From the Blues to the Good News and Other Poems

By Benjamin R. Robinson Jr.

From the Blues to the Good News takes the reader through multiple themes, from inspirational and educational rap lyrics, romantic and seasonal poetry, to avant-garde. The reader will be inspired, enlightened, experience the wonder of romance in the love poems and be pleasantly dazzled by the avant-garde poems.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 3, 2011
• ISBN: 9781257688449

Book preview

Employees).

Preface

First of all I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has taken me from the ‘Blues to the Good News’ of the gospel. I thank my mother who sacrificed so much so that me and my brother and sister might have a good start in life. I thank my late wife Kathy (‘Cat’) who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. When I asked her why did she stay with me when I was ‘down and out’, her simple answer was, One because I loved you and two, I knew one day you would be somebody. I pray that for her sake, that one day I will be somebody. One day she asked me before she went home to be with the Lord, why do you continue to stay with me even though I’m so sick? I told her One because I love you and two, because now I’m somebody in Christ.

I also thank my family members, my pastors Daniel and Sabrina Mangrum, my good friend Jackie Tilghman who contributed 4 poems to this collection and ‘Feed My Sheep’ Ministries, the Mission of Love and CFIRE who have all been a great blessing and encouragement to me. I also thank the students at Eleanore Roosevelt High School who first inspired me to ‘rap’.

These poems are divided into 7 sections. The ‘Gospel’ and ‘Education’ Rap sections have CD’s set to their own music and can be purchased separately at http://stores.lulu.com/ben_r_robinson. Then there is an ‘Inspirational’ section, two sections of love poetry, ‘Postmillennial Love’ which is general love poetry, and ‘Premillennial Love’ with poems written to my late wife Kathy. I have an ‘Avant-garde’ section of ‘experimental’ poetry, and a ‘Seasonal’ section. The first 4 sections were written after I was saved and the last 3 sections were written before I was saved.

Gospel Rap

Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and

hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech

shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the

tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass.

Because I will publish the name of the LORD:

ascribe ye greatness unto our God.

---Deuteronomy 32:1-3, King James

Verson of the Bible

From the Blues to the Good News of the Gospel

Jesus can take you from the blues,

To the good news of the gospel.

Jesus can give you the tools

And give you the rules

To chase away the blues.

The devil you he will abuse,

You he will try to use

That’s why you need Jesus to give you the tools

And the rules

To chase away the blues.

Back in the day

I used to watch Fat Albert say, hey hey hey.

Back in the day

I used to think there was no God, no way.

Back in the day

I used to get drunk and go out and play.

Papa was a rolling stone,

He had a lot of women and was always gone,

Momma did the best she could

To raise me and my brother and sister in the hood.

I still loved my papa because I knew I should.

Momma used to say God don’t like ugly.

And ain’t crazy about beauty.

Momma used to say Don’t do as I do,

Do as I say do. It became my duty.

Momma used to send us to Sunday School,

She tried to teach us the golden rule,

Don’t be no fool,

Stay in school

That’s what’s cool.

But somewhere along the line,

I made a wrong turn.

I started drinking that wine,

And the girls started to look so fine.

I stopped going to Sunday School.

But I did graduate from High School.

So I was still cool.

Didn’t want to be no fool.

I went on to college and got my B.S.

But when I got out I failed life’s test.

I couldn’t find a job, boy it was a mess.

I lost hope and gave up, you know the rest.

I started hanging with the ‘Boyz in the hood’,

Started acting crazy like they said I should.

Trying with the ladies to define my manhood.

Acting like somebody out of Hollywood.

Back then I was ‘Old School’

The Wild Irish Rose and Thunderbird were the rule.

I watched the ‘Love Boat’ with Mary Jane on a stool.

They called me ‘Mr. Cool’ but I was still a fool.

One day a man came on the TV tube,

It wasn’t Ice Tea, no it wasn’t Ice Cube.

He said you’ve tried everything else, why don’t you try Jesus?

My mind was hung over but my heart said I must

Give my life to the Lord and Savior of us.

So I called out to Jesus and asked him to save me,

And show me he was real and not just some fantasy.

He delivered me from smoking and drinking M.D. Double Twenty.

I was ‘Born Again’ into Christianity.

I used to play the ‘blues’ on my saxophone.

On my way to hell and fire and brimstone.

Now I worship God who’s on the throne.

Now I love Jesus Christ, the Chief Cornerstone.

I’ve been washed in the blood of the crucified one.

I may not rap like Snoop Dog and Fifty Cent,

But the Spirit of the Lord has made me to repent.

Now I read the New Testament.

Because Jesus has showed me ‘A Way More Excellent’.

Now I preach to the hot and I preach to the cold.

I minister to the young and minister to the old.

Jesus Christ has taken me from the blues,

And put in my heart the gospel of the good news.

He has given me the tools

And taught me the rules

To go from the blues

To the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Rapping the Word-John Chapter 1

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word

was God.

The same was in

the beginning with God.

All things were made

by him and

without him was not

any thing made.

In him was life;

and the life was the light