Lyr Req: Crisis In Arkansas (Lord Invader)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Crisis In Arkansas (Lord Invader)
From: Azizi
Date: 04 Jun 14 - 05:35 PM

Greetings, Jim!

Thank you & MorwenEdhelwen1 for bringing this song to my attention and others' attention.

Best wishes,

Azizi

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Crisis In Arkansas (Lord Invader)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 Jun 14 - 02:31 PM

Azizi! It's good to hear from you again! And thanks for completing the song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Crisis In Arkansas (Lord Invader)
From: Azizi
Date: 02 Jun 14 - 08:07 AM

Here's the lyrics to this song from its record notes:

CRISIS IN ARKANSAS
(Lord Invader)

Yes, Governor Faubus, are you delirious?
If not, show me the reason why you against us
Governor Faubus, are you delirious?
If not, show me the reason why you against us.
Negroes not wanted with Whites in the same school
If I had my way, I'd surely go down with a chain tongue
And break that governor's tongue.

Chorus:
Please take off that black bowtie, lay-o!
And that black tuxedo.
You're calling us names, yet you're wearing black.
Please take off everything black off your back.

If you ever stop to think that we are all human
You will be a humanitarian.
Instead, you are encouraging segregation
And do not believe in integration.
But God made us all and in him we trust.
Nobody in this world is better than us.
One day you will be made to realize
Six feet of earth makes us all of one size.

So take off that black bowtie, lay-o!
And that black tuxedo.
You hate all us blacks, yet you're wearing black.
Please take off everything black off your back.

Some said it's for political reason
Why you are such a naïve person,
But of late you have studied, everyone knows,
That you have a fear for us Negroes.
That's why you are violating every law,
And closing up the schools in Arkansas.
I think that is high class ignorance
You are afraid of the Negroes' intelligence.

So take off that black bowtie, lay-o!
And that black tuxedo.
You hate all us blacks, yet you're wearing black.
Please take off everything black off your back.

In my opinion, there's nothing but gorilla action
Depriving the kids of their education
When they can become eminent lawyers
Politicians, scientists and doctors
Like Clayton Powell or Bustamante
Doctor Ralph Bunche or Doctor Maloney
Then they can climb the ladder of fame
And utilize their atomic brain.

So take off that black bowtie, lay-o!
And that black tuxedo.
You hate all us blacks, yet you're wearing black.
Please take off everything black off your back.
-snip-
Lyrics and notes from John Cowley about that song from http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/smithsonian_folkways/SFW40454.pdf
[Song #23 in the record "Calypso In New York"] :

[Information about the crisis in Arkansas]
..."With [Lord Invader's] civil rights credentials established by his interpretation of "God Made Us All", Invader used lines from the earlier song in the second verse of "Crisis In Arkansas". Trenchantly, he points to inconsistencies in the segregationist position and identifies the benefits of education to Black people in the United States and the Caribbean. "

Adam Clayton Powell 1908-1972 an outspoken advocate of civil rights, and US representative (1945-67 and 1969-71)

Alexander Bustamante- Jamaican labor leader and politician who served as chief minister (1935-55) and prime minister (1962-67)

Dr. Ralph Johnson Bunche (1904-1971), First African American to be a division head in the US Dept of State, he later served with the United Nations

Dr. Alfred Hamilton Maloney, (1888-1955), a Trinidadian who became Professor and Head of the department of Pharmacology of Howard University, Washington, D.C. He was also author of books on race and politics.
-snip-
I published a post about that song which includes those lyrics & notes
and a YouTube sound file on my cultural blog: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/06/lord-invader-crisis-in-arkansas-sound.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Crisis In Arkansas (Lord Invader)
From: MorwenEdhelwen1
Date: 19 May 11 - 06:41 PM

Thanks, Jim! I think it's "or Bustamante" on line 41. "your own laws and rules" in line 5. Does anyone want to listen and add their own lyrics to Jim's transcription?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Crisis In Arkansas (Lord Invader)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 19 May 11 - 05:36 PM

It turned out to be easier than I thought, but there are still gaps in my transcription. I think if we could get a few more people to listen and contribute suggestions, we could complete this.

I have numbered the lines for easy reference.


CRISIS IN ARKANSAS
As sung by Lord Invader

1. Yes, Governor Faubus, are you delirious?
2. If not, show me the reason why you [are] so hard on us.
3. Governor Faubus, are you delirious?
4. If not, show me the reason why you are against us.
5. In Arkansas you're making ...(?)
6. ...(?) whites and ...(?) too.
7. If I had my way, I'd surely go down
8. With a ...(?) and become that governor's ...(?)

9. Please take off that black bowtie, lay-o!
10. And that black tuxedo.
11. You're calling us names, yet you're wearing black.
12. Please take off everything black off your back.

13. Did you ever stop to think that [if] you're a human.
14. You will be a humanitarian?
15. Instead, you are encouraging segregation
16. And do not believe in integration.
17. But God made us all and in Him we trust.
18. Nobody in this world is better than us.
19. One day you will be made to realize
20. ...(?) would make us all of one size.

21. So take off that black bowtie, lay-o!
22. And that black tuxedo.
23. You hate all us blacks, yet you're wearing black.
24. Please take off everything black off your back.

25. Some said it's for political reason
26. Why you are such a naïve person,
27. But of late you have studied, everyone knows,
28. That you have a fear for ...(?).
29. That's why you are violating every law,
30. And ...(?) up pistols in Arkansas.
31. I think that if I can ...(?),
32. You are afraid of the Negroes' intelligence.

33. So take off that black bowtie, lay-o!
34. And that black tuxedo.
35. You hate all us blacks, yet you're wearing black.
36. Please take off everything black off your back.

37. In my opinion, there's nothing but ...(?) action
38. Depriving the kids of their education
39. When they can become eminent lawyers
40. Politicians, scientists and doctors
41. Like Clayton Powell or ...(?)
42. Doctor ...(?), Doctor ...(?).
43. Then they can climb the ladder of fame
44. And utilize their art on the ...(?).

45. So take off that black bowtie, lay-o!
46. And that black tuxedo.
47. You hate all us blacks, yet you're wearing black.
48. Please take off everything black off your back.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Crisis In Arkansas (Lord Invader)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 May 11 - 11:40 AM

You can hear Lord Invader singing CRISIS IN ARKANSAS at YouTube. I listened, but I find it very hard to understand. I might post later with partial lyrics.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Crisis In Arkansas (Lord Invader)
From: MorwenEdhelwen1
Date: 16 May 11 - 05:43 AM

refresh.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Crisis In Arkansas (Lord Invader)
From: MorwenEdhelwen1
Date: 14 May 11 - 06:49 PM

EDIT: that should be in "what was then an all-white high school". And another correction, this song was written in the period after Governor Faubus admitted the Little Rock Nine but closed other schools to Black students.

Subject: Lyr Req: Crisis In Arkansas (Lord Invader)
From: MorwenEdhelwen1
Date: 14 May 11 - 06:42 PM

Does anyone have the lyrics of "Crisis In Arkansas", a protest song for the admittance of the Little Rock Nine into what were then all white high schools? The chorus is: "So take off that black bow tie, lay-oh! And that black tuxedo, you hate our guts yet you're wearing black, please take off everything black off your back."