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Whenever I peer upon pale moonlight
See a comet’s tail streak across the night,
A precious nova, far bright, one starry dusk,
I see Josephine.
Whenever I journey by car to the Atlantic coast
Take a star trek near a Pacific coast.
I see Josephine.
In Paris fighting the good fight,
For causes right,
Before any feminist plan for black plight,
I see Josephine.
Charming her audience as a great star does,
From Ziegfield Follies to the Cotton Club.
This is Josephine.
Just to take pen in hand, but not just now,
To study stage and theatre and see just how,
There is Josephine.
Making her debut in a banana-costumed dance,
But endangering her life for the free men of France.
I see Josephine.
A French contessa in a castle so high,
With lots of children and faith to live by,
There is Josephine.
Who, herself from St. Louis, during a time
When prominent blacks were a mere frame of mind,
There is Josephine.
Escaping the stigma of being black and so young,
All the way to the stage and here she comes,
It is Josephine.
So when you’ve finished studying hall-of-fame makers,
Prominents, riches, and most important takers,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I give you Ms. Josephine Baker.