Yowzah
Yowzah - meaning Summary
From Meekness to Demands
The poem follows a community’s shift from submissive acceptance—saying "Yowzah and Sho nuff and Yassuh boss" and moving to the back of the bus—to organized action: protesting, voting, and demanding rights. It compresses the movement from quiet prayer and patience to demonstrations and struggle, and ends with a declared equality that lets the formerly oppressed speak freely, now answering authority with confident affirmation.
Read Complete AnalysesWell it wasn't too very long ago you know some folks walked with a hi-dee-ho And other folks walked around kind of low Sayin' Yowzah and Sho nuff and Yassuh boss It was ashes to ashes and dust to dust and they didn't believe in makin' a fuss So they quietly moved to the back of the bus They just say Yowzah and Sho nuff and Yassuh boss And when things got rough they did a little prayin' Little arm wavin' and a little bit of swayin' Didn't do no good they kept right on a sayin' Sayin' Yowzah and Sho nuff and Yassuh boss So they all went out and did a little standin' little less askin' and a lot more demandin' Little less liftin' and a little less totin' a lot more thinkin' and a lot more votin' A lot less hopin' a lot less waitin' A whole lot more demonstratin'a lot less pearly gate'n' A lot more fightin' and a lot more walkin' until finally no one at all was talkin' Like Yowzah and Sho nuff and Yassuh boss The end of this story is plain to see they finally achieved equality And now like you and me they can stand up strong and free And say Yes sir and Of course sir and Anything you say JB
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