June 01, 2026

THE BALLAD OF THE HARP-WEAVER
by  Edna St. Vincent Millay
 
"Son," said my mother,
When I was knee-high,
"You've need of clothes to cover you,
And not a rag have I.
"There's nothing in the house
To make a boy breeches,
Nor shears to cut a cloth with
Nor thread to take stitches.
"There's nothing in the house
But a loaf-end of rye,
And a harp with a woman's head
Nobody will buy,"
And she began to cry.
That was in the early fall.
When came the late fall,
"Son," she said, "the sight of you
Makes your mother's blood crawl,—
"Little skinny shoulder-blades
Sticking through your clothes!
And where you'll get a jacket from
God above knows.
"It's lucky for me, lad,
Your daddy's in the ground,
And can't see the way I let
His son go around!"
And she made a queer sound.
That was in the late fall.
When the winter came,
I'd not a pair of breeches
Nor a shirt to my name.
I couldn't go to school,
Or out of doors to play.
And all the other little boys
Passed our way.
"Son," said my mother,
"Come, climb into my lap,
And I'll chafe your little bones
While you take a nap."
And, oh, but we were silly
For half an hour or more,
Me with my long legs
Dragging on the floor,
A-rock-rock-rocking
To a mother-goose rhyme!
Oh, but we were happy
For half an hour's time!
But there was I, a great boy,
And what would folks say
To hear my mother singing me
To sleep all day,
In such a daft way?
Men say the winter
Was bad that year;
Fuel was scarce,
And food was dear.
A wind with a wolf's head
Howled about our door,
And we burned up the chairs
And sat upon the floor.
All that was left us
Was a chair we couldn't break,
And the harp with a woman's head
Nobody would take,
For song or pity's sake.
The night before Christmas
I cried with the cold,
I cried myself to sleep
Like a two-year-old.
And in the deep night
I felt my mother rise,
And stare down upon me
With love in her eyes.
I saw my mother sitting
On the one good chair,
A light falling on her
From I couldn't tell where,
Looking nineteen,
And not a day older,
And the harp with a woman's head
Leaned against her shoulder.
Her thin fingers, moving
In the thin, tall strings,
Were weav-weav-weaving
Wonderful things.
Many bright threads,
From where I couldn't see,
Were running through the harp-strings
Rapidly,
And gold threads whistling
Through my mother's hand.
I saw the web grow,
And the pattern expand.
She wove a child's jacket,
And when it was done
She laid it on the floor
And wove another one.
She wove a red cloak
So regal to see,
"She's made it for a king's son,"
I said, "and not for me."
But I knew it was for me.
She wove a pair of breeches
Quicker than that!
She wove a pair of boots
And a little cocked hat.
She wove a pair of mittens,
She wove a little blouse,
She wove all night
In the still, cold house.
She sang as she worked,
And the harp-strings spoke;
Her voice never faltered,
And the thread never broke.
And when I awoke,—
There sat my mother
With the harp against her shoulder
Looking nineteen
And not a day older,
A smile about her lips,
And a light about her head,
And her hands in the harp-strings
Frozen dead.
And piled up beside her
And toppling to the skies,
Were the clothes of a king's son,
Just my size.
 
REFERRAL
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Harp-Weaver/The_Ballad_of_the_Harp-Weaver
LARGER REFERRAL
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Harp-Weaver
BACKSTORY
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edna_St._Vincent_Millay

 

Event details

The song was produced by Rob Base, DJ E-Z Rock, and William Hamilton and built around the Think break sample and other elements from Lyn Collins' 1972 song "Think (About It)." Rhonda Parris was brought in by Profile Records to sing the hook.

video https://youtu.be/phOW-CZJWT0?si=7HGpgSzfprK6NAJz

LYRICS


Right about now, you're about to be possessed
By the sounds of MC Rob Base and DJ, EZ Rock
It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight
It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight
I wanna rock right now
I'm Rob Base and I came to get down
I'm not internationally known
But I'm known to rock the microphone
Because I get stupid, I mean outrageous
Stay away from me if you're contagious
'Cause I'm the winner, no, I'm not a loser
To be an M.C. is what I choose-a
Ladies love me, girls adore me
I mean even the ones who never saw me
Like the way that I rhyme at a show
The reason why, man, I don't know
So let's go, 'cause
It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight
It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight
My name is Rob, I gotta real funky concept
Listen up, 'cause I'm gonna keep you in step
I got an idea that I wanna share
You don't like it? So what, I don't care
I'm number one, do you know, I like comp
Bring all the suckers 'cause all them I'll stomp
Bold and black, but I won't protect
All of my followers 'cause all I want is respect
I'm not a doctor, put them in rapture
A slick brother that can easy outfox ya
'Cause I'm Rob, the last name Base, yeah
And on the mic, I'm known to be the freshest
So let's start, it shouldn't be too hard
I'm not a sucker, so I don't need a bodyguard
I won't fess, wear a bulletproof vest
Don't smoke Buddha, can't stand sex, yes
It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight
It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight
The situation that the Base is in
I'm kinda stingy that's why I don't wanna lend
A funky rhyme to a foe or a good friend
But listen up 'cause I want you to comprehend
'Cause I'm the leader, the man superior
I take care of ya and then ya get wearier
So just sit, my rhymes are not counterfeit
The record sells which makes this one a hit
It won't hurt to listen to Red Alert
Take off your shirt
Make sure it don't hit the dirt
I like the kids; the guys, the girls
I want the ducats 'cause this is Rob Base's world
I'm on a mission, ya better just listen
To my rhymes 'cause I'm all about dissin', 'cause
It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight
It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight (hit it)
I stand alone, don't need anyone
'Cause I'm Rob, just came to have fun
Don't need friends that act like foes
'Cause I'm Rob Base, the one who knows
About things that make ya get weary
Don't cheer me, just hear me
Out 'cause I got the clout, shout (ho!)
Before I turn the party out
I won't stutter
Project my voice, speak clearly
So you can be my choice
On stage or on record
Go to the Wiz and select it
Take it off the rack, if it's wack put it back
I like the Whopper, f- the Big Mac
If you want static, so let's go
So, throw up your hands
Go for what you know
Bro', I got an ego
Yo, talkin' to me? No, oh
'Cause Rob is in the front, EZ Rock is on the back-up
We're not soft, so you better just slack up
'Cause I'm cool, calm just like a breeze
Rock the mic' with the help of EZ
Rock on the set, the music plays
Only cuts the records that I say
It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight
It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight
All right, now, EZ Rock
Now, when I count to three
I want you to get busy
You ready now?
One, two, three, get loose now!
It takes two to make
It takes two to make
It takes two to make
It takes two to make
It takes two to make
It takes two to make
It takes two to make
It takes two to make a thing
It takes two
It takes two
It takes two to make a thing
It takes two to make
It takes two to make
It takes two to make
It takes two to make
It takes two to make
Songwriters: James Brown, Robert Ginyard Jr.. DJ EZ Rock, Rob Base


Think (about it) source material

Sung by Lyn Collins
Written by JAmes Brown
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_(About_It)

Rhonda Parris is the voice on the record, not Lyn Collins https://www.npr.org/2018/09/18/648850102/the-voice-behind-one-of-hip-hops-most-famous-hooks

Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCByeJsq65M

LYRICS
Hey, fellas
I'm talking to you, you and you too
Do you guys know who I'm talking to?
Those of you who go out and stay
Out all night and half the next day
And expect us to be home
When you get there
But let me tell you something
The sisters are not going for that no more
'Cause we realize two things
That you aren't doing anything for us
We can better do by ourselves
So from now on, we gonna use
What we got to get what we want
So, you'd better think, think
Now's the time when we have respect
That's the thing I never will forget
Now baby, I got a lot to live
And a whole lotta loving
That a woman could give, yeah
But before I give it up, I gotta think, think
What the future holds for me
Is too far ahead to see
I don't need no heartache
I can't stand no misery
Let me think, think
It takes two to make a thing go right
It takes two to make it outta sight
All right, yeah
Don't say it's easy
Know it can be rough
Just plain living
Sometimes it's kinda tough
If it's not in your vision
Don't make no decision
Hey, yeah, all right
So, I'm laying my cards on the table
When it comes to taking care of me
I know I'm able
You may not call it true
But I won't do nothing that you won't do
Said I won't do nothing that you won't do
So think about the good things
Come on and think about the right things
You got to think about me too
Come on and think, think about you
Come on and think about the good things
Come on and think about the right things
Come on and think about me too
Songwriters: James Brown.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Takes_Two_(Rob_Base_%26_DJ_E-Z_Rock_song)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Base_%26_DJ_E-Z_Rock

Event details