Paul Robeson-Shannandoah.

This is the American hymn. just the place names, missouri Shannandoah but also that holy invocation of river, like those big brown backbones are also mothers of us all. having Robeson sing it, it is a shanty for lifting bales, a dirge for his people who died on its shores, and a love song to the place that gave birth to a culture that pushed back.

it is secret and dark, (w)hol(l)y somber