Richard Pryor: 1940-2005
Revolution #28, December 26, 2005, posted at revcom.us
We will miss the great comedian Richard Pryor. We will miss his biting humor, unsparing honesty, and deep feeling for the masses. We will miss his openness to life and people, his defiance and his ability to capture the humor and truth in the life of the masses. But the universe of characters he gave us will continue to live on--still instantly recognizable and heart-stopping hilarious. As Mudbone, perhaps Pryor's most unforgettable character says, "the truth is gonna be funny, but it's gonna scare . . . folks."
*****
Y'all know how Black humor started, it started on the slave ships, you know. Cat was on his way over here, rowing. You know dude said, what you laughing about? He said, yesterday I was a king.
They having a bicentennial--200 years. Going to have Bicentennial nigger. They will, they'll have some nigger 200 years old in black face, with stars and stripes on his forehead, little eyes, lips just a shining. And he'll have that lovely white folks expression on his face, but he's happy. He happy cause he been here 200 years. He says, I'm just so thrilled to be here.
[Music starts, "Glory, glory, hallelujah..."]
Over here in America, I'm so glad y'all took me out of Dahomey. Yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk...
I used to could live to be 150, now I dies of high blood pressure by the time I'm 52. And that thrills me to death. I'm just so please America is going to last. Yuk, yuk, yuk...
They brought me over here in a boat. There were 400 of us come over here. Yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk...
360 of us died on the way over here. Yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk...
But I love that. Yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk...
That just thrills me so. Yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk...
I don't know, you white folks are just so good to us. Yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk...
Got over here, another 20 of us died from disease. Yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk...
Ah, but you didn't have no doctors to take care of us, I'm so sorry you didn't. Upset you all some too didn't it. Yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk...
Then they split us all up. Yes, siree. Took my momma over that way, took my wife that way, took my kids over yonder. Yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk...
I'm just so happy. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do if I don't get 200 more years of this.Yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk...
[Music swells...]
Lord have mercy. Yes, siree. I don't know where my old momma is now. She up yonder in that big white folks in the sky. Yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk...
Y'all probably done forgot about it. Yuk, yuk, yuk...
[Voice changes to serious and music stops]
But I ain't never going to forget about it.
Richard Pryor, from Bicentennial Nigger*
Notes:
* This material is reproduced here as it was performed by Richard Pryor at the time, including the use of the word "nigger"; this is for the sake of accuracy and not out of any disrespect for his feeling, after a trip to Africa, that he should no longer use the word "nigger" because it is dehumanizing.