Some Days

"Some Days"
James Baldwin
(sung by Audra McDonald)

Some days worry
some days glad
some days
more than make you
mad
Some days,
Some days, more than
shine:
when you see what's coming
on down the line!

Some days you say,
oh, not me never!
Some days you say
bless God forever.
Some days, you say,
curse God, and die
and the day comes when you wrestle
with that lie
Some days tussle
then some days groan

and some days
don't even leave a bone.
Some days you hassle
all alone.

I don't know, sister,
what I'm saying,
nor do no man,
if he don't be praying
I know that love is the only answer
and the tight-rope lover
the only dancer.
When the lover comes off the rope
today,
the net which holds him
is how we pray
and not to God's unknown,
but to each other:
the falling mortal is our brother!

Some days leave
some days grieve
some days you almost don't believe.
Some days believe you
and you don't
Some days worry
some days mad
some days more than make you glad.
Some days, some days,
more than shine,
witnesses,
coming down the line!


I heard this as a song before reading the poem. It's beautiful both ways, don't you think?

Some days, I need to listen to this song on repeat.

To some days that "more than shine."