A Majesty of Sound

You know

We have this trouble sometimes

With northern preachers

They just—

You know, they come down here

And they whisper

All soft and sacrosanct

To the point where—

I’m telling you, listen

Now this isn’t me being funny

I’m really meaning this stuff

—To the point where

Everybody’s leaning in

Like this—

Leaning all the way in

—So they can hear

What these fellas

Have to say

Now, when Jesus was speaking

Do you think

He made people lean in?

Got folks on the mountain

Folks on the hills

Folks in the thousands

Clamoring to catch a word
And you think he was whispering?

Hell no, he wasn’t whispering

He shouted

Jesus shouted

And we forget that

We forget that the man

--I mean, he must have had to

Really get that word out there

And why not?

It was a good word

Wasn’t it?

Why not shout it?

That’s what I wonder

These northern preachers come up here

Calling themselves priests

And I tell ‘em

Look, you can be a priest

In New York City

But down here

You’re a preacher

And get yourself a girlfriend

If you feel like it

Might wake you up

A little bit

Oh, they get scandalized

When I talk like that

Gets their tails up

You know what I mean?

But my mama spoke the word to me

And when she did it

She was so loud

They could hear her

Two counties over

And she wouldn’t put up

With none of this

Whispering and soft spoken

Bullshit

Daddy was quiet

But he was a very ill man

Couldn’t raise his voice for nothin’

So Mama had to do it

For the both of them

Sing the praises

Heap joy onto us all

Because I came from—

Well, it was a very big family

Back then, they were all

Big families

Everybody was one

Big family

I remember when my baby sister got baptized

Mama held her in the water

And yelled so loud

I thought she was going to wake up

Folks in Australia

Then she lifted up my sister

And the world went quiet

A new blessing had been bestowed

And there was a hush
And a cresting of a silence

That was louder

Than any sound

I’ve ever heard in my life

But it was born out of noise

Out of calamity

And an excess

Of sound

Praise be, I thought

As my little sister coughed

And scrunched up her face

And started to cry

Praise be

To all that

Heavenly

Majesty

A Majesty of Sound

That’s a name for a sermon

I’d have to do it though

The northern boys

Wouldn’t shout it loud enough

They’d make you lean in

Me?

I want you to lean back

I want to throw my noise at you

And have it blow you right back

Up to Heaven