Life Is Fine

I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn't,
So I jumped in and sank.

I came up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn't a-been so cold
I might have sunk and died.

    But it was    Cold in that water!    It was cold!

I took the elevator
Sixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby
And thought I would jump down.

I stood there and I hollered!
I stood there and I cried!
If it hadn't a-been so high
I might have jumped and died.

    But it was    High up there!    It was high!

So since I'm still here livin',
I guess I will live on.
I could've died for love --
But for livin' I was born.

Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry --
I'll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.  

    Life is fine!    Fine as wine!    Life is Fine!

Langston Hughes, The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes (Alfred A. Knopf, 1994)