after Nanni Balestrini

“I just wanted the world to see
what they did to my baby”    
—Mamie Till

$[0]

They tied up     Till   (steal away)   
likely to kill   just stay dead   
Drove toward Money, Mississippi   behind enemy lines   
The dead trees   will show you   the way   
See us free   like Jesus   we just won't stay dead   
around your house   To Moses,   slowly   
When   the river ends   steal away   
I just wanted the world   to see   
the river bank   makes for a good road   
that Jesus         is a friend     with friends

$[1]

Jesus is   a friend with friends   
The river bank   makes for a good road   
Moses   never lost a passenger      
The dead trees   will show you   the way   
    they tied up     Till   Steal away   
& just stay dead  
    Drove toward Money, Mississippi   Behind enemy lines   
    when the wind blows   the first quail call   
    sees us free   Just like Jesus   we won't stay dead   
    around your house   To Moses   slowly

$[2]

I just wanted the world   to see   
To holler down    the lions    in this air

    Tracks laid   from the south   to the north   
    They tied up     Till   Steal away   
    around your house   To Moses   slowly   
    set us free  and just like Jesus   we won't stay dead   
    When the wind blows   the first quail calls   
    Drove toward Money, Mississippi   behind enemy lines   
the river bank   makes for a good road   
   trouble the water    holler down the lions

$[3]

Bundle of wood    Parcel    Load of potatoes   
People also ask   what was Harriet Tubman's   life like?   
I just wanted the world   to see—   

    Till tied up, stolen away   
Patterrollers spread throughout the colonies
    toward promised land   
— what they did to my baby     Behind enemy lines   
our Moses   never lost a passenger      
    on tracks laid   from the south   to the north 
A friend of a friend   of a friend   sent me   she said
    the river bank   makes for a good road

 

$[4]

People also ask   why is Harriet Tubman   important   to the world?   
    I just wanted the world   to see   
flying bondsmen   on French leave   steal away 
They say our Moses   never lost a passenger      
    &   just like Jesus   we won't stay dead 
The river bank   makes for a good road
Emmett tied to a cotton-gin fan, shot in the head   
    From the south   tracks laid   to the north   
She said   a friend of a friend   of a friend   sent me  
    The wind blows the first quail call

$[5]

    People also ask     what is Harriet Tubman most famous for?   
Flying bondsmen on French leave steal away
    They drove Emmett Till toward Money, Mississippi
Behind enemy lines   
    our Moses   never lost a passenger      
People also ask   why is Harriet Tubman   important   to the world?   
Tracks pressed   south to north     She often said   a friend 
    of a friend   of a friend   sent me
& when the wind blows   
& the first quail calls   
    the river bank   makes for a good road
I just wanted the world   to see   

$[6]

“in no rush—   the first quail calls   
        in each pound of dollar bills      
slave patrol   also called   patterrollers   
pattyrollers   paddy rollers   patrollers      
        three fourths a pound of cotton   
Jesus is   a friend with friends   
    —to put Tubman   on the $20   bill.”   
Our Moses   never lost a passenger      
    The dollar   hasn't   changed: 3/4   
People also ask   what was Harriet Tubman’s   life like?   
People do not ask who picks the
    I just wanted the world   to see

See results about the murder of

$[7]

The dollar   hasn't   changed   
People also ask   what was Harriet Tubman's   life like?   
In each pound of dollar bills      
    slave patrol   also called   patterrollers   
pattyrollers   paddy rollers   patrollers      
people also ask   why is Harriet Tubman   important   to the world?   
    Treasure secretary   won't stay dead   
of a pound of cotton      
she said   a friend of a friend   of a friend   sent me   
    Drove toward Money, Mississippi   $$$$$$   
    in no rush   the first quail calls
 

$[8]

People also ask   what was Harriet Tubman’s   life like?   
In each pound of dollar bills—      
    Jesus is   a friend with friends   
    Treasured secretary:   just like Jesus   we won't stay dead   
Our Moses   hollered down the lions
never lost a passenger      
    pound of cotton      
    slave patrol   also called   patterrollers   
pattyrollers   paddy rollers   patrollers      
    in no rush   the first quail calls   
I just wanted the world   to see   
three fourths of a

$[10]

Treasure secretary   “in no rush   
People also ask   why is Harriet Tubman   important   to the world?   
    people also ask     what is Harriet Tubman   
most   most famous for?   

    The dollar   hasn't   changed   
    Money, Mississippi   $$$$$$   
Among our talents:     to holler down the lions   
People also ask   what was Harriet Tubman’s   life like?   
Fying bondsmen   on French leave   steal away   
I just wanted the world   to see   
    to put Tubman   on the $20   bill”
 

$[10]

They say Jesus is   a friend with friends   
and in each pound of dollar bills!      
    {slave patrol}   also called   {patterrollers   
pattyrollers   paddy rollers   patrollers}      
three fourths!      
They say our Moses   never lost a passenger      
    to put Tubman   on the $20   bill”   
    just like Jesus   we won't stay dead   
of a pound of cotton!      
I just wanted the world   to see   
    drove toward Money, Mississippi   $$$$$$
what they did to my baby 

#!/usr/bin/env python

import random, textwrap
import sys

#code adapted for Python3
#code from github and translated from the Italian
#is a reconstruction of the method thought to have been used
#for Nanni Balestrini’s electronic poem Tape Mark 1, 1962
#Wikipedia was consulted for information about
#Mamie and Emmett Till, Harriet Tubman, 
#the rock that struck Harriet Tubman in the head,
#and slave patrols. 
#’To holler down the lions’ comes from
#’gay chaps at the bar’ by Gwendolyn Brooks