Goodbye, Christ - a poem by Langston Hughes you probably never read

When you see that copy of Langston Hughes Selected Poems at the bookstore, know that the "selection" had more to do with meeting the ideological needs of the McCarthy era than sharing the full power and popular grace of his collected work. Faith Berry  did the great service in 1973 of assembling his uncollected radical poems and writings from the Soviet Union in Good Morning Revolution. With all the talk about religion, and so many leftists allergic to telling the truth about the God racket, I'm just loving Langton's love of the people and not their illusions. He writes:

Listen, Chirst,
You did alright in your day, I reckon—
But that day's gone now.
They ghosted you up a swell story, too,
Called it Bible—
But it's dead now.

Goodbye, Christ
By Langston Hughes, 1932

Listen, Chirst,
You did alright in your day, I reckon—
But that day's gone now.
They ghosted you up a swell story, too,
Called it Bible—
But it's dead now.

The popes and the preachers've
Made too much money from it
They've sold you to too many

Kings, generals, robbers, and killers—
Even to the Tzar and the Cossacks,
Even to Rockefeller's Church.
Even to the Saturday Evening Post,
You ain't no good no more.
They've pawned you
Till you've done wore out.

Goodbye,
Christ Jesus Lord God Jehova,
Beat it on away from here now.
Make way for a new guy with no religion at all—
A real guy named
Marx Communist Lenin Peasant Stalin Worker ME—

I said, ME—

Go ahead on now,
You're getting in the way of things, Lord.
And please take Saint Gandhi with you when you go,
And Saint Pope Pius,
And Saint Aimee McPhereson,
And big black Saint Becton
Of the Consecrated Dime.
Move!

Dn't be so slow about movin'!
The world is mine from now on—
And nobody's gonna sell ME
To a king, or a general,
Or a millionaire.

Comments

[looking for langston]

Funny, this poem got Langston into hot water with the religious fundmentalists of his day. It seems that some things don't change

I always loved Langston radical poetry. Actually for a great read check out "I Wonder As I Wander" the supressed second half of his autobiography where he gets into his travels to Soviet Union.

[Sandy]

Isn't that just sickening. Did you know that the US Government allowed such Communist man on a stamp for Black History Month? What kind a of world are we living in?

[Mariah]

Ha, He Is So RIght.

[Lynn]

HAHA anyone who thinks he is communist obviously doesn't understand the poem. He is stating that by communist law, all people are equal. When Christ walked the earth he died to save those from oppression, yet African Americans were oppressed and unequal in America, a country that calls itself "Christian." So by stating this, God can leave because America is not following him, they are too caught up with materialistic ideals to truly follow him. Assuming that Hughes was a Communist is silly and false. This is a slap in the face to all white American Christians who chastised African Americans because they are black. Hope that cleared some things.

[knight gold]

African Americans because they are black. Hope that cleared some things.

[Guest]

Hughes was published in various communist magazines and newspapers. Like many black authors of the 30's, he supported the Communist Party but was not an official member. This poem was written while Hughes was in the Soviet Union.

Your interpretation of the meaning of the poem is sound, but you are wrong in stating that "Assuming that Hughes was a Communist is silly and false".

I realize your comment was more than a year ago and you probably will not see this, but your condescending tone concerning something that you are clearly not informed about is unnecessary. Why don't you read up on black authors of the 1930s and realize how wrong you are in this case.