Lyrks
Lyrks
Lyrks
Cover Art

Cane Lyrics by Kamau Brathwaite

Humboldt Caribbean Lit

0

Brathwaite's reading of This poem can be heard on SoundCloud, or by opening this annotation
Cane’Cause I remember how the road dark
an' the day long
an' the night even longer
if I was younger
I would’a say to you now
leh we sell out de farm
an' go down to town
an' see what de black
o' we bodies an' de brown
o' we bubbies could do.
But all uh kin shout
is uh hate
the dark road
the day long
the night even longer
an' muh body int any younger;
an' de crops goin’ to die
though they seeds spring agen
the sun might go out
an’ the nеx' day come back stronger agen;
wе goin’ pull out de weeds
rake grass from de path
o' we doorstep
an' try
wid a little Miraculous Bush
pun de cow, pun de mule,
pun de pain o' we workin’ back
to hol' back de wrath o' de Lord;
an' pray that God in he heaven above
watchin' good good good
how we burn we blood
how we split we love
how we spit when we cahn
hit back; how we kiss
wid a curse, how we fail
though we try agen an' agen;
how we reap so much less
than we plan. O why why why
I is ax my heart
tell me why
we is try so hard: Tom dead
an' de dust that they mek
when they brek up he house
is the broken bread
o' de curse that we God
bring down pun we head;
an' de hearsin' dark
that darken de sky
is de dark o' de dead
o' de desert an' all dem
travellin' years: tramp
o' foot, stamp
o' cotton, an' we root-
less, waterless years.
But we want to stop
as others have stop
want to stan'
as others have stood;
want to rest, want to build
want to bless the Lord
as the rest, as the others
have done.
But this isn't no beg
wid we hat in hand
no speak when we spoken to;
for too
long now we was 'fraid to speak
for too long frighten an' weak.
But the time is come
when you got to speak
when you got to face fac's
when you got to ax
for an answer;
for we tired o' laws
that still sayin' 'No,
time isn't come yet';
'cause after all,
God put us all
here to dead, born
an' beget in de dark
jes like de rest o' you;
to eat, drink an' forget
that we 'fraid o' de darkness
we loss in, crossin'
a field when the moon
isn't showin' the path-
way.
An' uh thinkin' now
you know, Pearlie, man,
how to ketch a light
that will wink in dis
wicked darkness;
for a night that dark
got to get little light
an' warmth to lighten the dark-
ness; an' perhaps the match
that we strike in this night
goin' to lighten a lil
o' dis darkness;
goin' to leap de wick
o' de kerosene flambeau
an' graze on de trash-
heap air. An' the hot
tooth flame that eatin' the air
goin' to turn on the grass
wid it yellowin' reddenin' glare.
An' de red rich rich
as it toss it head
an' it spread
to a crop-time blaze.
An' de sparks dat crack
in dat burnin' bush
goin' to rise from de rush
o' de pathway
to de hush
o' de shrivellin' stars.
Till de fire we raise
in de good God face
is'a raze all we hope
all we home, all we village
like de time when de May Dust come
like de time
o' de bruggalungdung.
Goin' to burn burn now
in dis willin' wind
till we hurt, till we hate,
like it finish;
an' I walkin' there
in de midst o' that fire
clear clear clear wid muh heart on fire
till I know that the journey end
that the passion done
that the story end;
that we hate, that we fear,
that we sorrow
burn through the dark
o' de long night through
to the sun o' tomorrow's
fire: an' it ridin' there
like my heart on fire
in de cool o' de blazin' air.
Credits
Kamau Brathwaite

Kamau Brathwaite

About “Cane” by Kamau Brathwaite

Read the complete lyrics to "Cane" by Kamau Brathwaite from the album "Humboldt Caribbean Lit". 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, Spoken Word, Non-Music.

"Cane" is performed by Kamau Brathwaite. from the album "Humboldt Caribbean Lit" 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 "Cane", explore more songs by Kamau Brathwaite 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 Kamau Brathwaite · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Cane" is credited to Kamau Brathwaite. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Cane" appears on "Humboldt Caribbean Lit".

Visit the Kamau Brathwaite artist page at /artist/kamau-brathwaite for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.