Cane Lyrics

[Intro: Gil Scott-Heron]
The Rural South, as described by Jean Toomer at the turn of the century, was the inspiration for this song about two of its characters. This is about the primary product of that area, the Cane

[Verse 1: Gil Scott-Heron]
Take Karintha, take Karintha
Perfect as dusk when the sun goes down
And take Karintha, as perfect as twilight
As a child able to drive both young and old wild
As perfect as dusk when the sun goes down
Said take Karintha and remember, remember every sound
‘Cause, often as our flowers bloom, men will try and cut them down
Said take Karintha, as sweet as spring rain
Run from the Cane, run from the Cane

[Verse 2: Gil Scott-Heron]
Pray for Becky, and pray for Becky
White woman gave birth to two black sons
Pray for Becky, her one-room shack fell to the ground
The two boys killed a man and had to leave town
Said white woman gave birth to two black sons
Said pray for Becky and remember, remember the days
She looked to us for help, and we all turned away
Said pray for Becky, buried down near the trains
Deep in the Cane, deep in the Cane

Cane Q&A

Who wrote Cane's ?

Cane was written by Gil Scott-Heron.

Who produced Cane's ?

Cane was produced by Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson.

What is "the Cane"?

The “Cane”, as Gil Scott-Heron describes in the introduction, is “the primary product of [the Rural South]”. It is short for sugarcane, a major trading product from the South. During the 1920’s the grass and its commercial production massively impacted the landscape and culture of the surrounding ar...

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Who is Karintha?

Jean Toomer’s book, Cane, contains a vignette titled “Karintha,” which is a coming of age story about the character’s loss of innocence. Initially portrayed as a free spirit, Karintha is a young black woman who is an object of desire for men, both young and old. However, the final paragraph alludes...

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Who is Becky?

“Becky,” a vignette from Jean Toomer’s Cane, describes the treatment of a white woman with two illegitimate black sons. Becky was exiled from the community and forced to live an isolated life in a small cabin beside the railway. Through Toomer’s imagery, she appears physically sunken as a result of...

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What is "Cane" based upon?

As is made semi-evident in the introduction, “Cane” is based upon an identically-titled book by writer Jean Toomer. Cane is a collection of vignettes that cover life in black society, circa 1920.

Scott-Heron took inspiration from two of the book’s short stories for “Cane”, apply titled “Karintha” a...

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