Parchman Farm Jesus

by George Cuhlane - Leo

“The very time I thought I was los' 
The dungeon shook an' the chain fell off. 
You may hinder me here 
But you cannot there 
'Cause God in his heaven 
Goin' to answer prayer 
I be waitin for you jesus lord 
I be waitin for you jesus 
I be waitin for you jesus lord 
I be waitin for you jesus.” 

I spent my days 
workin and dyin 

In the ward 
the invalids 
they ain’t workin 
just dyin 
hurtin 
and dyin 
and waitin for jesus 

On block C 
the negroes 
spend their days 
workin and singin 
singin and dyin 
and waitin for jesus. 

102 degrees outside 
gonna be hotter in here 
ain’t got enough money to buy a canteen 
so right now 
can’t get no water 

all the people on the outside 
writin letters to their congressmen 
bout how sinners shouldn’t live in luxury 
shouldn’t get no color TVS 
well they ain’t never been to Parchman. 

Down in the delta 
there’s people been forgotten 
where hell meets earth 
its hotter than the blazes 
a fire and damnation 
and I ain’t got no tv 

just an 8 by 10 
sweat 
blood 
and a bible 

I work in a field 
all day 
with the negroes 
they’re singin their songs 
and praisin their god 
and you can’t help but wanna 
praise something too. 

So now I’m just workin 
workin and dyin 
and waitin 
for jesus 

104 today. 
no fans 
not enough water 
and we’re bakin 
so we go on hunger strike 
and there ain’t much they can do 
to stop us 
ain’t nothing else 
they can take away 
so they take away 
my bible 
and they throw me in the hole. 

10 days 
in the hole 
and there’s no sunlight 
so at least 
im not bakin 
blind but I’m not bakin 

guard comes by 
to give me bread and water 
says that I’ll be in the hole 
til jesus come 

bread and water 
another day 
of bread and water 
its been three days 
guard opens the slit in the door 
to slide in my bread and water 
light from outside 
seers my eyes 
been four days 
hallucination can’t be far from here 

bread is the body of christ 
strength through the body of christ 
bread is the body of christ 

matthew 26 26 
this is my body 
this is my bread 
and my body 
body of chrsit 

gotta keep my eyes open 
cause there might be 
a second coming for me 
right here 
in the darkness 
but for me 
there is no strength 
no salvation 
cause jesus died in Parchman 
my wife pulled the trigger 
years ago 
the last supper 
and now a second crucifixion 
and jesus died 
this is the second crucifixion 
jesus died in parchman 

day 6 
no more bread 
only water 


twenty years ago 
I cursed god 
they all told me 
pray to jesus and never tire 
told me 
have faith in the lord 
cause he works in mysterious ways 
keep on prayin to jesus 
cause he’s gonna make all the pain go away 
so i prayed 
but the pain kept on comin 
i prayed for seven years 
til they let that bastard outta jail 
then i killed him. 

the judge told me 
killin him 
wasn’t gonna bring my wife back 
told me 
that my wife 
killed herself 
pulled the trigger 
told me 
that god 
woulda handled him 

well i prayed to jesus 
and i know my wife prayed to jesus 
and she still went crazy 
hell i couldn’t touch my own wife 
of eight years 
when we lay in bed at night 
cause she had flashbacks 
think i was him 
think i was rapin her. 

well maybe god woulda handled him 
maybe i coulda kept prayin to jesus 
but was jesus gonna stop him from 
rapin more women 
how many other times he done it 
and just not got caught 
so i passed my own judgement 
and now i await the judgement of my own god 
and I’ll face my maker 

I’m just waitin for the day 
cause i ain’t got much more to do -
sittin here in this hole -
than die a little every day 
waitin for jesus 
I’m dying 
and waitin for jesus 

them negroes 
got them songs 
that just don’t leave your mind 
when I’m half unconscious 
and the day blends into night 
no bread or water 
no guiding light 
i just start hummin 
cause it sounds like something 
i wanna believe 

“The very time I thought I was los' 
The dungeon shook an' the chain fell off. 
You may hinder me here 
But you cannot there 
'Cause God in his heaven 
Goin' to answer prayer 
I be waitin for you jesus lord 
I be waitin for you jesus 
I be waitin for you jesus lord 
I be waitin for you jesus.” 

Just workin 
and dyin 
and waitin for you jesus. 

- - - - - - - - 

copyright george cuhlane, 2001. all rights reserved. 
Birth sign: Leo
Date created: 2001-03-15 19:43:44
Last updated: 2021-04-14 17:18:13
Poem ID: 61034

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