Precious Palm Tree

A bit of history about precious palm tree, by Congress-Woman Malinda Jackson Parker, dedicated to Kenneth Best, of Liberia. My friends, lend me your ears: I have a story to tell you about the greatest tree in Africa, yea, in all the world. This tree produces everything for human needs. Is stately, lovely, charming, gracious, and marvelous. This tree is precious palm tree

Her gifts to mankind are too numerous to mention. I shall now name a few of these items for your listening pleasure: roofing for houses, food, butter, palm wine, palm oil, nut oil, palm cabbage, [?] and soap, soda, gunpowder, sulfur, medicine, timber, plank, thread, broom, palm kernel, net for fishing, materials for art and craft, and decorations. The palm tree's economic significance is reflected on the Liberian coat of arm

Home of glorious liberty
By God's amen

But the most important gift of precious palm tree is that used on Palm Sunday, commemorating the death of our savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross to redeem mankind from sin

Men make poems, fly to the moon, dance and croon

But my friends, I declare unto you: Only God can make a tree, set us free, and keep us in our glee. God made gentle, precious palm tree for us

Song: "Precious Palm Tree," composed and sung by Congress-Woman Jackson Parker, dedicated to our school

Africa can never repay precious palm tree
For her gifts, so numerous and free

Precious palm tree, precious palm tree
Precious palm tree, set us free
Precious palm tree, precious palm tree
Precious palm tree, one day we call

Your sweet palm wine make us fine
Your sweet wine will make us strong and fine

In all kinds of weather
You give us shelter
You give us shelter

Precious palm tree, gentle palm tree
Precious palm tree, thee we call
Precious palm tree, gives us oil
Precious palm tree, set us free

Precious palm tree, give us wine
Precious palm tree, thee we call
Precious palm tree, come as a dove
Precious palm tree, you're sent from heaven above

You set us free, and now we know glee
Precious palm tree, give us some oil
Precious palm tree, one day we call
We'll never, never leave thee
You set us free
Precious palm tree, we know thee all

Precious palm tree!
One day we all will fall
Precious palm tree, precious palm tree
Precious palm tree, now we in our glee
We are in our glee!
We are in our glee because you set us free
And now we are happy and in our glee
Precious, gentle, generous palm tree:
We thank thee!

Palm tree!

In honor of our riverside Louisiana school, St. Paul River

Palm tree!