Drunk on God Songtext
von Julius Hemphill

And they said that after three days climbing, they finally came to a
Place where the shaman lived, high in a mountain at the center of
Mexico. He had twenty-nine children. His wife was eighty-
Five and had borne her last child when she was seventy-two
He was himself of some undetermined age. He sat and laughed
And simply chewed peyote. Outside the house, in the middle of
His corn world, he drew a rusted machete and chopped an ear
Of fresh corn from its stalk, howling. Somewhere the sacred
And conscious process leaned into the absurd. I mean, why not?
They say that he often hiked ninety miles to his peyote fields
And then hiked the same distance back, with a fifty-pound sack of
Buttons on his back, laughing and then howling, absurd but then
Consumed in the day, chanting, always chanting. I mean, why not? They say the land is beautiful but unbearable, a scorched desert
Set in clouds, parched and arid. If you can imagine being annihilated
By love, then this would have to be the place, but it would be a
Mutual annihilation. One of the young boys—you know the children
Chew peyote too—spent days on end trying to lasso a butterfly
I mean, that′s a pretty deep image when you think about it. I mean
It's funny at first, you know, funnier than a motherfucker. But
Then it′s also just as deep—deeper, really—when you consider that
The butterfly's actually the first material intersection for the
Transmigration of the soul. It's not the idea, it′s the real
Intersection. And that little boy was
Trying to lasso it. Now that′s deep


Oh nago, oh painted wild man, oh black sorrel weaver, oh
Bambukantolukuruhorn, oh antelope womb from out of nowhere. Dig the
Rice from iguana hearts. Split the wombs of Giza into Osho's iguana
Garden. Let the river deliver music on an Israeli shuttle. Make the
Great liver drill music into the bladder of dreams. Oh nago from out
Of nowhere. At the intervention of flow and bone, at the introduction
Of death to stone. From out of nowhere. At the precision of substance
, On the decision of spirit, from the emissions of night comes the
Admission of warmth and light. From out of nowhere. A little Indian
Boy playing the sky high in the center of Mexico, trying to lasso a
Butterfly. Erecting the sun, deflecting the moon
From out of nowhere. I meet you, spirit, as
The only lover of my soul. From out of nowhere

After howling down all the mathematicians who wanted to make
Your power into the world of a line. Without whirling
Without moving my eyes, while turning my head slowly, now
Slower than that, than movement, than clarity, than at-one-ment
Than my self-attuned mind.And great sounds and beats of drums
Radiated out at me and through me
And on out the door into space
And filled up space and pushed out air
And the terrible language of the future
Sat rolling and laughing and drumming from your belly
And it seemed to me there in my strangeness
Stark and still as you were
To me who can now nor ever know anything of music
That you wrecked me and made me know
That you stretched me and let me know
That you were a drum and a woman
A woman, a drum
From out of nowhere
Yellow stomachs bending ears
The Kounyu drum blows the years
Into breast and wombs
Into minds of moons
Pushing women into rivers
Falling like ripe fruit
Black bulk-mouth faces
Watercolor and loud oil
Penetrates the drunken places
The soil where big new heads
Are cradling lights
Where the funeral juices of joyful carnage
Tower into the end of the seventh night
Where silkworms float from sorghum fields
Paying homage to the river′s sight
From out of nowhere
The Kounyu drum speaks
And strikes and smokes for Indian chiefs
And peace pipes lain on the plain of jars
From out of nowhere
We are sitting with Django
And committing ourselves to the tangled stars
From out of nowhere
We watch Prez cutting the dying bean
Once seen staggering through the gates of Kansas City
Hounded down by an army of porkpie hats
From out of nowhere
O Nago
O octet singing love songs in the middle of the war
O crazy child caught between this and that
Trying to tear down all the doors
O Nago
From out of nowhere
From out of morose
From out of collapse
From out of nymphos
From out of garbage
We made ourselves some guns from out of minstrels
We made ourselves the sons of what's to come
O Nago
We made ourselves a rainbow
We made ourselves a heaven
We made ourselves a new world
From out of eclipse
From out of metal
From out of energy
From out of matter
From out of constants
From out of squares
From out of migrainesWe made ourselves and then
From out of muteness
From out of sinners
From out of sergeants
From out of gravestones
From out of memories
From out of nothing
We made ourselves agile
Mobile
Hostile
Onago
I can touch you where you stand
Reach out and kiss your hand
Spread your body on black silt
Crucify you and rebuild you
Onago
Dark drifter
Blue center
Armed prophet
Stoned pinkfoot
Onago
Radiant number
Odd woman turned right
Upper woman thought above
Above woman below
Left woman from behind all series
Waited for recursions
This was her job
South woman turned east
Liver woman thought bird
Rice woman raised herself up
This was her job
To become more perfect than roses
Drum woman saw seabirds
But did not speak
This was her job
To linger awhile
Then seek ecstasy in silence
Split woman called speech into her womb
And out of her womb came the four
Subtle fingers laughing
Timbered low and braiding themselves
North woman sought the center of things
Front woman was weaving
Breast woman was bleeding
And feeding herself in soil
My woman was needing me
To talk to her
And carry her tongue
Balanced at skylight
So we say everything
Everywhere
Was alright
Onago
I can touch you where you stand
Reach out and kiss your hand
Spread your body on black silt
Crucify you and rebuild you
Onago
Tearing up the wealth of nations
Solo trembling in your mouth
Dying
The unstitches of this world
Saying with their lousy wrinkled heads
That they are grateful to be dead
Onago
Dark drifter
Blue center
Armed prophet
Stoned pinkfoot
Cosmic country boy
Onago
Dark drifter
Blue center
Armed prophet
Onago
Cosmic country boy
Onago
Onago
Dark drifter
Onago
Onago
Onago
Onago
Onago
Onago
Onago
Onago
Cosmic country boy
Onago
Onago
Onago
Onago