A preview of Maya Angelou’s inaugural poem for Obama
Poet Maya Angelou’s hyper-stylized prose and diction are almost beyond parody. But the brilliant comedian David Alan Grier pulls it off. This skit of Grier-as-Angelou rehearsing her draft Obama inauguration poem will bring tears to your eyes — and you may even need a change of clothes (language warning at the end). Click to play the video:
Now, see if you can read this account of Maya Angelou’s appearance on CBS News This Morning exulting over Obama’s victory without cracking up, via Top of the Ticket:
I’m so proud and filled, I can hardly talk without weeping. I’m so filled with pride for my country. What do you say? We are growing up. My God, I’m so grateful…. I mean, look at our souls, look at our hearts. We have elected a black man to talk for us, to speak for us. We, blacks, whites, Asians, Spanish-speaking, Native Americans, we have done it. Fat, thin, pretty, plain, gay, straight, we have done it. My Lord, I am an American, baby.
Asked Smith: “Why this man?”
She replied:
Because he’s intelligent, Harry. I don’t mean intellectually clever. I mean intelligent. I mean what used to be called a mother wit. He has common sense, which is, I’m sorry to say, most uncommon. Because he knows that together….
…we can be somebody. You see?
And he is inclusive as opposed to exclusive. I know that he knows he is the president of every black person, every white person, he’s the president of the bigots and he must remember that.
Ultimately, this exchange occurred, which speaks for itself:
SMITH: Of your many great poems, the poem that I have been thinking about, since I knew that I was going to talk to you today was ‘I Rise.’ Could you, would you give us some of it this morning?
ANGELOU: It begins, ‘You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies, you may trod me in the very dirt but still, like dust, I’ll rise. Out of the huts of history’s shame I rise up from a past rooted in pain I rise. I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide, welling and swelling I bear in the tide. Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise into daybreak miraculously clear I rise. Bringing the hopes that my ancestors gave, I am the hope and the dream of the slave.’ And so, Harry Smith, we all rise.
SMITH: And I rise.
ANGELOU: Yes, we do.
SMITH: I rise.
ANGELOU: Yes, we do.
SMITH: And I rise. Dr. Maya Angelou, thank you very much for being with us this morning.
ANGELOU: Mr. Harry Smith, thank you very much for having me.
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Trackbacks
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- More humor: Maya Angelou’s Inaugural Poem for Obama « Sharp Right Turn
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- A preview of Maya Angelou’s inaugural poem for Obama Video
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- Feel the post-racialism: “My president is black, but his house is all white” « Conservative Thoughts and Profundity
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call me stupid but …. huh?
Oh, something tells me he’ll remember that.
Ahh!!
Ahh!!
Help!!
Help!!
It’s 1969-70 again…English IV…Argh!!
And I thought I was out of high school!
Maybe it’s because I majored in the natural sciences that I don’t understand prose, but does this statement mean anything?
Yeesh! That woman is a nut case!
Maya Angelou, a gift to bulemics everywhere.
I thought this election was not about race. Seems to me that is all I have heard today. I am still waiting to know how we are going to change our nation….and excuse me, I would like to know why we want to change the greatest nation ever founded under God’s good graces?
sickening actually. I understand your need for humor, but I find this transcript nauseating.
In the immortal words of Pogo: We have met the enemy, and he is us!
Makes more sense that she.
What a stupid fat chick. Obama is half African and Arab. He has no connection to slaves. Except, some of his Arab family may have sold slaves.
thanks but I’m passing on the event…and the media circus it will be…
Harry better appreciate that ‘rise’ he got.
I can’t imagine he gets many of those nowadays…
Call me whatever you want but this election was about race. It was about every black man and woman sticking it to the old white man. This is why the black vote was so solid. The white voters were called all sorts of things, but they were not racists. That should be abundantly clear from the results. The black voter, on the other hand, voted according to race. America has a hostile population and it will need to deal with it, sooner or later. No amount of appeasement will make this group live in harmony. I am not in favor of a race war, but the black panthers intimidating voters certainly are. This group needs to be confronted and fought. Again, I want to clarify my position. Not the average black man and woman, but we must effectively confrom militant groups like the panthers, and militant community leaders like Wright. They incite violence and hate, and their message must be answered. There has to be one standard for all people and right now there isn’t. White, republican, God-fearing means you are on the short end of the stick. I am completely in favor of equality, and the other side isn’t. As William Inge said: “It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism, as long as the wolf remains of a different opinion.” That side needs to be taught the benefit of a fair and equal opportunity. So far this has not occured. A good place to start would be to dismantle all of the affirmative action programs.
Puh-LEASE! My lunch is rising.
Michelle,
Just so you know you lit up my day
I left this on Imus Truth website.
This one is for Imus Fans, David Allen Grier, channeling Maya Angelou, christens Obama….”HO” sanna” Obama. Yes Virginia apparently there is a Santa Claus, and he came early this year:)
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/11/05/a-preview-of-maya-angelous-inaugural-poem-for-obama/
here’s my attempt:
From the placenta of mother Afrika you sprang
Preceded by the clay-coloured amniotic fluid of the struggle and a collectivist’s soul into the heart of darkness and community organization.
A cloud above the hookah pipe cleared and the gods coughed.
Shoot the tube!
Awesome, bro; you have outmanuevered the ‘man’ and the cracker of whips and calls to afternoon prayers will suffice
When those who refuse to see will have
Toothpicks propping up their rheumy eyes.
The line forms to the left.
I am just so thankful this gosh long election cycle is at an end. My remote is about worn out on mute when bho came on and I do not intend to watch anything bho has to say. I will get all the important information on MM, HA, etc. and I will act to what needs to be addressed.
L
Thanks, David Alan Grier. I needed those laughs.
I did not crack up after reading the CBS transcript. It was no way near as funny, or pathetic, as Miss Teen USA from South Carolina. Now that was funny, jaw dropping funny, and I even felt embarrassed for the young lady.
David Alan Grier was OK, too. A little bit funnier that than the actual Maya Angelou, but far less so than the beauty pageant participant. Grier’s clip is an also ran next to the classic to Miss Teen South Carolina.
So she says Obama is “the president of the bigots.” Those are her words, not mine. For example: Jeremiah Wright, he is a bigot.
I watched the parody and it was perfect. I am familiar with Maya Angelou since my high school English teacher practically worshiped at her feet. I mean, this was a first rate impersonation of the woman, her speech, her facial expressions, mannerisms, etc.
A doctor in need of some medication. Physician, heal thy self!
On November 5th, 2008 at 5:42 pm, wighttrasch said: #16
Now, that is funny.
I can’t thank David Alan Grier enough for the great belly laugh!
Thank you sharing this Michelle.
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE (mo-lone lah-veh) Translation: Come and take them!
heh-heh…
Will you all rise…
I will rise.
Sit down and shut up white boy.
Funny stuff. I hope Obama appoints her as White House press secretary – we’ll need something to laugh about the next four years!
Agreed.
However, Obama would’ve also won had he been white.
purplepeep said:
Did you forget about Joe Biden?!
Yes, it means what it always means to a certain set of people: all of American history from the colonization through the Revolution to freedom for the Iraqis, all of the Americans from Adams and Jefferson through Truman to Petreus, is just so much CR*P. Now with Obama we can finally be something and finally accomplish something.
Maya Angelou has always made me sick and it hasn’t gotten any better. If i go on Obama’s Civilian defense Force will come and accuse me of racism.
CR*P.
But she doesn’t mean Wright, she means you and me. Wright can’t be a bigot, he’s …
You must be kidding, he wouldn’t have made it past Iowa.
“I Rise” is a great poem. I hate that Harry Smith soiled it with his nincompoopery.
The rest of what Ms. Angelou said is pure horsepoopery.
No.
His truckload of promises won the day.
His pigmentation was a factor….but (IMHO) it was the pie-in-the-sky that cinched the deal.
Writes like a freshman college girl in the late 60’s; poems with no punctuation or caps like ee cummings, and staggering the words down the page.
purplepeep said:
Funny stuff. I hope Obama appoints her as White House press secretary – we’ll need something to laugh about the next four years!
Oh yeah, TMan, comedy gold in that mountain, too. But even as dumb as Joe is he knows Obama will bring about dangerous times. I’m hoping he has more moments of lucid honesty and keeps warning Americans. Leave the A comedy material for Maya, can you imigine her press conferences? -
“Russia has rolled it’s tanks deep into Poland – can you tell us about President Obama’s plan to deal with this threat?”
“Sure, Wolf: ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors. America tingles’”.
Hivemind at work.
ECS
I still haven’t figured out what the hell she said at Clinton’s first inaugural.
That is some hilarious stuff. “And then they release the doves”. Too freakin’ funny! Grier is a comic genius. I still remember his Angelou “Butterfinger” poem and piddle. “Crispity Crunchity Peanut Buttery”…ha!
$100 says “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is played instead of the National Anthem at the Inauguration.
Yes, it was funny. Hilarious.
Why am I still afraid?
What in hell is a Maya Angelou . . . it must be either an atoll or a disease.
Off post;
Gay legal groups have asked California’s highest court to overturn the same-sex marriage ban approved by the state’s voters.
The petition filed Wednesday asks the Supreme Court to invalidate Proposition 8 on the grounds that voters did not have the authority to make such a dramatic change in state law.
It argues that the measure revised, rather than amended the California Constitution, and therefore first should have been submitted to the state Legislature.
Two married women say they plan to sue, arguing that the amendment is unconstitutional because it violates their rights to equal protection under the law.
Will Obama nominate judges to overturn the will of the people again?
Maya Angelou’s “poetry” could be used in place of surgery if one desired a lobotomy.
She is so vapid and utterly unintelligent that everything she writes or even speaks makes one feel as if his or her brain cells are screaming in agony.
I love David Alan Grier. He’s awesome.
Maya Angelou on the other hand…
In Idaho we call it Moosepoopery.
When I was in college one of my classes went to see Maya Angelou. I didn’t know who she was at the time, but my professor said that we needed to see her. It seemed like everybody was trying to convince themselves that she was brilliant, but I didn’t hear anything brilliant. I was bored to tears. When it was all said and done, I would have rather spent the day in class and taken an exam.
Crap! I thought we’d seen the last of her when Clinton left office, and I had successfully purged her from my memory. Guess we have 4 years of her incoherent babbling to suffer through.
Isn’t that racist?
I had to read ‘Why the Caged Bird Sings’ in College. My prof got very mad when I pointed out in her world, the opression of the blacks was horrible, but when the Japanese-Americans were bussed off to internment camps and their property given to the blacks, this was just fine.
Racism for thee and not for me!
The ignorance of the ignorant shows itself for what it is.
The true racists, the ones who continually cry racism now believe themselves to be unrestrained. Every time there is any reference to color or race regarding the president elect it will be a racist remark. Start counting.
Watch and see: if their messiah doesn’t come through with his promises and meet their demands they will turn on him in an instant or fall back again on the cry of racism. “It’s the whites in Congress who are opposing his bills” will now be the cry.
He has put himself and this nation in a very unstable position.
I think she said “Stay away from the Interns” but he didn’t get it either.
I’m on sensory overload and his administration hasn’t begun yet. I think I need some kool-aid.
Cry HAVOC,and let slip the dogs of POLITICAL CORRECTNESS!!!!!
ROFLMAO, big time.
Thanks Michelle, I needed that.
Excellent! I sit amazed and want to study
your feetat your feet. Thanks, Wighttrasch.Juda
wighttrasch…lmao!
Thanks, tiredofit08. I need that.
You do realize that all of these people who are worshiping Hussein like a god are going to burn in hell, right.
Idolator – ring a bell?
If I was in a mood to laugh I suppose this video would be slightly funny, however, it’s difficult to laugh at anything today. America as we knew her is gone forever. The blacks and those from the south breed like rats and with the open borders we will soon have all rationaly thinking natural born Americans will be outnumbered and won’t ever again stand a snowballs chance of getting a good man in the whitehouse. Sooooooo depressing. I wish something good would happen to get me out of this and I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling this way.
As an English major (hence my moniker) there is a fine line between useful topics (promotional writing, for example) and what my husband (also an English major) calls “verbal masturbation.”
Most literary criticism and other genres is exactly that.
But, in all seriousness, the video was hilarious.
And will Reverend Wright be swearing in Obamanation on the kuran? With the yelling and screaming? And the swearwords? And the heavy breathing? And the intense sweating?
Somehow, I think every presidential address Obamanation makes will sound like a black church sermon. Just guessing.
Don’t think I’ll be watching on inauguration day.
P Diddy and Akon are happy, y’all,
Throwin’ a par-tay
Serving bottles of Cris-tal.
Their hommies are here,
And they ain’t drinkin’ beer,
For ‘The One’ finished on top,
Without firin’ a shot.
Reparations be next
And no one will vex,
‘Cause Obama da King
Be spreadin’ the bling.
So, you honkey’s beware
Say naught, if you dare.
Payback’s a bitch,
Now this burden you’ll share.
“Black Power” you said,
But you’re wrong in the head.
Ol’ Limbaugh was right,
He’s not black, he be red.
Maya Angelou must be on some serious medication
Smith: Why this man?
MA: He is intelligent and the ultimate meat cake. I have a journal at home to write down my poems and cool thoughts and I have written Mrs. Maya Obama over and over again all over it! Ack!!
Hey libs, thanks for crashing the stock market today. Absolutely brilliant. I cannot wait for more.
Some states are red.
Some states are blue.
But it doesn’t matter.
We are all getting screwed.
At least the libs write as badly as me.
Or is that “I”
I thought we were not to speak of reverend Wright anymore.
David Alan Grier for President! Couldn’t hurt.
Yikes. My earlier post was deleted. Odd.
Now we’re stuck with a con man from kenya
Who’ll by oath be required to defend ya,
But with a friend like Bill Ayres,
Who’s ideas he shares,
It’s more likly that he will rearend ya.
“And I rise, yes we do…” Are these nuts for real? OMG. Fidel is grinning from ear to ear while Marx and Che are dancing the “jackboot jig” from the grave.
Maya Angelou caterwauling reminds me of a waterbuffalo.
A poignant saying for the next (at least) four years;
Illegitimi Non Carborundum
Right-on, right_on!
On November 5th, 2008 at 7:28 pm, ironman said:
Even when misquoted Shakespeare trounces Maya Angeloooo.
What a no-talent hack of a poet.
Ralph Ellison kicks her mediocre butt.
Yeah, she’s a real hack:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_honors_and_awards_for_Maya_Angelou
This includes the Horatio Alger Award, which y’all should appreciate.
Ignorant people often mock what they don’t understand.
Wow! Did Ms Angelou suddenly slip a disk and think that McCain had won the election?
Oh I get it. Obama is president of all the anti-religious, anti-conservative, anti-freedon of speech, anti-American Dream bigots. Yeah I got it. I didn’t need the reminder.
It’s I.
I write as badly as me.
Or something.
Later.
Maya Angelou is a good person, and a great poet. Some of the comments about her just taste of bitterness. I always thought most conservatives were above this type of rhetoric. She writes about her prospective. Just because you don’t agree with it, is no reason to be nasty about it.
That is funny!!!
After showing one of my boys this clip I had him watch a clip of the real Maya Angelou. We watched part of her interview with Harry Smith. We both thought Harry was going to we himself with joy. He covered his mouth like he was about to break out in tears of joy like a little girl.
We both like David Allen Grier’s version better.
Of course I’ve never been a fan of Angelou.
thats a scary thought.
Please. More like solipsistic twaddle.
: “general critical consensus holds that Angelou would be hardly known as a poet were she not famous for the chronicles of her life. Her poems are considered by some critics to be thin in substance, lacking in poetic invention, and lackluster in language.”
I’ve read poetry that I couldn’t put down. I’ve sat enthralled through hours of Shakespeare.
Angelou is self-gratifying treacle. That emperor wears no clothes.
We all like our opinions validated. Glad to hear others feel like me.
I always felt like jumping off the roof with this woman’s “poetry”, if you can call it that. I think it can be used as torture. Hey, instead of waterboarding, threaten them with one of her “poems”.
To each his own. That’s why we live in a great country.
I thought Maya Angelou was proudly and outspokenly pro-life.
Makes it more obvious what this race was REALLY about.
Oh, we understand.
/fixed
“Give us loops of Froot. Fruity loops. Fruit loopies swimming…”
HAHAAHAHAAAAHAAAAAAA