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New lyrics composed by Columbia Poet: The Columbia Square Latest Hershel Harmon verse inspired by street ministers who frequented Columbia in poet's youth; lyrics fit melody of Johnny Cash hit, "Loading Coal" Photo accompanies this article Columbia' self-styled "Working Man's Poet" Hershel D. Harmon has finished another work of verse. This one evokes memories for many of Adair County's 50-years-old-and-up set. This work is entitled "The Columbia Square." The poem follows: The Columbia Square See related article on earlier poem, "The Studebaker Hawk with the Tennessee Plates," and photograph Inspired by 1950s era street preachers Comment by Ed Waggener This poem would seem to be inspired by the memories Mr. Harmon has of the street preachers who used to took turns, mostly on Saturdays, preaching on the steps of the Adair County Courthouse. It was in the early and pre-1960s era. Some of us can remember as many as five or six of the ministers who would await turns to preach. Usually, each man would have an audience of, at most, the remaining ministers. Sometimes, the last one in the queue would be speaking only to himself. The practice was somewhat controversial, even here in righteous Columbia. Occasionally, those against the practice couched their opposition in breach of peace terms, attributing it to aversion to amplified sound. Some might recall - I think I do - when an evangelist's car with a loudspeaker mounted on top went through Columbia announcing, in somber tones, "Bro. Tom Blevins has been arrested in Campbellsville, Kentucky, for preaching the Gospel." Nobody ever went to the trouble to ascertain the details, whether he was really arrested for "preaching the Gospel," or if the offense were the illegal use of a loudspeaker. We knew that if we dug too deeply, we might be disappointed by the truth, that it might be only the latter. In those days we needed to believe the worst of Campbellsville. A lot of us here just accepted it: this monstrous act against Christianity even though the atrocity had occurred in the most Baptist of cities east of Waco. For, after all, could any reasonable person, especially a fifth grader at the time, be surprised by any iniquity to come out of Campbellsville? (Freud's concept of "The Naricissism of Minor Differences," could have been illustrated no better, anywhere at the time, than with Columbia and Campbellsville. Unless one could consider the later prevailing attitudes of the enormous superiority supposed at points immediate to either side of the Adair County/Russell County line.) And, after all, we Columbians loved our evangelists. Celebrated the fame of German Comer. We were not so barbarous as to arrest them. Lock them up. We didn't laugh when the sports announcers slipped in "Lions 7, Christians 0," at halftime. Other critics may read more or less than this into Mr. Harmon's newest literary effort than we have. But on whatever level one views "The Columbia Square," whatever ambiguity one might read into it, it, no one can doubt its place in Adair County's rich arts tradition. This poem was meant to be read privately, recited acapella in coffee houses, or, Mr. Harmon suggests, it can be sung to the tune of Johnny Cash's "Loading Coal." Mr. Harmon has written "Food Stamp Program," and "Pick and Shovel Man." Most recently before "The Columbia Square," he penned "Take Me Back to Tompkinsville." This story was posted on 2005-10-02 15:07:49
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ENTERTAINMENT: "Motown" final performance of season Saturday night ''Motown'' at Dream Depot for 2nd time Saturday, June 25, 2005 Gospel entertainment show scheduled at Depot Encore showing is Saturday 4:00 p.m. Christmas music and entertainment coming to the Depot More entertainment at Depot in July Dream Depot Details: April 10 and 17 Arts Council meets Thursday, January 22nd Entertainment features '70s & '80s music this weekend Exhibit Shows Creative Side of Lindsey Wilson Faculty View even more articles in topic Local Arts Scene |
 
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