IF YOU LIVE
By Mose Allison

And if you live, your time will come,
And if you live, your time will come;
So child, don’t you mess with that cotton sack.
It’s gonna scratch your knees and it’s gonna crimp your back,
And if you live, your time will come,


And if you live, your time will come,
And if you live, your time will come,
So child, don’t you play with those pots and pans,
They’re gonna soon enough ruin your pretty hands,
And if you live, your time will come.

And if you live, your time will come,
I say and if you live, your time will come,
When the sun’s gonna shine and the crops will grow,
You think that you won’t have to worry no more,
But if you live, your time will come.



What do the words mean? Well, one does not usually try to explain poetry, but essentially Mose seems to be comforting a poor woman living by the sweat of her brow. Some day, he sings, your life will be much better, far beyond worries about crops and such, and those will be the good times if you can just manage to live long enough to reap the benefits of your labors.
Ironically, however, the last verse may be understood to mean just the opposite—once you have what you’ve waited for, and you don’t have to worry anymore. the time may come for that to end as well.

(cotton sack= plain dress.
Large amounts of flour used to be sold in the US in cotton sacks with flowers and other designs printed on them, especially in rural areas, The women used them to make dresses, curtains, and clothes for their families).

—JS