy" I realized how difficult GLBTQ issues are to confront in the classroom. The topic is so controversial that I still am not quite sure how comfortable Iwould feel teaching this topic. It is not that I have negative feelings towards anyone who may fall under one of the categories of LGBTQ, or that someone's sexual preference violates my religious beliefs. These are absolutely ridiculous reactions to LGBTQ in my opinion. The young student in the video we previewed mentioned something along the lines of: it's how they want to live their life, so just let them do it. I think that this should be everyone's mindset when dealing with such issues, but obviously this is not the case. Rather it has been a topic that has caused many uprisings, controversies, and heartfelt debates. While many other forms of culture exist and have resulted in similar reaction, the LGBTQ scene sets itself apart from the other forms of diverse and multicultural literature we have discussed so far in our class. I think that it is the uncertainty of the matter. While most LGBTQ claim that it is not a decision that they make, but rather a part of their identity and who they are; it is not something that they can fake or change. However, on the other hand many non-LGBTQ find this difficult to understand (personally, I must say that I can not relate and therefore have difficulty comprehending their experiences, but I also believe this for many cultures that I am not a part of) and many believe that it is a decision that the person makes themself. This is different from many other forms of diverse literature because those are all mostly aspects of a person that are evident from the surface. Saying that they are things that a person can not change about themselves would be incorrect as LGBTQ people can not change this either, but they are are visually evident so people are forced to accept them. I suppose it is to the point where I am rambling, but after our class I have come to realize that this is a very difficult topic and is one that I need to further educate myself in. This weeks class has helped me to realize the importance of LGBTQ literature astheir voiced are very unheard. There are so many experiences out there that are waiting to be heard and to provide all people, LGBTQ and heterosexual alike, with an additional perspective on how our lifes are similar and how they are different.

Latino/Latina Museum Display

I found the museum exhibit to be pretty neat. I really enjoyed going around and reading about each persons history and especially enjoyed the unique photographs of each. I found it even more interesting to walk around and observe the photographs after having the docent speak about the how the person being photographed got to decide where and how they wanted the shot to be taken. I found each photograph to be a lot more meaningful and found that a lot of the time the picture was able to say just as much as the short little blurbs.

My only issue with the exhibit, as I mentioned towards the end of last week's class, is that a lot of the class was very accepting of each of the persons chosen to be represented in the exhibit. My point is not that these people are not deserving, they all very much are; they each did an amazing thing by conquering stereotypes and prevailing through some very difficult times. I found this to be somewhat problematic because the only voices shown in the exhibit were those that had succeeded, bringing about a sense that if you come to America then you will triumph which clearly is not always the case. The majority of Latino Americans do not always prove to be as successful. It bothered me some that this voice was left out.

I think that the exhibit had very good intentions, as I mentioned I did really enjoy it and it is very powerful, but I think that if it is the Latino American voice that they are trying to present then they must present that voice from as many angles as possible. It is possible to showcase Latino American culture, and accomplishments that have come about as a result of that culture, without only showing those who have made a fortune or those who have succeeded in terms of corporation or business. Maybe I am asking for too much, but I think that more voices could have been represented if the exhibit was displayed in a different manner; one that attempted to reach out to, and portray, the lives of all Latino Americans.

Critical Fishbowl

I found our class today to be very insightful. I found the "fishbowl" discussion to be very eye-opening and very though provoking. Prior to the fishbowl discussion I had my own beliefs that some ages/grades may be too young to introduce such controversial issues as slavery, racism, and even socially constructed gender roles, and that these topics of discussion should wait until students are mature enough to handle and confront them. However, after hearing everyone's contributions, which were jam-packed with new ideas and beliefs resulting from Kuhlman's article on critical literacy, I think that the earlier these controversial and problematic issues are presented to children the more able they are to build their own background knowledge from which they can begin to construct their own beliefs on such topics. By presenting them at a younger age students are not only able to begin to form their own opinions, but they are also able to begin questioning their experiences and things that they see everyday that may relate to such issues; kids are intelligent, never underestimate what they absorb and what they observe on a day to day basis.

I think that it is important, though, to keep in mind that each and every piece of literature we set our eager eyes upon is strictly one person's perspective; one single point of view, which sometimes may be formulated from certain biases (as shown by Laura Ingalls Wilder in her "Little House" series). So, although I believe that a variety of literature should be presented to children at a young age, we must be sure, as it is our duty as responsible educators, to provide our students with a variety of perspectives telling multiple sides of the story and looking at these debateable issues from as many angles as literaturely possible.

Book Award Discussion

I think that our exploration of the different book awards and the reading of the Aronson and Pinckney articles really prompted some great discussion in class last Wednesday. Many intriguing issues were surfaced and I found myself double-thinking my own opinion on the matter.

After our discussion I still do believe that these specific cultural awards are very appropriate as I said in class, because they highlight excellent examples of unheard, and unrepresented voices and experiences. I think that in the classroom, as teachers there are going to be a lot of questions dealing with multiculturalism that we will not know how to answer and/or where to look. The issue of diversity and multiculturalism is one that must be presented in the classroom, and must be presented in the most effective and accurate way possible.

I am still holding strong to my belief that these awards act as an aid, or at least somewhere to begin, when searching for good examples of multiculturalism in childrens literature. While it may not be safe to assume that each award-winning piece is an ideal example or representation of a specific experience, they do pave the way for our own research and exploration of such literature.

The Coretta Scott King Award

When & Why Created?
The CSK Award was established in the late 1960’s to commemorate the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. as well as to honor Coretta Scott King and her continuing effort for peace and work towards civil rights issues. The CSK award was first presented to Lillie Patterson in 1970 by the New Jersey Library Association. In 1979 a separate award was created for illustrators. In 1982 the American Library Association recognized the award as an association award.

Rationale for award:
The award was created to encourage the artistic expression of the African American experience through literature and the graphic arts, including biographical, historical and social history treatments by African American authors and illustrators.

Selection Committee:
The award is presented annually by the Coretta Scott King Committee of the ALA’s Ethnic Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT). The CSK Task Force appoints and nominates an award jury of seven committee members who make the final decision of the award recipients. It is very easy to become a member of EMIERT by simply filling out an online application and mailing in a membership fee.

Sponsors:
The award consists of a plaque and a donation of $1000 granted by Johnson Publications for the author’s award and Book Wholesalers for the illustrator’s award. In addition to this a set of encyclopedias is donated to the author by Encyclopedia Britannica and to the illustrator by WorldBook Encyclopedias.

Selection Criteria:
- Must portray some aspect of the African American experience, past, present, or future.
- Must be an original work, written and/or illustrated by an African American. The award may be granted to a text with only one African American author or illustrator.
- Must be published in the year before the presentation of the award.
- Must have a clear plot and well-drawn characters portraying growth and development.
- The writing style must be consistent, suitable to the intended age, and accurate.
- The title should encourage the reader to develop attitudes and behaviors pertaining to a good citizen.
- The illustrations must meet qualitative standards, must relate to the text and enlarge on the elements of the story, should provide an appreciation of beauty, and it should awaken and strengthen the imagination of the reader.
- Must fall under one of the following categories:
o Preschool-4th grade
o 5th – 8th grade
o 9th – 12th grade

Websites:
There is an official website for the award which can be accessed through the official American Library Association website; additional award information can be found at the official website for African American Literature Book Club.
- www.ala.org
- www.aalbc.com

Seal:
The symbol represents Dr. King’s teachings and doctrines, including a circle for the continuity of movement from one idea to another. Also portrayed is an image of a black child reading a book below five religious symbols that each represents nonsectarianism. The pyramid stands for strength, but also Atlanta University where the award was headquartered when the seal was designed. Atop the pyramid is a dove representing peace as well as a ray of sun that shines toward peace and brotherhood.
The bronze and black seal denotes an actual award winner, the new pewter and black seal denotes and honor book.

"Habibi" and such

I thought that last Wednesday's discussions on "Habibi" went very well as a lot of good issues were brought up. Because the Arab American culture is very rarely heard from the "insider" perspective I think it is good to read such texts. If anyone is looking for another good read also dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, although much more in your face and raw, I recommend the book "The Attack" by Yasmin Khadra.

In regards to the point made about "Habibi" being one-sided, I think that it is important to remember that this was written from just one person's point-of-view, and that we should approach it with this in mind. We can not always expect to hear both sides of the story; if this were the case I think we would have a lot different opinions about much of what we "know".

Also, while I do believe that when both sides of the story are told it is possible to portray the other point of view inaccurately; I also believe that one person's portrayal of their culture may not always match up with someone else's portrayal from that same culture. There are cultures within cultures, thats what makes us all so unique; no one else can say they've lived the lives we have!

Oh yes, more Bob Dylan

So I was burning away some time watching videos of Bob Dylan on YouTube instead of confronting my homework as I commonly do, when I randomly stumbled upon this, solving the issue of how my next post would include Bob Dylan.

What are the chances that today's date, September 23, 2008, would host the release of a Bob Dylan lyric-based children's book? I couldn't find a whole lot of information on the book so I am not sure how I feel about it yet, but apparently the illustrations (Paul Rogers) compliment the lyrics quite well. The best blurb I could find on it was at Amazon which can be seen here.

I suppose this doesn't exactly fall under the category of multiculturalism, but it definitely applies to children's literature and is right down my alley.


If you want to check out the complete song you can listen to that here. Or there's a pretty awesome version of it here with The Band at their "Last Waltz".

Multiculturalism & some Bob Dylan

After engaging myself into the arguments proposed by each of the given authors I found myself deep in thought about what the word “multicultural” truly means, and what exactly it is that defines a piece of literature as multicultural. After grueling hours of pondering and thinking, and a lengthy night of sleeping on the issue, I was able to come up with a few concrete points to explain my newly enlightened point of view on multicultural literature

I agree with Shannon and his definition of multicultural. In his article he defines culture as “a shared set of ideas, behaviors, discourses, and attitudes which internally and externally define a social group,” therefore to be multicultural literature is to examine or highlight any of the great variety of these cultural and social structures (Shannon 2). The problem with this definition is that multicultural literature then provides the possibility to delve into the realm of any culture imaginable, be it by race, gender, religion, etc. By using the term multicultural, literature written from any perspective or written about any group of people is included in this definition allowing all literature to fall under the category of multicultural therefore defeating the purpose of classifying literature at all.

In the rebuttals of Sims Bishop and Harris they too agree with Shannon’s definition of culture, but omit his opinion of what multicultural literature should consist of. Allowing mainstream literature to qualify as multicultural defeats the purpose of creating the subgroup as it desensitizes the importance of presenting the unheard story or the “story that has not yet been adequately told” (Sims Bishop 7). As Cai writes in his article, a part of the ongoing multicultural debate, the purpose of what is known as multicultural literature is to help students “become aware of racial discrimination and oppression” (Cai 315). Perhaps then the choice to define this literature of the unheard minority as multicultural is the wrong route to take. I agree with Harris in the idea that multiculturalism should be an effort to “concentrate on those who are most excluded and marginalized” as historically, and still today those people, typically people of color, have been overlooked (Harris xvi).

In terms of whether or not it is necessary for the author to be a part of the culture he/she is writing about, I believe that as long as the author has adequate background knowledge and a solid understanding of the experience of being part of that culture and how that culture operates within society, then the author’s cultural heritage should not matter. If the story can be accurately told and presented to the masses in a respectable manner then it is successful in getting the point across and exposing society to a different perspective. A perfect example I would like to highlight is Bob Dylan. Based upon my blog you are probably beginning to realize my infatuation with Bob Dylan, but that aside, I would like to focus on his writing for a moment, as I believe it falls under the category of, for lack of better wording, multicultural literature (although not children’s literature) by presenting the “untold story” with songs like “Hurricane” and “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll”.

First Blog & some Bob Dylan

Well I've never "blogged" before but I suppose in this tech-savvy world we live in these days it probably would not be a bad idea to start. As of now I have nothing to say but I figured I'd try this baby out.

In the meantime, check out this song by Bobby Dylan. The lyrics are genius:

Tombstone Blues

The sweet pretty things are in bed now of course
The city fathers they're trying to endorse
The reincarnation of Paul Revere's horse
But the town has no need to be nervous

The ghost of Belle Starr she hands down her wits
To Jezebel the nun she violently knits
A bald wig for Jack the Ripper who sits
At the head of the chamber of commerce

Mama's in the fact'ry
She ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley
He's lookin' for the fuse
I'm in the streets
With the tombstone blues

The hysterical bride in the penny arcade
Screaming she moans, "I've just been made"
Then sends out for the doctor who pulls down the shade
Says, "My advice is to not let the boys in"

Now the medicine man comes and he shuffles inside
He walks with a swagger and he says to the bride
"Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride
You will not die, it's not poison"

Mama's in the fact'ry
She ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley
He's lookin' for the fuse
I'm in the streets
With the tombstone blues

Well, John the Baptist after torturing a thief
Looks up at his hero the Commander-in-Chief
Saying, "Tell me great hero, but please make it brief
Is there a hole for me to get sick in?"

The Commander-in-Chief answers him while chasing a fly
Saying, "Death to all those who would whimper and cry"
And dropping a bar bell he points to the sky
Saving, "The sun's not yellow it's chicken"

Mama's in the fact'ry
She ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley
He's lookin' for the fuse
I'm in the streets
With the tombstone blues

The king of the Philistines his soldiers to save
Puts jawbones on their tombstones and flatters their graves
Puts the pied pipers in prison and fattens the slaves
Then sends them out to the jungle

Gypsy Davey with a blowtorch he burns out their camps
With his faithful slave Pedro behind him he tramps
With a fantastic collection of stamps
To win friends and influence his uncle

Mama's in the fact'ry
She ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley
He's lookin' for the fuse
I'm in the streets
With the tombstone blues

The geometry of innocent flesh on the bone
Causes Galileo's math book to get thrown
At Delilah who sits worthlessly alone
But the tears on her cheeks are from laughter

Now I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill
I would set him in chains at the top of the hill
Then send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille
He could die happily ever after

Mama's in the fact'ry
She ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley
He's lookin' for the fuse
I'm in the streets
With the tombstone blues

Where Ma Raney and Beethoven once unwrapped their bed roll
Tuba players now rehearse around the flagpole
And the National Bank at a profit sells road maps for the soul
To the old folks home and the college

Now I wish I could write you a melody so plain
That could hold you dear lady from going insane
That could ease you and cool you and cease the pain
Of your useless and pointless knowledge

Mama's in the fact'ry
She ain't got no shoes
Daddy's in the alley
He's lookin' for the fuse
I'm in the streets
With the tombstone blues

Copyright ©1965; renewed 1993 Special Rider Music