Keeping Ourselves Together...

A message from Nina Simone

“You can't help it. An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times.”
”What kept me sane was knowing that things would change, and it was a question of keeping myself together until they did.” - Nina Simone

This piece by Nina Simone was recorded 49 years ago on July 3, 1976. Forty-nine years, but the pain and sorrow in her voice and eyes spoke to me as if it was recorded yesterday. It feels like she is singing for all of us.

“I wish I never lived this long,
I hope this feeling never comes again,
Feelings, feelings like I never lost you,
And feelings like I never really had you.” - Nina Simone, 1976

Below is the complete recording from that performance in 1976.

Copyright 2025 by Jena Ball. All Rights Reserved.

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