{
 "id": "james-weldon-johnson/noah-built-the-ark",
 "title": "Noah Built the Ark",
 "poet": "James Weldon Johnson",
 "poet_slug": "james-weldon-johnson",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse",
 "book_slug": "gods-trombones",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": null,
 "container": null,
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1927,
  "venue": "God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse (1927)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/godstrombonessev00johnso"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
  "kind": "standard-ebooks",
  "repo": "standardebooks/james-weldon-johnson_poetry",
  "file": "poetry.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
   "https://www.google.com/books/edition/How_the_National_Association_for_the_Adv/AAs-AQAAMAAJ",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17884",
   "https://archive.org/details/fiftyyearsother00johnrich",
   "https://docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/johnson/johnson.html",
   "https://archive.org/details/godstrombonessev00johnso"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-12"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 168,
  "n_stanzas": 20,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 55,
  "max_indent": 0
 },
 "site_ready": true,
 "parts": [],
 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "In the cool of the day⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "God was walking⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Around in the Garden of Eden.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And except for the beasts, eating in the fields,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And except for the birds, flying through the trees,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The garden looked like it was deserted.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And God called out and said: Adam,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Adam, where art thou?",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And Adam, with Eve behind his back,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Came out from where he was hiding.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And God said: Adam,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "What hast thou done?",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Thou hast eaten of the tree!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And Adam,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "With his head hung down,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Blamed it on the woman.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "For after God made the first man Adam,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "He breathed a sleep upon him;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Then he took out of Adam one of his ribs,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And out of that rib made woman.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And God put the man and woman together",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "In the beautiful Garden of Eden,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "With nothing to do the whole day long",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But play all around in the garden.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And God called Adam before him,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And he said to him:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Listen now, Adam,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Of all the fruit in the garden you can eat,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Except of the tree of knowledge;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For the day thou eatest of that tree,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Thou shalt surely die.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Then pretty soon along came Satan.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Old Satan came like a snake in the grass",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "To try out his tricks on the woman.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "I imagine I can see Old Satan now",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "A-sidling up to the woman.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "I imagine the first word Satan said was:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Eve, you’re surely good looking.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "I imagine he brought her a present, too⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And, if there was such a thing in those ancient days,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "He brought her a looking-glass.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And Eve and Satan got friendly⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Then Eve got to walking on shaky ground;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Don’t ever get friendly with Satan.⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And they started to talk about the garden,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And Satan said: Tell me, how do you like",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The fruit on the nice, tall, blooming tree",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Standing in the middle of the garden?",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And Eve said:",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "That’s the forbidden fruit,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Which if we eat we die.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And Satan laughed a devilish little laugh,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And he said to the woman: God’s fooling you, Eve;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "That’s the sweetest fruit in the garden.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "I know you can eat that forbidden fruit,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And I know that you will not die.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And Eve looked at the forbidden fruit,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And it was red and ripe and juicy.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And Eve took a taste, and she offered it to Adam,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And Adam wasn’t able to refuse;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "So he took a bite, and they both sat down",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And ate the forbidden fruit.⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Back there, six thousand years ago,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Man first fell by woman⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Lord, and he’s doing the same today.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And that’s how sin got into this world.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And man, as he multiplied on the earth,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Increased in wickedness and sin.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "He went on down from sin to sin,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "From wickedness to wickedness,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Murder and lust and violence,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "All kinds of fornications,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Till the earth was corrupt and rotten with flesh,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "An abomination in God’s sight.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And God was angry at the sins of men.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And God got sorry that he ever made man.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And he said: I will destroy him.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "I’ll bring down judgment on him with a flood.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "I’ll destroy ev’rything on the face of the earth,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Man, beasts and birds, and creeping things.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And he did⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Ev’rything but the fishes.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "But Noah was a just and righteous man.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Noah walked and talked with God.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And, one day, God said to Noah,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "He said: Noah, build thee an ark.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Build it out of gopher wood.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Build it good and strong.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Pitch it within and pitch it without.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And build it according to the measurements",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "That I will give to thee.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Build it for you and all your house,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And to save the seeds of life on earth;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For I’m going to send down a mighty flood",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "To destroy this wicked world.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And Noah commenced to work on the ark.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And he worked for about one hundred years.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And ev’ry day the crowd came round",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "To make fun of Old Man Noah.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And they laughed and they said: Tell us, old man,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Where do you expect to sail that boat",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Up here amongst the hills?",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "But Noah kept on a-working.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And ev’ry once in a while Old Noah would stop,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "He’d lay down his hammer and lay down his saw,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And take his staff in hand;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And with his long, white beard a-flying in the wind,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And the gospel light a-gleaming from his eye,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Old Noah would preach God’s word:",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Sinners, oh, sinners,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Repent, for the judgment is at hand.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sinners, oh, sinners,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Repent, for the time is drawing nigh.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "God’s wrath is gathering in the sky.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "God’s a-going to rain down rain on rain.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "God’s a-going to loosen up the bottom of the deep,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And drown this wicked world.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sinners, repent while yet there’s time",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For God to change his mind.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Some smart young fellow said: This old man’s",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Got water on the brain.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And the crowd all laughed⁠—Lord, but didn’t they laugh;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And they paid no mind to Noah,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But kept on sinning just the same.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "One bright and sunny morning,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Not a cloud nowhere to be seen,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "God said to Noah: Get in the ark!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And Noah and his folks all got in the ark,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And all the animals, two by two,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "A he and a she marched in.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Then God said: Noah, Bar the door!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And Noah barred the door.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And a little black spot begun to spread,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Like a bottle of ink spilling over the sky;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And the thunder rolled like a rumbling drum;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And the lightning jumped from pole to pole;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And it rained down rain, rain, rain,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Great God, but didn’t it rain!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For forty days and forty nights",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Waters poured down and waters gushed up;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And the dry land turned to sea.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And the old ark-a she begun to ride;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The old ark-a she begun to rock;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sinners came a-running down to the ark;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sinners came a-swimming all round the ark;",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sinners pleaded and sinners prayed⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Sinners wept and sinners wailed⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "But Noah’d done barred the door.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And the trees and the hills and the mountain tops",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Slipped underneath the waters.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And the old ark sailed that lonely sea⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "For twelve long months she sailed that sea,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "A sea without a shore.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Then the waters begun to settle down,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And the ark touched bottom on the tallest peak",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Of old Mount Ararat.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The dove brought Noah the olive leaf,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And Noah when he saw that the grass was green,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Opened up the ark, and they all climbed down,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The folks, and the animals, two by two,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Down from the mount to the valley.",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And Noah wept and fell on his face",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And hugged and kissed the dry ground.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "And then⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "God hung out his rainbow cross the sky,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And he said to Noah: That’s my sign!",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "No more will I judge the world by flood⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Next time I’ll rain down fire.",
    "indent": 0
   }
  ]
 ]
}