{"id":47,"date":"2021-06-14T11:19:51","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T15:19:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/claudemckay\/?post_type=chapter&p=47"},"modified":"2022-02-03T08:45:20","modified_gmt":"2022-02-03T13:45:20","slug":"whe-fe-do","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/chapter\/whe-fe-do\/","title":{"raw":"Whe' Fe Do?","rendered":"Whe’ Fe Do?"},"content":{"raw":"LIFE will continue so for aye,\r\nSome people sad, some people gay,\r\nSome mockin'[footnote]Making mock at[\/footnote] life while udders pray;\r\nBut we mus' fashion-out we way\r\nAn' sabe a mite fe rainy day--\r\nAll we can do.\r\n\r\nWe needn' fold we han' an' cry,\r\nNor vex we heart wid groan and sigh;\r\nDe best we can do is fe try\r\nTo fight de despair drawin' nigh:\r\nDen we might conquer by an' by--\r\nDat we might do.\r\n\r\nWe hab to batter[footnote]Labour and sweat; swink[\/footnote] in de sun,\r\nAn' dat isn't a little fun,\r\nFor Lard! 'tis hellish how it bu'n:\r\nStill dere's de big wul' to live do'n--\r\nSo whe' fe do ?\r\n\r\nWe nigger hab a tas'[footnote]Task[\/footnote] fe do,\r\nTo conquer prejudice dat[footnote]That's[\/footnote] due\r\nTo obeah,[footnote]Sorcery and magic[\/footnote] an' t'ings not a few\r\nDat keep we progress back fe true,\u2014[footnote]Very much[\/footnote]\r\nBut whe' fe do?\r\n\r\nWe've got to wuk wid might an' main,\r\nTo use we han' an' use we brain,\r\nTo toil an' worry, 'cheme an' 'train[footnote]Scheme and strain[\/footnote]\r\nFe t'ings that bring\" more loss dan gain;\r\nTo stan' de sun an bear de rain,\r\nAn' suck we bellyful o' pain\r\nWidouten cry[footnote]Without crying[\/footnote] nor yet complain--\r\nFor dat caan' do.\r\n\r\nAnd though de wul' is full o' wrong,\r\nDat caan' prevent we sing we song\r\nAll de day as we wuk along--\r\nWhe' else fe do?\r\n\r\nWe happy in de hospital;[footnote]All the lines of this stanza end with the sound ahl[\/footnote]\r\nWe happy when de rain deh fall;[footnote]Is falling[\/footnote]\r\nWe happy though de baby bawl\r\nFe food dat we no hab at all;[footnote]Don't have at all = haven't got[\/footnote]\r\nWe happy when Deat' angel call[footnote]Death's angel calls[\/footnote]\r\nFe full[footnote]Fill[\/footnote] we cup of joy wid gall:\r\nOur fait' in this life is not small--\r\nDe best to do.\r\n\r\nAn' da's de way we ought to live,\r\nFor pain an' such[footnote]The like[\/footnote] we shouldn' grieve,\r\nBut tek de best dat Nature give--\r\nDa's whe' fe do.\r\n\r\nGod mek de wul' fe black an' white;\r\nWe'll wuk on in de glad sunlight,\r\nKeep toilin' on wid all our might,\r\nAn' sleep in peace when it is night:\r\nWe must strive on to gain de height,\r\nAldough it may not be in sight;\r\nAn' yet perhaps de blessed right\r\nWill never conquer in de fight--\r\nStill, whe' fe do?\r\n\r\nWe'll try an' live as any man,[footnote]As others do, who make a good fight[\/footnote]\r\nAn' fight de wul' de best we can,\r\nE'en though it hard fe understan'--\r\nWhe' we mus' do.\r\n\r\nFor da's de way o' dis ya wul';[footnote]Of this (here) world[\/footnote]\r\nIt's snap an' bite, an' haul an' pull,\r\nAn' we all get we bellyful--\r\nBut whe' fe do?","rendered":"

LIFE will continue so for aye,
\nSome people sad, some people gay,
\nSome mockin’[1]<\/sup><\/a> life while udders pray;
\nBut we mus’ fashion-out we way
\nAn’ sabe a mite fe rainy day–
\nAll we can do.<\/p>\n

We needn’ fold we han’ an’ cry,
\nNor vex we heart wid groan and sigh;
\nDe best we can do is fe try
\nTo fight de despair drawin’ nigh:
\nDen we might conquer by an’ by–
\nDat we might do.<\/p>\n

We hab to batter[2]<\/sup><\/a> in de sun,
\nAn’ dat isn’t a little fun,
\nFor Lard! ’tis hellish how it bu’n:
\nStill dere’s de big wul’ to live do’n–
\nSo whe’ fe do ?<\/p>\n

We nigger hab a tas’[3]<\/sup><\/a> fe do,
\nTo conquer prejudice dat[4]<\/sup><\/a> due
\nTo obeah,[5]<\/sup><\/a> an’ t’ings not a few
\nDat keep we progress back fe true,\u2014[6]<\/sup><\/a>
\nBut whe’ fe do?<\/p>\n

We’ve got to wuk wid might an’ main,
\nTo use we han’ an’ use we brain,
\nTo toil an’ worry, ‘cheme an’ ‘train[7]<\/sup><\/a>
\nFe t’ings that bring” more loss dan gain;
\nTo stan’ de sun an bear de rain,
\nAn’ suck we bellyful o’ pain
\nWidouten cry[8]<\/sup><\/a> nor yet complain–
\nFor dat caan’ do.<\/p>\n

And though de wul’ is full o’ wrong,
\nDat caan’ prevent we sing we song
\nAll de day as we wuk along–
\nWhe’ else fe do?<\/p>\n

We happy in de hospital;[9]<\/sup><\/a>
\nWe happy when de rain deh fall;[10]<\/sup><\/a>
\nWe happy though de baby bawl
\nFe food dat we no hab at all;[11]<\/sup><\/a>
\nWe happy when Deat’ angel call[12]<\/sup><\/a>
\nFe full[13]<\/sup><\/a> we cup of joy wid gall:
\nOur fait’ in this life is not small–
\nDe best to do.<\/p>\n

An’ da’s de way we ought to live,
\nFor pain an’ such[14]<\/sup><\/a> we shouldn’ grieve,
\nBut tek de best dat Nature give–
\nDa’s whe’ fe do.<\/p>\n

God mek de wul’ fe black an’ white;
\nWe’ll wuk on in de glad sunlight,
\nKeep toilin’ on wid all our might,
\nAn’ sleep in peace when it is night:
\nWe must strive on to gain de height,
\nAldough it may not be in sight;
\nAn’ yet perhaps de blessed right
\nWill never conquer in de fight–
\nStill, whe’ fe do?<\/p>\n

We’ll try an’ live as any man,[15]<\/sup><\/a>
\nAn’ fight de wul’ de best we can,
\nE’en though it hard fe understan’–
\nWhe’ we mus’ do.<\/p>\n

For da’s de way o’ dis ya wul’;[16]<\/sup><\/a>
\nIt’s snap an’ bite, an’ haul an’ pull,
\nAn’ we all get we bellyful–
\nBut whe’ fe do?<\/p>\n

  1. Making mock at ↵<\/a><\/li>
  2. Labour and sweat; swink ↵<\/a><\/li>
  3. Task ↵<\/a><\/li>
  4. That's ↵<\/a><\/li>
  5. Sorcery and magic ↵<\/a><\/li>
  6. Very much ↵<\/a><\/li>
  7. Scheme and strain ↵<\/a><\/li>
  8. Without crying ↵<\/a><\/li>
  9. All the lines of this stanza end with the sound ahl ↵<\/a><\/li>
  10. Is falling ↵<\/a><\/li>
  11. Don't have at all = haven't got ↵<\/a><\/li>
  12. Death's angel calls ↵<\/a><\/li>
  13. Fill ↵<\/a><\/li>
  14. The like ↵<\/a><\/li>
  15. As others do, who make a good fight ↵<\/a><\/li>
  16. Of this (here) world ↵<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":251,"menu_order":8,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-47","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":3,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/47","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/251"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/47\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/47\/revisions\/49"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/3"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/47\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=47"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=47"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/claudemckay\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=47"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}