The part of Joe in “show Boat” and the song “Ol’ Man River” were written for my father by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II. But when it opened in 1927, he didn’t particularly want to be in the show. If you read the lyrics, it says “Dedicated to Paul Robeson” and it starts, “Niggers all work on the Mississippi/Niggers all work while the white folks play/Pulling dem boats from dawn ’til sunset/Getting no rest while the white folks play.” He wasn’t exactly crazy about doing that.
Interestingly enough, the first recording that he did in 1927, he sang the actual lyrics, “niggers” and all. But when he listened to it, he said, “I’m sorry I did this.” Then there was this opportunity to do the version in England. So he came to find a way to do it: he altered the first part of the song. Instead of saying “Niggers all work on the Mississippi,” he changed it to “Darkies all work on the Mississippi.” Next came the movie, in 1936, and there was nobody else to do Joe except Robeson. But Dad really didn’t want to do it. So Mother, who was very savvy and who was his manager and agent at the beginning of his career, asked for a price that was through the roof. And they said yes. So he had to do it. What he did, though, was change the lyrics again–and quite significantly to “There’s an old man called the Mississippi/That’s the old man that I likes to be.” As he got more powerful, he challenged the industry more and more. When he returned to the United States from Europe in 1939, the lyrics were completely transformed. He changed the ending from “I’m tired of living and scared of dying” to “I must keep fighting until I’m dying.” It literally became a song of resistance. It gave the song a different aura, almost like a lament or a spiritual, and it was absolutely stunning. So he was able to make it not only less stereotypical but to give it a kind of dignity. People were really moved. He did things like that vocally and in the parts he played. He tried to make these roles better, although none of them did justice to the man he was. But he advanced the black image on screen and stage from dehumanized to human. It was a huge leap.
