Raising of the Flag, 1962

Proud I am children, proud for sure, proud of day and proud of night I can finally turn the key in my own door No latent echoes filled with omnious warnings Measuring out my freedom in abbreviated noons And uncoiling mornings with elastic circuit of the sun I can plant my own ten acres of banana more Beach my own canoe on the shore And will cut twenty more yards of sugarcane If they pay me better now to buy a proper loaf I come this midnight dividing present and past Dividing hope from despair and brief uncertainty About the cloud's timing of the rain. I come to see my own black sorrows rolled back To taste the ripe green of land and labour And peace of sovereign gold I come for me, and I come for Nanny on the mountain Looking down, and for Bogle's marching done I come for brother Sam fired dream of freedom Do you hear their great spirit chanting us Garvey on the podium after the black, green and gold Have taken its place proudly amongst the nations of the world I hear him thunder "rise ye mighty race, rise" And feel the lightning of the heroes voice Those all past, and those to come This is a great moment in the building of a nation A great berth of ship before the salt waves lick The sturdy bow, O ye valiant seamen, no cringeing now No shackled hopes, no tethered dreams, our coffled hearts Shall be only what reminds of the bitter voyage past My soul is breathing like the abeng tonight Atop its pole the flag of Jamaica in full flight.