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On Grace Lyrics by Danez Smith

Nepantla: Issue #1

0

For Tim Seibles, Ross Gay, Kevin Simmonds, & Pages Matam

You know how when Usain Bolt runs
& you want to cry it's so beautiful? That.

How could we not be a song? I hum
this man in my bed all night, my mouth a loose choir

& his body a gospel & I don’t mean like a song
I mean gospel like a religion or like a testimony

etched in gold. How could we be only a song?
I lay men down for what some call me a faggot for

but I call it worship, I see his wood & bark
Amen Amen Amen. I call out God's good name

in the midst of the first miracle – the black body.
Look at him, at us. Were the mountains not named

after some dark brotha's shoulders? Didn’t the wind learn
its ways from watching two boys run the spine of a field?

Bless the birch-colored body, always threatening to grow
or burn. Bless the body that strikes fear in pale police

& wets the mouths of church girls & choir boys with want.
Am I allowed to say I praised my pastor most without the robe?

I have found God in the saltiest parts of men: the space between
the leg & what biology calls a man, the bottoms of feet, life's slow milk.

I watch the Heat play the Warriors & I am overcome by a need
for tears & teeth. I stopped playing football because being tackled

feels too much like making love. I pause in the middle of the street
watching the steady pace of the men on corners selling green

& all things dangerous & white. I watch the hands exchange money
& escape, the balancing act of hips & denim. This awful dance of poverty,

but the dancers? Tatted & callous ballerinas, henna dipped stars.
Do you know what it means to be that beautiful & still hunted

& still alive? Who knows this story but the elephants & the trees?
Who says the grace of a black man in motion is not perfect

as a tusk in the sun or a single leaf taking its sweet time to the ground?

About “On Grace” by Danez Smith

Read the complete lyrics to "On Grace" by Danez Smith from the album "Nepantla: Issue #1". 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.

"On Grace" is performed by Danez Smith. from the album "Nepantla: Issue #1" 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 "On Grace", 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.

View all songs and biography for Danez Smith · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"On Grace" 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.

"On Grace" appears on "Nepantla: Issue #1".

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


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