Darlin' Cora

It was 1959, and Harry Belafonte was a singing star. His Jamaica Farewell and Banana Boat Song (most well-known line: “Day-O”) had made him famous. Belafonte, the “king of calypso,” was one of the first black entertainers to headline a show at Carnegie Hall.

He opened the show with a song named “Darlin’ Cora,” which became the first song on his Belafonte at Carnegie Hall live album.

Wake up, wake up, Darlin’ Cora,

Wanna see you one more time,

The sheriff and his hound dogs a-comin’,

I gotta move on down the line.

I don’t know why, Darlin’ Cora,

Don’t know what the reason can be,

But I never yet found a single time

When me and the boss man agree.

I ain’t a man to be played with,

I ain’t nobody’s toy,

Been workin’ for my pay for a long long time,

How come he still calls me boy?

Well I’d rather drink muddy water

And sleep in a hollowed-out log

Than to hang around in this old town

And be treated like a dirty dog.

Well I whomped that man, Darlin’ Cora,

And he fell down where he stood.

Don’t know if I was wrong, Darlin’ Cora,

But Lord it sure felt good.

If it wasn’t so dark, Darlin’ Cora,

You’d see tears trickling down my face.

It breaks my heart, Darlin’ Cora,

But I got to leave this place.

Wake up, wake up, Darlin’ Cora...

The lyrics are powerful, and Belafonte’s voice even more so. For 99¢, you can download the song from iTunes and listen for yourself. He had a really fine voice.

And huge balls. This was years before the civil rights movement got any traction. Belafonte is a black dude and it was the 1950s in America.