De Chu'ch

'Way down de lane, behin' a row o' trees,
Whaih all de summah croons de softes' breeze
De ol' lantashun chu'ch am shini' white.
We da'kies lingah daih each Sund'y night,
A-shoutin' praise to Gawd an' Jesus', too.
We love de benches, made o' pine tree wood,
We love de place whaih all de elduhs stood
Each qua'tly meetin' day, a singin' himes
An' tellin' us erbout de good ol' times
W'en 'ligion was de only thing on earf.
De preachuh's haid widout an inch o' turf
Went waggin' 'way lak he's b'en set on fiah
O Chillun, in de hebben libs de quiah
Ob dose who shaired de btubbles ob de Lawd,
Ob dose who found below de love ob Gawd.
Come throw yo'se'f befo' de Musssy Seat,
come wash in Jesus blood yo' sinful feet.
De Son ob Man's de Shephud ob de fol',
De crippple lain' beneaf His cloak He hol'.


In Hebben He hab filled yo' honey dish,
Yo' comin' homewa'd's all dat He kin wish."
He hug de bible, an' de sistahs shout
A-puttin' all de debbils to de rout,
"Ol' Mount Moriah's lifted to de sky
An' anguls on de wing go flittin' by."
But w'en de deacon pass de wine an' braid
Each Christ'un soul in reverence hang his haid.
He am de chosen brothah ob de King,
An' low an' mounful lak he's sho' to sing,
"Ah want to meet mah Saviour face to face."
No, honey! all de worl' kin hol' no place

Jes' lak de ol' plantsshun chu'ch ob mine;
It am de manshun ob de lowly folk,
It am de spot whaih Gawd Himself hab spoke,
It am de only place to shake de han',
An' know flat you's as good as any man.
Oh' dat's de place fu' me to live an ' die,
Benear de Mussy ob de Saviour's eye.



Fenton Johnson


Here's a link to an article about Johnson which lists Wendell Berry as an influence.

The illustration is a Currier & Ives A Cotton Plantation, 1884 found at AllPosters. The original is a chromolithograph.