Lonnie Holley - So Many Rivers (The First Time) Lyrics

I, I, I, I helped my mind
Back down so many rivers
Back down so many rivers of human kind
Saying I hear a baby, hear a baby crying
As it rid, rid, rid, rid, rid, rid, rid the river on up to
Little baby
Oh, oh, oh, little baby
I sung to those that had got so grown
So grown
So many of them had gotten so grown and sat up
Hallelujah
We've gotten so grown
They got so grown until they sung Hallelujah
And then I heard of those adventurers
First steps, first steps off the river
On to the banks, banks, banks, banks, banks, banks
I said, little babies, by way of some reed, some reed, some reeds
Some reeds from beside the water
Started way back down by
Somebody way, way back down by
By the river
A place called the cradle, the cradle, the cradle of human kind
Some baby off on a river
In reed basket
In reed basket
Floating away
Floating away from
The threats of death, from the threats of death, from the threats of death
From the threats of death, from the threats, threats, threats, threats of death
Floating away
I thought about deep down in Africa
I thought about the river and the reeds that growed along
See a lot of humans don't know that the Nile is a river that starts way down, way down
Below the Congo, way down in the jungle
Way down below the Congo
Way past Ethiopia
The Nile is a river is that water runs up instead of down
Down
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
To an explorer, I can hear them say
Come by, come by, come by, come by here my Lord
To the explorers trying to find a way
To organize words just to see, yeah
This is the (be??), this is the (be??)
What we found to be evidence of human kind
This be the way of Hallelujah
This be the making of words
From the predecessors
From who we call our ancestors
From the anointed one
Oh, my, my, my, my
My, my, my, my, my many brains
Many brains done came forth from human bodies
So much blood have ran on and on and on and on
And on and on like many rivers
I tell humans why fuss and fight
Why fuss about the daytime
And argue about the night
Why try to say this planet and that planet and all those planets
And end up saying one planet is no longer a planet at all
Oh, wow, wow
Orchestrating humanity
Is a job for me and you and them and thee, thee, thee, thee
Are the begotters, are the begotters trying to understand who begot who
I remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said don't get confused by theology
Then I got a book, Mythology
Mask after mask, mask, mask, mask, mask, mask and the mask masks of the mask-makers
Making up masks to cover up faces
That had been alive
Masks become the make-up, became the make-up for the dead
Ddrddodahdah
Drddahblahdrododoblpp ddrdbldeddbrdld
Data data brdsdd running outta brdrd running outta bdrdd
Running outta room for data, data, data, data, data, data, data
I asked who your baby, who your baby, who your baby, who your baby, who your baby mama now
Who your baby mama now?
Then I answered it, saying
Cold Titty Mama