Be kind to children Be kind to seniors Take the potion
We are not committing suicide Revolutionary act Do not take our death in vain
Death is not a fearful thing It’s living that’s fearful
Choose my own kind of death I’m tired I’m tired of… Tired of it
So many people’s lives in my hands Don’t want your life in my hands
Now is the dispensation of judgement Revolutionary suicide council Self-destruction Because I’m a prophet
Died every day to give you peace Still not had any peace Still not the kind of peace I wanted to give
Suicide To have us destroyed Many will destroy themselves I’m speaking as a prophet today
The damage will be done I cannot separate myself from the pain We’ve walked together too long
I saved them I saved them I made my example I made my expression I made my manifestation I’ve been born out of due season To leave this ****** world
We lay down our lives in protest We lay down our lives to protest at what’s been done The criminality of people The cruelty of people
There’s no point There’s no point to this We are born before our time They won’t accept us If they come after our children Then our children will suffer forever
Take ease Take ease Take ease Take ease Take ease
Sit down Sit down Sit down
It’s all over It’s all over
What a legacy What a legacy They invaded our privacy They invaded our home They followed us six thousand miles … the Congressman’s dead
Get us some medication There’s no convulsions with it It’s just simple Get it before it’s too late Don’t be afraid to die They’ll torture our children They’ll torture some of our people They’ll torture our seniors We cannot have this
How many are dead Oh God Almighty God
It’s too late It’s too late They’re all laying out there dead I didn’t but my people did They’re my people They’ve been provoked too much What’s happened here has been an act of provocation
You don’t know what you’ve done I’ve tried You’ve got to move To get that medication
Everybody was so happy when they stepped through to the other side
It’s hard It’s hard only at first is it hard It’s hard only at first You’re looking at death Raising up every morning It’s much more difficult It’s much more difficult
For God’s sake let’s get on with it We’ve lived as no other people have lived We’ve had as much of this world as you’re gonna get Let’s be done with the agony of it It’s far Far harder To watch you Every day Die slowly
You are dying
This is a revolutionary suicide It is not a self-destructive suicide I think it’s humane
Somebody relax Relax Relax Die with respect Die with a degree of dignity Lay down your life Don’t lay down with tears and agony There’s nothing to death Stop this hysterics This not the way for people No way for us to die We must die with some dignity
Mother, mother, mother, mother, please Mother please...please...please don’t Don’t do this Don’t do this Put down your life with this child But don’t do this Keep...keep your emotions down If you will be quiet Be patient Be patient Death is… Dead is a million times preferable to ten more days of this life Death, death, death is common to people Quit exciting your children
An erasure poem I wrote in university using Jim Jones' last speech, given as 900 members of the People's Temple in Guyana were forced into suicide on his urging on November 18, 1978