photo Gene Hazzard
They Say You From 'Orleans
They say are you from 'Oleans
I say no no dirty south here
They say chit'lin's
I say no
No chit'lin circuit on my tour
Nigga laugh out this world
No chit'lin circuit on my tour
Cali negro true n true
mama born in central valley
maternal people valley pioneers
cotton pickers from Arkansas Oklahoma
farmers don't you hear
Came to central valley
busloads to pick cotton
more cotton in valley than mississippi
don't you know
tent cities in fresno
came up cant you see
tent city ain't always
when you don't want to be
families in tent cities
lovers for life
rise up from tents
soon husband wife
children go to school
play pro ball don't you know
strong country boys
represent the pro
Me
Central Cali nigga
Oaktown too
Central Cali nigga
city country boy through n through
Edison High basketball team
Oaktown too
Prescott Lowell Jr. High
7th Street nigga
true n true
Played basketball New Century Defermery Park
Bill Russell Pointer brothers, Jim Hadnot, Paul Silus, Aiken brothers too
Made Merritt College team
Mack niggas too tall fa me
Jim Toliver could dunk
guard
dunk like he 6'3''
Toliver hardly 5'6"
me 5'6" too
Toliver
jumped high into a tree
Toliver A.C Scott guards we
Lowell Jr. High
Joe Ellis on team
Warrior's Joe Ellis
what a dream what a dream
I won free throw contest
9 out of 10
pretty good ugh
9 of 10 free throw line
got a trophy for ma win
New Century nigga don't sin
Back to broder man
ain't no 'Orleans nigga
ain't from Lake Charles
ain't from Monroe LA like Huey Newton
My podna from Merritt
he like pig shootin'
Ain't from Grambling
Jackson State
Mississippi
Ain't from Texas Southern
down street from daughter's house
Wrote book bout Eldridge Cleaver
three weeks for My Friend the Devil
Funniest book of 2009
Jimmy Garett said
Didn't need no footnotes didn't tell no lies
People said Marvin
if Cleaver the devil
who are you
People said Marvin if Cleaver the devil
who are you
If you can't figure it out
i might be the devil too!
Dress like you from 'Orleans boy
where you from
be true to me
I might be from the river
Might be from the deep sea
Might be from the forest
might be from the woods
might be from the valley
might be from the hood
Don't matter where I'm from
valley or the sea
I'm a man
M.A.N
Main
Hustler
ain't no pimp
don't wait for mine
hustle sea to sea
See me in the mornin
'Orleans Bourbon Street
might want etouffee for breakfest
bananas french toast
what about eggs n rice
cali nigga you know
daddy from kentucky
rice country
mama central valley
no grits don't ya know
we ate rice breakfast lunch dinner
friends called me Moto
Chinese man don't you know
never saw a nigger eat rice
day and night
no grits
rice butter sugar n cream
daddy kentucky nigger
blue grass n white rice
nothin nice
Mama central valley girl
picked cotton cut grapes
her world
grandfather Murrill
99 when he died
1941
Fresno Bee Newspaper
gave him pride
Bee said respected negro
black and whites alike
What manner of man
Ephraim Murrill
Great grandfather
in his stride
North Carolina to Arkansas to Cali
pioneer was he not
I am his seed
DNA all the way
did not know him
but he knew me everyday
cotton grape fields
Ephraim general of the land
yes I'm his seed
great son of this man.
I stand on his shoulders
my grandpa too
no matter we rescued him drunk El Gato Negro
Grandpa still true.
Was it pain of cotton grape fields made him drink gamble all night
We sat outside El Gato Negro while Uncle Stan got grandpa from gambling drunk fight
We all lucky to be alive
Thank God for today
None of us would be here
if devil had his way.
Thank God he is Mighty
Thank God he is True
Thank God he protects fools and children
like me and you!
--Marvin X
10/21/20