Heritage (My Mother, My Father and Love), Pt. 1 Duke Ellington (Ft. Joya Sherrill)

[FEMALE SOLOIST (JOYA SHERRILL), spoken]
I've had many interviews about my heritage and such
Like, "Tell us about your childhood" or "Have you suffered much?"
Well, I could talk about me and do it pretty fast
But in speaking of my loved ones, some of whom have passed
I have my little problem as I try to make sense
You see, I never speak of my people in the past tense
So I paint my little word picture in my own little way
And if you happen to be listening, you might hear me say

(sung)
My mother, the greatest and the prettiest
My father, just handsome but the wittiest
My granddaddy, natural born proud
Grandma, so gentle, so fine
The men before them worked hard and sang loud
About the beautiful women in this family of mine
Our homestead, the warmest hospitality
In me you see the least of the family tree personality
I was raised in the palm of the hand
By the very best people in the land
From sun to sun
Our hearts beat as one
My mother, my father and love