This song was introduced to me by bass player Eric Richardson. Originally recorded by Abbey Lincoln, the text is by African American Poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar. The irony in this recording is that, while I am singing the words of the poem's narrator, my own background is closer to that of Miss Lucy- the girl in the poem who is looking at the lines and dots of the music, and despite her education, does not have the musical soul of the slave girl, M'lindy. Growing up in the Lutheran tradition, I sang a lot, but listened in awe when I heard the vocal freedom and agility of the gospel singers in town. I sing this song out of respect for those great voices, and I acknoweledge that I am still, in some ways, Miss Lucy, whether I like it or not.
-Nancy