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Black Cross 1 (Hezekiah Jones) Poem by Joseph S. Newman, recorded by Richard "Lord" Buckley

4 Nov 1961 CARNEGIE CHAPTER HALL 1961     (BD Archive)

Carnegie Chapter Hall, NYC - 4.nov.1961 This isn't a song, it's just a sort of a little story. I first heard this from an important ... guy, at a place they call a casino, a sort of a jazz place I saw him Lord Buckley was towards there, Richard Buckley, anybody called him Lord Buckley He's billed as Lord Buckley, had a moustache, he wore a African hat and he was a pearl of a poet I learned this from him. Mr. Buckley is dead now, he died in New York. He didn't write this, but i learned it from him. Think is just about a story. There was once a man named Hezekiah Jones Hogback county He never had much except some land and a plow Anytime he got something left over He'd spend it, put it in the cupboard He kept in the cupboard for what he called the rainy season But this one he got some much money, he couldn't do nothin', he'd buy books White folks around the county said, "Well, Hezekiah He's harmless enough but the way i see it He better put down them goddamn books Readin' ain't no good for an ignorant nigger" Reverent Greene of the white men's church came around that year Knockin' on doors, he knocked on Hezekiah's door He says, "Hezekiah you believe in the lord?" Hezekiah says, "Well, i never seen the lord, i can say as i do" He says, "Hezekiah you believe in the church?' Hezekiah says, "Well, the church is divided They can't make up their minds I can't make up mine either" "Hezekiah, you believe that if a man is good He goes to heaven for his last reward" Hezekiah says, "I'm good As good as my neighbor" "You don't believe in nothin", says the white men's preacher, "You don't believe in nothin" "Oh yes i do", says Hezekiah, "I believe I believe a man should be beholdin' to his neighbor Not for the reward of heaven or the fear of hell fire" "But you don't understand", says the white men's preacher "There's a lot of good ways for a man to be wicked." And they hung Hezekiah as high as a pigeon White folks around said, "Well, he had it comin' The son of a bitch never had no religion!"

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Black Cross 2

22 Dec 1961 THE MINNEAPOLIS HOTEL TAPE    & THE GASLIGHT CAFE (BD Archive) THE MINNESOTA TAPES (T-318) GENUINE BOOTLEG SERIES (T-393) GREAT WHITE WONDER (vinyl bootleg)

The Minnesota Hotel Tape: Home of Bonnie Beecher, Minneapolis MN - 22.dec.1961 There was a man called Hezekiah Jones once An' he never had much except a farm an' some land He ate what he raised, put it in a cupboard He kept there in the cupboard, what he called "for the rainy season" But this one he'd have somethin' left over He'd spend it an' he'd buy books An' he'd read his books Kept there in the cupboard White folks around the county said, "Well He's harmless enough i suppose, but well look at it He better put down them goddamn books Readin' ain't no good for an ignorant nigger" Reverent Greene of the white men's church came around that year Knockin' on doors, he knocked on Hezekiah's door He says, "Hezekiah you believe in the lord?" Hezekiah says, "Well i never seen the lord, i can say as i do Can't believe in nothin' i don't see" Reverent says, "Hezekiah you believe in the church?' Hezekiah says, "Well, church is divided, ain't they? They can't make up their minds, I'm just like them I can't make up mine either" Reverent says, "Hezekiah you believe in that if a man is good Heaven is his last reward?" Hezekiah says, "I'm good, i'm good I'm as good as my neighbor" "You don't believe in nothin", says the white men's preacher "Oh yes i do", says Hezekiah "I believe that a man should be beholdin' to his neighbor Not for the reward of heaven or the fear of hell fire" "But you don't understand", says the white men's preacher "There's a lot of good ways for a man to be wicked." And they hung Hezekiah as high as a pigeon White folks around said, "Well he had it comin' The son of a bitch never had no religion!"

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Black Cross 3

15 Oct 1962 THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION GASLIGHT TAPES (T-104)

Gaslight Café, NYC - 15.oct.1962 This is the story of Hezekiah Jones. Hezekiah Jones lived in a place in Arkansas He never had too much, 'cept he had some land And he had a couple of hogs and things like that Never had much money but he spent what he did make as fast as he made it So it never really mattered that he hadn't much money But in the cupboard there, he kept in the cupboard Kept in the cupboard, books, he called the books, his rainy season White folks around the county there, talked about Hezekiah They said uh, "Well, well Hezekiah he's harmless enough, but the way I see it He better put down those goddamn books. Reading them make no good for a ignorant nigger" One day the white men's preacher came around, Knockin' on doors, knockin' on all the doors in the county, he knocked on Hezekiah's door. He said, "Hezekiah, you believe in the lord?" Hezekiah says, "Well, i don't know, i never really seen the lord, i can say as i do" He says, "Hezekiah, you believe in the church?" Hezekiah says, "Well, the church is divided, ain't they? They can't make up their mind, I'm just like them I can't make up mine either." He says, "Hezekiah, you believe that if man is good Heaven is his last reward?" Hezekiah says, "I am good Good as my neighbour." "You don't believe in nothin", says the white man's preacher, "you don't believe in nothin'" "Oh! yes I do", says Hezekiah, "I believe That a man should be indebted to his neighbor Not for the reward of heaven or the fear of hell fire" "But you don't understand", said the white man's preacher "There are a lot of good ways for a man to be wicked." And they hung Hezekiah high as a pigeon White folks around there said, "Well, he had it comin' That son of a bitch never had no religion!"