Digital Program
Original music inspired by Percival Everett’s James
Original music inspired by Percival Everett’s James
The Bushwick Book Club Seattle
presents
Original Music Inspired by
Percival Everett’s James
January 10, 2026
at Hugo House
Hosted by Wes Weddell
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Featuring Musical Performances from
(Click name for primary link, * = first Bushwick appearance, ^ = lyrics included below)
Rights to all song lyrics ©/℗ the individual artists, reprinted here with permission
Amy Laybourn^
Facebook Instagram YouTube Bandcamp
Amber Flame
Facebook Instagram YouTube Bandcamp
Nessa Grasing
Linktree Instagram Bandcamp
Cyd Smith^
Facebook Instagram YouTube Bandcamp
Chris Poage
Facebook Instagram YouTube Bandcamp
Havilah Rand*^
Facebook Instagram YouTube
Plus the Bushwick Quiz and more!
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2025-2026 “Escape Plan” Mainstage Season at Hugo House & online
Thank you, Bushwick Members!
PERFORMER-PROVIDED LYRICS
Rights to all song lyrics ©/℗ the individual artists, reprinted here—exactly as submitted—with permission
Amy Laybourn
When I Get To The Other Side
—
Well, I stole, I cheated and lied
Broke the rules of your God, but not mine
And I will hold my head up high
When I get to the other side
When I get to the other side
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I stuck out my lip to look sad and confused
An expression I reserve only for you
Mumble up some words and some nonsense too
I know my role and what I gotta do
I know my role and what I gotta do
—
Yeah, I stole, I cheated and lied
Broke the rules of your God, but not mine
And I will hold my head up high
When I get to the other side
When I get to the other side
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You folks expect me to sound a certain way
So I’m serving you the feeling of superiority
The more I can make you believe in this game
The more I can make it through another day
The more I can make it through another day
—
That’s why I stole, I cheated and lied
Broke the rules of your God, but not mine
And I will hold my head up high
When I get to the other side
When I get to the other side
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The better they feel, the safer we are
Always running in my heart, but I never get far
Da mo betta dey feels, da mo safer we be
Holding onto running for you and me
Holding onto running for you and me
—
Well, I stole, I cheated and lied
Broke the rules of your God, but not mine
And I will hold my head up high
When I get to the other side
When I get to the other side
—
I’m filled with the voices of fear and rage
But I gotta save that story for another page
The power of my words, the sound of my soul
What I see inside no one can control
What I see inside no one can control
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Hold your tongue
And the secrets inside
Don’t speak first
Never look in the eye
Hold that thought
And the urge to grin
Don’t name names
Always let them win
—
Yeah, I stole, I cheated and lied
Broke the rules of your God, but not mine
And I will hold my head up high
When I get to the other side
When I get to the other side
—
—
Cyd Smith
RIGHTS OF MAN
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You can talk about your rights of man
Praise your freedoms to the sky
But who oh who gets to decide
To whom these rights apply
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Who gets to be the master
Who has to be the slave
Who gets to make the rules for
How this game is played
I mean, Who gets to be a human being.
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Is it the color of my skin
The church I worship in
Is it the nature of my sex
Makes me worthy of respect
Is it the country of my birth
Or my personal net worth
I mean, Who gets to be a human being
—
You can talk about your natural law
And your democracy
Your city on a hilltop
Where everybody’s free
—
Except for those that you decide
Don’t quite make the grade
Who serve you at your pleasure as
You act out your charade
I mean, Who gets to be a human being.
—
Does my DNA
Require your OK
Must my sexual inclination
Meet your approbation
Will I be subject to removal
If I don’t meet your approval
I mean, Who gets to be a human being.
Havilah Rand
The Innocent Question
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Steal away
To the river
Steal away
To the hiding rooms
Where is faith
When the demon’s runnin
Straight towards you
—
Where is God
A child reaching for the blue sky
Where is God
A child hangin from the noose
Why do we do this to each other
Separated by religion race and color
—
prejudice imprinted
On the underbelly of my brain
Walk the talk and practice what I preach
Still make that mistake again and again
—
Feel the guilt and feel the fear
That anger rises up
Too difficult to face the beast
You close your eyes keep your mouth shut
—
Lay down low
Hiding in the trees
From the smoke
And idiocracy
—
Break the chains
Bury the snake
Seek the truth
and call it out by name
—
Weaponizing words
what kind of animal are we
That paints the art of language
as the enemy
—
Identity runs deeper
than the color of our skin
We’re all more than just one story
The good inside our hearts
Is greater than our sins
—
Where is God
An innocent question
Where is god
A silent scream
Where is hope
To walk in peace
The light of awareness will set us free
—
—
Reggie Garrett
I Won’t Fade Away
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They say the time is ripe for runnin’
They say it’s time for me to flee
And they say it’s time to put that one away
Well, they wanna close the book
Ah, they wanna close the book – on me
—
Well, they fought a war to save the Union
A war for me to be free
But folks ‘round here, they want to chain me away
Oh, they wanna lock the door
Lock the door – on me
—
But I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away
I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away
—
Found myself way out in Utah
There’s a canyon out that way – still bears my name
Me and my friend, we ran our cattle on that land
’Til they tried to throw the book
Ah, they wanna throw the book – at me
—
Well, I had to leave that place in a hurry
Oh, I had to run and leave it all behind
Guess that was just too much good land for a man as dark as me
Well, they wanna write the rules
Ah, they wanna write the rules – for me
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But I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away
I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away
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Now, I’m steppin’ down the streets of Greenwood, OK
So many souls all around – just like me
Some say they stole this land from those Indian folks
Well, they got pushed around
Oh, they got pushed around – like me
—
Next thing I know, they’re raining death from the sky
And gunning everyone, right where they stand
Too many times, I’ve seen it in my life
Oh, they wanna cleanse the land
They wanna cleanse the land – of me
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But I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away
I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away
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Well, I climb the side of a mountain, so steep
So many obstacles thrown in my way
Seems that hatred won’t ever die away
Oh, they wanna close the book – lock the door
They wanna throw the book – and write the rules
They wanna cleanse the land and purify this world
Oh, they wanna make a world- without me
—
(But-)
I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away
I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away
I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away
I won’t fade away – I won’t fade away
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