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Kongo Groove

Chris Hayden
copyright 2000, Chris Hayden


this is Mr. Hayden's brilliant "answer song" to Vachel Lindsay's famous poem, Congo.

I. Introduction

With a boomlay, boomlay, boomlay d'boom!

Black hustlers and bustlin' cool cats, fine fly gals, badass gangstas
in
wide-brimmed hats; rollers, ballers, playas, and square janes and
johns
belly to the bar; rappers, mammerjammers, slammers and wannabe ghetto
stars;

Jammed up and jelly tight aceboon to the max to the funky four
corners of a
winebarrel room.

Barrel house kings and queens on feet unstable,
Reeled and rocked and pounded on the table,
Pounded on the table,
Beat an empty barrel with the handle of a broom,
Hard as they were able,
Boom, boom, d'boom
With gunbutts, empty beer bottles and the handle of a broom
Boomlay, boomlay, boomlay d'boom!

THEN I got religion. THEN I had a vision.
Saw the soulful revel I had dismissed with derision
THEN I SAW THE CONGO CREEPING THROUGH THE BLACK,
CUTTING THROUGH THE JUNGLE WITH A GOLDEN TRACK

Along that river bank, a thousand miles, then along the banks of the
Euphrates, Mississippi and the sacred Nile,

The Spirits of My Ancestors danced in files
Then I heard the boom of the song
Syncopated hearts throbbed in unision like a big brass gong
Then "BLOOD" screamed the flutes and pipes
"FOR THE BLOOD" screamed the sensuous night

Whirl ye the sacred hoodoo rattle thing

Rattle-rattle, rattle-rattle rattle D'BING!

And a boomlay, boomlay, boomlay d'boom!
A roaring epic ragtime, hot jazz, gospel, rock 'n roll, gutbucket
blooze-tango; hard rock hip hop tune from the mouth of the Kongo
To the Mountains of the Moon!

Then hear the howl of Leopold's ghost
Burning in hell for his hand maimed host
Hear now the demons chuckle and yell
Cutting his hands off down in hell
Listen to the sacred proclamation
Blown across the oceans and nations

Aint no use tryin', aint nothin' you can do
Mumbo Jumbo, Groove of the Kongo,
Gonna hoodoo you!
You better recognize, G
Cuz baby it's tue,
Mumbo Jumbo, Groove of the Kongo
Gonna hoodoo you
Gonna hoodoo you
Gonna hoodoo you . . .

II. Komplikation

Black hustlers and bustlin' cool cats, fly nasty gals and bigcity
gangstas
in widebrimmed hats; gamblers and playas and square janes and johns
belly to
the bar, poets and preachers and wannabe ghetto stars
Spirits swoopin', let out a whoop and a call

Danced the juba and kalinda in their gambling halls; did the watusi in
their
cultural centers, the electric slide, the boogaloo, O how they styled
and
represented!
Laughed fit to kill and shook the town
Guyed the policemen and laughed them down

Witha a boom shakalaka boom shakalakalaka boomshaka boom!
THEN I SAW THE CONGO CREEPING THROUGH THE BLACK
CUTTING THROUGH THE JUNGLE WITH A GOLDEN TRACK

And then another kaliedescopic Benin Bronze vison
Before my eyes swung into view
A boogie wonderland
Where dreams come true
The ebony palaces soared on high
Through the blossoming trees to the evening sky
The onyx inlaid porches and casements shone
With gold and ivory and silver elephant bone
And the black crowd partied down and laughed til they sides was sore
And kept on coming through the agate door
And the well-known tunes of the parrot band
Trilling in the bushes of that magic land

Then a troupe of stone faced holymen came through the agate doorway
in zoot suits of flame yea, long-tailed tuxes with gold leaf crust and
baseball caps gleaming with diamond dust;

And the crowd in the court gave a whoop and a call
And danced the juba from wall to wall
But the holymen suddenly stilled the throng
With a stern cold glare and a stern old song

Mumbo jumbo gonna hoodoo you. . .

Then came the cakewalk princes in their swingin' red vines, shoes
with
mirror like shine and tall silk hats that were red as wine;
And they pranced and danced with their butterfly partners there, coal
black
maidens with pearls in their hair, knee-skirts trimmed with the
jessamine
sweet, and bells on their ankles and dainty black feet!

And the couples railed at the chant and the frown
Of the holymen lean and laughed them down

O rare was the revel and wellworth the while
That made those glowering houngans smile,
The cake walk royalty then began to walk for a cake that was tall as a
man
to a boomshakalaka laka boum! boum! boum!

While the holymen laughed with a happy air,
And sang with the throng that was styling there,
Walk with care! Walk with care!

Or Mumbo Jumbo, Groove of the Kongo,
Gonna hoodoo you!
Beware! Beware! Walk with care!
With a boom shaka laka laka
Boom shaka boom!

O rare was the revel and well worth the while,
That made those glowering holymen smile

III. Reso(Revo)lution

Then up jumped a brother from the dark side of town
Who preached at the sisters in their velvet gowns,
And howled at the brothers for their lowdown ways,
Said "Get wit' it, cuzz we in the last days!"

He beat on the Bible till he wore it out,
Starting the jubilee revival shout!
And some had visions as they stood on chairs,
And sang of Yakub and the golden stairs!

And they slammed their hymbooks 'til they shook the room,
With Glory! Glory! Glory!
And a Boom! Boum! D'boom!

THEN I SAW THE CONGO, CREEPING THROUGH THE BLACK
CUTTING THROUGH THE JUNGLE WITH A GOLDEN TRACK

And the gray sky opened like a new rent veil and shined forth the
Heavens--and there, 'stead of coats of mail the twelve apostles were
seated
round kente cloth-clad and kufi-capped! And their fire eyes watched
where
the Kongo wound, and the apostles, joined by Damballah Weyo, from
their
thrones on high thrilled all the world with their heaven'ly cry;

"Mumbo jumbo will never die!"

All along that river bank a thousand miles, the Kamby Bolongo, the
black
saints walked in files, with the Orishas clearing the way
for the Kongo Groove--Lawd, what a day!

Hot horns and saxophones screamed and wailed and a million boats of
the
Afro Angels sailed with oars of silver and rows of blue and passengers
gettin' jiggy in the grip of De Jes Grew!

Behold an ancient/new creation,
A singing wind wiggin' 'em out 'cross oceans and nations!
O'er mountains and plains the Good Word Flew;

The Kongo Groove gonna hoodoo you!
Mumbo Jumbo will never die,
It's as American as Cherry Pie!

So cry aloud the Kongo Tune,
With a bumaye, bumaye, boom-boom, d'Boom!
>From the Mouth of the Nile
To the Mountains of the Moon,
Someday Someplace, Someway, soon!
Mumbo Jumbo gonna hoodoo you!
Yeah,
Someday, Someway, Someplace, soon!
Mumbo Jumbo gonna hoodoo you!
Gonna hoodoo you!
Gonna hoo doo
YOU!

copyright 2000, Chris Hayden




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