Musical Performances
are YouTube Links
“Black and Blue”
by Louis Armstrong
How will it end?
Ain’t got a friend,
My only sin
Is in my skin.
What did I do
To be so black and blue?
YouTube Performance
“Black and Blue”
by Louis Armstrong
The Invisible Man is high when
listening to this song. He descends
into its tempo and the song
eventually leads him into his
“reefer dream.” There is both irony
and ambiguity in the title and
lyrics.
“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”
A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
YouTube Performance
“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”
His craft and power are great,
and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
The Invisible Man has fond
memories of hearing this song
beneath the full moon.
“Live-A-Humble”
Live a-humble, humble
Humble, yourselves,
The bells done ring
Glory and honor!
Praise King Jesus!
Glory and honor!
Praise the Lord!
YouTube Performance
“Live-A-Humble”
Watch the sun,
How steady he runs
Don’t let him catch you
With your work undone
This is Dr. Bledsoe’s favorite
spiritual, and the Invisible Man
wonders why Bledsoe suddenly
does not act humbly.
Dvorák’s New World Symphony
The Invisible Man hears this song
when the Reverend Barbee is
finished speaking and a new white
speaker is about to speak.
YouTube Performance
Wheatstraw Blues
She’s got feet like a monkey
Legs like a frog -- Lawd, Lawd!
But when she starts to loving me
I holler Whooo, God-dog!
Cause I loves my baabay,
Better than I do myself.
YouTube Performance
More o’ Dem Blues
She’s got feet like a monkey legs
Legs, Legs like a mad bulldog.
Wheatstraw represents the wisdom
and “mother wit” of home, with a
sense of humor.
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony
The Invisible Man imagines he
hears the opening notes of the first
movement of the fifth symphony
when he is revived after the
explosion. Traditionally associated
with death; here it signifies rebirth.
YouTube Performance
“Go Down Moses”
Go down Moses
´way down in Egypt´s land
Tell ol´ Pharaoh,
Let my peoples go.
The Invisible Man is asked to sing
this Negro spiritual at a party.
YouTube Performance
“John Brown’s Body”
John Brown's body lies
a-mouldering in the grave,
John Brown's body lies
a-mouldering in the grave,
But his soul goes marching on.
YouTube Performance
“John Brown’s Body”
Glory, glory, hallelujah,
Glory, glory, hallelujah,
His soul goes marching on.
The Invisible Man hears the crowd
singing this song when he is about
to speak to them.
“Poor Robin”
O well they picked
poor Robin clean
O well they picked
poor Robin clean
Well they tied
poor Robin to a stump
YouTube Performance
“Poor Robin”
Lawd, they picked
all the feathers round from
Robin’s rump
Well they picked
poor Robin clean.
This song inspires feelings of
revenge in the Invisible Man.
“Back Water Blues”
Well, it rained five days, and
the clouds turned dark as night.
Oh, it rained five days, and
the clouds turned dark as night.
And trouble takin' place
in the low, low land that night.
YouTube Performance
“Back Water Blues”
When it thunders and lightenin',
and the wind began to blow.
When it thunders and lightenin',
and the wind began to blow.
*Well,* there's thousands of
people ain't got nowhere to go.
“Back Water Blues”
Mary is humming this song in her
apartment. The Invisible Man is
feeling guilty about how he has not
paid Mary properly, and he hears
this song as soon has he enters
Mary’s apartment.
“Jelly Jelly”
Jelly jelly jelly
Jelly stays on my mind
Jelly jelly jelly
Jelly stays on my mind
Jelly roll killed my pappy,
And drove my mama stone blind.
YouTube Performance
“Jelly Jelly”
This song is on the jukebox in the
bar Invisible Man visits. The
Invisible man is disguised as
Rinehart, and he is about to go and
confront Brother Maceo.
“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home!
I'm sometimes up and
sometimes down,
Comin' for to carry me home,
YouTube Performance
“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”
But still my soul feels
heavenly bound
Comin' for to carry me home
The Invisible Man is hearing this
song right before he hears the
New World Symphony.
“Strange Fruit”
Southern trees bear
a strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and
blood at the root,
Black body swinging
in the Southern breeze.
Strange fruit hanging
from the poplar trees.
“Strange Fruit”
Though this song does NOT
appear in the novel, it is relevant
to the riot that breaks out in the
final chapters and the drama of
the epilogue.
YouTube Performance