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Not an Elegy for Mike Brown Lyrics by Danez Smith

Don’t Call Us Dead

2014

I am sick of writing this poem
but bring the boy.
his new name
his same old body. ordinary, black
dead thing. bring him & we will mourn
until we forget what we are mourning
& isn’t that what being black is about?
not the joy of it, but the feeling
you get when you are looking
at your child, turn your head,
then, poof, no more child.
that feeling. that’s black.
 
think: once, a white girl
was kidnapped & that’s the Trojan war.
later, up the block, Troy got shot
& that was Tuesday. are we not worthy
of a city of ash? of 1000 ships
launched because we are missed?
always, something deserves to be burned.
it’s never the right thing now a days.
I demand a war to bring the dead boy back
no matter what his name is this time.
I at least demand a song. a song will do just fine.
or, a head
Credits
Danez Smith

Danez Smith

About “Not an Elegy for Mike Brown” by Danez Smith

Read the complete lyrics to "Not an Elegy for Mike Brown" by Danez Smith from the album "Don’t Call Us Dead" in 2014. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Poetry, Non-Music, Literature.

"Not an Elegy for Mike Brown" is performed by Danez Smith. from the album "Don’t Call Us Dead" in 2014 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Not an Elegy for Mike Brown", explore more songs by Danez Smith using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Not an Elegy for Mike Brown" is credited to Danez Smith. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Not an Elegy for Mike Brown" appears on "Don’t Call Us Dead" in 2014.

Visit the Danez Smith artist page at /artist/danez-smith for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.