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Heritage (My Mother, My Father and Love), Pt. 1 Lyrics by Duke Ellington

My People (The Complete Show)

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[FEMALE SOLOIST (JOYA SHERRILL), spoken]
I've had many interviews about my heritage and such
Like, "Tell us about your childhood" or "Have you suffered much?"
Well, I could talk about me and do it pretty fast
But in speaking of my loved ones, some of whom have passed
I have my little problem as I try to make sense
You see, I never speak of my people in the past tense
So I paint my little word picture in my own little way
And if you happen to be listening, you might hear me say
(sung)
My mother, the greatest and the prettiest
My father, just handsome but the wittiest
My granddaddy, natural born proud
Grandma, so gentle, so fine
The men before them worked hard and sang loud
About the beautiful women in this family of mine
Our homestead, the warmest hospitality
In me you see the least of the family tree personality
I was raised in the palm of the hand
By the very best people in the land
From sun to sun
Our hearts beat as one
My mother, my father and love
Credits
Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington

About “Heritage (My Mother, My Father and Love), Pt. 1” by Duke Ellington

Read the complete lyrics to "Heritage (My Mother, My Father and Love), Pt. 1" by Duke Ellington from the album "My People (The Complete Show)". 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 Musicals, Jazz, R&B.

"Heritage (My Mother, My Father and Love), Pt. 1" is performed by Duke Ellington. from the album "My People (The Complete Show)" 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 "Heritage (My Mother, My Father and Love), Pt. 1", explore more songs by Duke Ellington 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

"Heritage (My Mother, My Father and Love), Pt. 1" is credited to Duke Ellington. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Heritage (My Mother, My Father and Love), Pt. 1" appears on "My People (The Complete Show)".

Visit the Duke Ellington artist page at /artist/duke-ellington for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.